Best Ever Quesadillas

Ingredients

(for two quesadillas)

4 flour tortillas

1½ cups shredded cheese, your favorite blend (I like cheddar with monterey jack or mozzarella)

½ a brown onion, sliced in thin strips

1 bellpepper, also sliced in thin strips

3 cloves garlic, minced 

olive oil

½ a tomato, diced

sprig of fresh chopped cilantro

dab of guacamole

salt and pepper

Put a dab of olive oil into a frying pan and cook the bellpepper, onion slices, and garlic over medium heat.  While it's cooking, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.  When it's well cooked and fairly soft, remove from the pan.

Turn the heat down to low.  Add another small dab of olive oil and put one of the tortillas onto the pan.  Quickly add a layer of cheese, some of the bell pepper and onions, another layer of cheese, and the other tortilla on top.

Once the cheese starts to melt and hold the tortillas together, flip it over and let the other tortilla cook.  After the cheese is thoroughly melted and both tortillas are the same size, transfer it onto a plate and cut it into fours.  Sprinkle chopped cilantro and diced tomatoes on top, as well as guacamole and sour cream, if desired.  Repeat for the other quesadilla.

Garlic Brussel Sprout Crunches

Here's a different and delicious way to prepare brussel sprouts!
This recipe also works really well for asparagus.

Ingredients

20 fresh brussel sprouts (or as many as you'd like to eat)*

olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

garlic powder

salt

*Frozen brussel sprouts can also be used, but they may not come out as crispy.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut the brussel sprouts in half and peel the layers apart, laying them on a baking sheet.

 

Drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil over the brussel sprouts.  Toss the minced garlic over them, and sprinkle some garlic powder and salt on.  Mix them together with your hands, then lay them back out evenly on the baking sheet.

Bake them for about 20 minutes, or until the edges become golden brown and they are slightly crispy.

Add more salt or garlic powder if necessary.  Yum!

Chow Fun Noodles with Bok Choy

Ingredients

8 oz. dry wide rice noodles (chow fun)
¼ cup vegetable oil
2 onions
4 garlic cloves
1 lb. bok choy--the smaller, the better
4 tablespoons Sa Cha sauce (I use Lee Kum Kee brand)
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt to taste
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Dash of chili pepper
Splash of rice vinegar
(optional: ½ cup chopped roasted peanuts)

Cook the chow fun noodles in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, or until soft.  Drain them and set them aside in the strainer.

Cut the onion into strips and slice the garlic thinly.  Saute in the oil over medium-high heat until the onions are yellowish and glassy.  If your bok choy is large, cut it into edible pieces.  Toss it into the pan with the onions and garlic.

After a couple minutes, add the noodles.  Make sure it's not clumped together; if it is, run a little water over it and separate it with your hands before adding it to the pan.

Add the Sa Cha sauce, sugar, and a little salt. Stir it up and mix the ingedients together well.

After you put it in serving dishes, sprinkle fresh chopped cilantro and a dash of chili pepper over the top.  Drizzle a few drops of rice vinegar over it too.  If you'd like, top it off with chopped peanuts.

Fish Fillets with Tangy Orange Sauce

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 six-ounce fillets of your favorite sustainably caught fish

3 teaspoons cornstarch

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup dry white wine

²/₃ cup orange juice

¹/₃ cup carrot juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon water

Heat up the oil over a medium-heat fire. Dip the fish fillets in a couple teaspoons of cornstarch, or more if necessary. Fry it for a few minutes on each side, or until it starts to flake a little when touched with a fork.  Set aside and cover.

Add the garlic to the pan. Then add the wine, turn the heat to high, and boil until about half of the wine evaporates.

Add the orange and carrot juices, the salt, and the cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and cook for about two minutes.

Meanwhile, stir together a teaspoon of cornstarch and the tablespoon of water. Stir into the pan and cook for about a minute.

Spread the sauce over the fillets and serve over a bed of lettuce.

Baba Ghanouj (or Baba Ghanoush)

A tasty Middle Eastern dip that's nice to make alongisde Hummus Yummus, since they both require a lot of the same ingredients.  Great with Arabic bread, pita chips, or other crackers.

Ingredients 

1 large eggplant 

1/4 cup tahini 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1/4 cup lemon juice 

a pinch of ground cumin  

salt, to taste

a bit of olive oil

a couple sprigs of chopped parsley

Preheat an oven to 375°F (190°C).

Poke the eggplant in several places with a fork and place on a barbeque grill rack a few inches from the fire.  (If you don’t have a barbeque grill, you can also just stick it with a pronged fork and hold it over a stove fire.) Grill the eggplant, turning frequently, until the skin turns brown-black and the flesh begins to feel soft (10 to 15 minutes).

Transfer the eggplant onto a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.  Then remove it from the oven, let it cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.

Put the eggplant flesh with the other ingredients (except the parsley) into a food processor and process until it forms a soft paste.  Add more seasonings to taste, if necessary.

Pour the Baba Ghanouj into a serving bowl, drizzle a little olive oil over it, and sprinkle chopped parsley on top.  Enjoy!

Hummus Yummus

If you’ve just bought a new food processor, this is an exciting way to use it, since hummus won’t come out right without one.  This recipe is for basic hummus, but you can also experiment with other added flavors like eggplant, dried tomato, or basil.  Makes a nice dip complement to Baba Ghanouj.

Ingredients

1 can drained garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 tablespoons tahini*

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

*If you don’t have a Middle Eastern foods store nearby, you can make your own tahini by following this Homemade Tahini recipe.

Throw all the ingredients into the food processor and process until it’s smooth and pasty.  Put in a bowl and serve with Arabic bread or pita chips.  Yummus!