Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Recipe adapted from Planet Green.

This recipe is really quick to throw together. I further saved time and purchased premade salsa. I'm far more fond of fresh made, but the tomatoes around these parts aren't looking very pretty these days at the market. There is a recipe which I will post to make your own salsa, but my feeling is why waste time if you're not using fresh tomatoes?

If you want a bit more heat (I kept these mild for the kiddies) you could chop up a jalapeño and saute it along with the bell pepper, corn, scallions and beans. I also added in a few chopped up scallions to this, which wasn't in the original recipe.

I used lowfat jack cheese, lowfat sour cream and used a bit of cooking spray to cook the tortillas to cut back the calories.

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for cooking quesadilla

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup of frozen corn

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 lime, juiced

10 7-inch flour tortillas

1 tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro

3/4 cup Monterey jack cheese

Salsa for serving, recipe follows

Light sour cream for serving

DIRECTIONS

Heat one teaspoon of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the red peppers, scallions, corn and black beans. Season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes.

Add the lime juice, stir and remove from heat.

To assemble lay one tortilla in a hot skillet. Place enough filling to cover the tortilla and sprinkle with some cheese (the recipe said 1/4 cup of filling, and 2 tbsp of cheese but I used more than this). Top with another tortilla and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom. Flip and cook until the other side has browned and the cheese has melted.

Cut each tortilla into 6 triangles. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

SALSA INGREDIENTS

1 8-ounce can petite diced tomatoes and their juice

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon minced yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced green bell pepper

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon green hot-pepper sauce

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Let rest at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Basil Oil

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs plum tomatoes, cut in half
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp sugar
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
4 cups of stock (chicken or vegetable)
¼ cup diced sun dried tomatoes
¼ cup heavy cream
Basil oil, recipe below

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a large baking sheet, lay out the tomatoes, skin side down. Place the garlic cloves and onions on top of the tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the tomatoes are caramelized.

In a large saucepan, add the roasted tomato mixture, stock, sun dried tomatoes, and sugar. Bring to a low boil and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes. Puree soup in blender and bring back to saucepan. Mix in the heavy cream, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with basil oil.

BASIL OIL

1 large handful of basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

Mix all of the ingredients in a food processor, until combined.

Pasta with Spicy Tomato Pesto and Winter Greens

On my continued effort to not soak my food in fat and have it laden with calories - I assumed pesto was off limits. I've really been vigilant lately, because I don't want to gain my annual holiday weight (followed by the new years resolution to work it off).

I came across this recipe from Health Magazine and I was skeptical as to whether or not it would actually taste good. But I miss pesto and pasta, and the sun dried tomatoes are what ultimately sold me.

There are a few steps to making this dish, but I promise it's not complicated. To make things more simple, prep and measure ingredients ahead of time.

INGREDIENTS

PESTO

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 
  GREENS
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 cups trimmed Swiss chard, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  PASTA
• 8 cups hot cooked (about 4 cups uncooked) whole-wheat pasta shells
• 4 teaspoons grated fresh Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS

To prepare pesto, combine boiling water and sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl; let stand 30 minutes or until soft. Drain tomatoes in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup liquid.

Drop tomatoes, almonds, cheese, basil, and garlic through food chute with food processor on; process until minced. Keeping processor on, add salt and red pepper. Slowly pour 1 1/2 tablespoons oil through food chute; process until well-blended, scraping sides. Add reserved soaking liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture appears smooth. Set aside.

To prepare greens, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add Swiss chard; stir-fry 1 minute or until leaves turn bright green. Add water, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes.

Combine pesto and hot cooked pasta in a large bowl; toss well. Add greens mixture; toss well. Sprinkle with Parmesan.

Serves 5

Nutritional Information

Calories:

355

Fat:

12.4g (sat 2.6g,mono 7.1g,poly 1.6g)

Cholesterol:

5mg

Protein:

14.3g

Carbohydrate:

51.9g

Fiber:

6.6g

Iron:

2.9mg

Sodium:

608mg

Calcium:

147mg

Chickpea Noodle Soup

I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. My mother said to me the other day "it's too bad you can't have chicken noodle soup" as she swears it has healing abilities - and she's never really approved of my choice to be a vegetarian.

Well, I decided what my soul needed was some chickpea noodle soup. Studies have shown that miso is full of antioxidants, fatty acids, and vitamin E. It also has protein, vitamin B12 and minerals to help boost the strength of your immune system. Source here. Not to mention this soup has chickpeas, vegetables, olive oil and whole grains.

Put that in your pipe and smoke it, chicken noodle soup.

Recipe adapted from the PPK.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup peeled, chopped carrots (or chopped baby carrots)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed in your fingers
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 vegetable boullion
2 tablespoons mirin (optional)
1/3 cup brown miso
7 cups water
1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 ounces whole grain long pasta, broken into thirds


DIRECTIONS

Preheat a large pot over medium high heat. Saute the onions and carrots in the oil for about 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and herbs and saute another five minutes. Deglaze the pot with the mirin (or just a splash of water). Add in the 7 cups of water, the boullion and the chickpeas. Cover and bring to a boil.

Once the broth is boiling, break the noodles into thirds and throw them in. Lower the heat to medium so the soup is at a low boil. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add in the green peas, and miso. Stir so the miso becomes incorporated. Taste and adjust for salt, or add in more miso for a stronger saltier flavor.

Makes 6 servings