7.31.2009

Southwest Feast with a Twist

One of my favorite things to make is quesadillas. They can be made to anyone's tastes and they are super-duper easy! I found a recipe that called for BBQed pork to be used as a filling and seeing as though I don't eat pork, I decided to improvise a bit. Here you will find my own version of this Southwest take on quesadillas. I used portabello mushrooms instead of pork and the end result was fantastic! I also paired the quesadillas with some homemade coleslaw and garlic broiled corn!
I made the coleslaw first to let the flavors meld together. I started out with a bag of coleslaw mix (can't get any easier than that) and a medium chopped onion.


In a separate bowl, I mixed together a bit of low-fat mayonnaise, sugar, salt, vinegar, celery seed and a bit of vegetable oil.


I then mixed the slaw mix and dressing together. Seriously, I got this recipe off of allrecipes.com, its called sweet restaurant slaw. I cut the sugar and oil in half from the original recipe and subbed low-fat mayo for the dressing, but this slaw still tastes just like KFC! I HIGHLY recommend you try it!!!



Next comes the corn. All I did was butter, salt, pepper and add fresh garlic to the ears before wrapping them up in foil to stick in the broiler. Next time I will soak the ears for a bit, because they came out a bit dry. There is always next time... Mistakes happen in every kitchen - don't let it discourage you! Just learn and move on!


A simple roll of the foil does the trick to keep all the juices in the foil. I also find lining your oven with foil helps with clean up!


Now.... onto the FUN part. I saute some chopped portabello mushrooms, garlic, and onions until all is tender.


I then mixed the sauteed vegetables with some Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce. To change the pace a bit, I also added about a tsp of cayenne to the sauce - I love spice!


My favorite part about making quesadillas is the actual frying of them. It is so easy, as soon as my son is old enough to use the stove, even he'll be able to do it! I simply spray a pan with Pam, put the tortilla down, add my stuffing on one side (mushroom mix and some Monterrey jack cheese), give it a minute to brown....

closer the lid and flip it again once it starts to brown on the down-side. Couldn't get any easier!
I then start the process over again! As long as your filling is already cooked, it is a simple and fast way to get dinner on the table!

This was a successful meal at the Luckey-Meyer house! My son wouldn't touch the coleslaw, but that was to be expected! Also, the coleslaw is great for days after, even better really as the flavors start to really mix together!


Next meal is at my new house! The first meal I made at the house was boring-ole spaghetti (because it is the easiest meal ever), so I didn't snap pictures of it, but this past Friday I made some stuffed shells. Once I upload and edit the pictures, I'll have it up for you!

7.03.2009

The First & The Last

My parents came over to pick Ronnie up last Wednesday, and they stayed for dinner too! The funny thing, this was both the first and probably the last time I will make dinner for them in this particular kitchen since the big move to the new house is less than 3 weeks away!

For dinner with my parents, I went with a new recipe I found on the Whole Foods website. The main ingredients include lasagna noodles, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, spinach, pasta sauce, and low-fat ricotta cheese! Sounds like a great start to me!

The basic ideas of these "Cheesy Spinach Rolls" is to roll the noodles instead of layering them like a lasagna. So... First things first, I boil the noodles.



Next, after the noodles are done, I lay some wax paper on the counter and place all the noodles next to each other. The first layer of the rolled noodles is the low-fat ricotta cheese. I also topped it with some garlic powder and Italian seasoning.

I then spread the noodles with the pasta sauce.


Our next ingredient - the spinach! I love spinach!



Lastly, I top the rolls with a little bit of leftover mozzarella cheese I had in the fridge. I figured - why not?


Now the fun part - rolling the stuffed noodles. Just a simple roll is all it takes. Seriously, this couldn't get any easier!


After each individual noodle has been rolled, I place them in a 9x13 pan. You want a bit of a tight fit so they don't come apart while they are baking.


Then before I place them in the oven, I top the rolls with my remaining pasta sauce.


These rolls are a great alternative to a regular lasagna. Next time I think I'll have Ronnie help me, because this truly is an easy, kid-friendly prepping recipe!



I am not exactly sure what is up for the next recipe! If I have my say, I will be making BBQ Portabello Quesadillas with grilled corn on the cob!