February 11
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged quick & easy, vegetarian
I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs, Cooking With Court.
My favorite thing about this recipe is that it’s so easy to make, yet it comes out delicious. You could seriously make these little guys in 20 minutes, including time to preheat the oven! It was perfect for a quick dinner after a long day of work.
2 10-inch flour tortillas OR already made pizza crust
Olive oil
5 oz Monterey Jack cheese
5 oz cheddar cheese
2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup ripe sliced olives
Black pepper to taste
Heat the oven to 400°. Lightly brush the tortillas with olive oil. Place on baking sheet and bake for five minutes on each side or until crisp and golden brown. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350°. Top each tortilla with half of the ingredients. Bake for five minutes or until cheese melts.
A couple of quick notes based on our experience:
- If you’re using a dark baking sheet, reduce the tortilla cook time to three or four minutes on each side to avoid burning. We ended up having to do one tortilla over again. (Oops!)
- Make sure to pop any bubbles that form in the tortilla during the baking process, before they become crisp. Oddly shaped tortillas are very hard to put toppings on.
- We used mozzarella rather than MJ, because that’s what was in our fridge. Still tasted amazing.
- Next time I think I’ll use 8-inch tortillas, just so I can fit more than one on a baking sheet. Using a whole sheet per pizza would be totally impractical if you’re cooking for more than two people.
January 23
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged FAVORITE, pasta, vegetarian
I was drawn to this recipe in Good Housekeeping because of its label, healthy in a hurry. I’m pretty sure it’s called “festive” because it has red and green in it and was in the December issue of the magazine.
Whatever its name, I call it wonderful!
12 oz rotini*
12 oz broccoli
1 pint grape tomatoes
1/4 tsp salt
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 c Romano cheese
Heat oven to 450º. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding broccoli during last three minutes. Toss tomatoes, garlic, oil, and salt in bowl. Spread tomato mixure in 9 x 13 pan and roast 15 minutes or until tomatoes wrinkle and begin to burst, stirring halfway through cook time.
Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Drain pasta. Add pasta water to pan, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Return all ingredients to pot and stir in cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.
*Make the smart choice. Use whole-grain pasta.
September 16
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged mexican/spanish, soup, vegetarian
I made this dish for a recent lunch with some girlfriends, and it turned out even better than I’d expected! They all seemed to enjoy it as well. Pair it with some yummy bread like we did, and you’ve got a satisfyingly cool and delicious lunch.
2 cups tomato juice, chilled
1 avocado, peeled and diced
1 cup fresh corn
2 tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowls.
I only made one change to this recipe: Instead of using fresh corn, I just thawed out some frozen corn, which worked perfectly. I love convenience!
July 29
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged italian, pasta, slow cooker, vegetarian
The cookbook describes it better than I can: Herb-infused tomatoes tango with garlic, artichokes, and cream–a dance that results in a sauce with Mediterranean flair.
I spent all day today on this pasta… Or rather, my slow cooker did. This recipe came out of my 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Recipes book.
3 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic
2 14-oz cans artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 Tbsp bottled minced garlic (6 cloves)
1/2 c whipping cream
12 oz uncooked linguine, fettuccine, or other favorite pasta
(optional ingredients)
Sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives and/or sliced pitted ripe olives
Crumbled feta cheese or finely shredded Parmesan cheese
Coat a 3.5- or 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Drain 2 of the cans of diced tomatoes (do not drain remaining can). In the prepared cooker, combine drained and undrained tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and garlic. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.
Stir in whipping cream; let stand about 5 minutes to heat through. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Serve sauce over hot cooked pasta. If desired, top with olives and/or cheese.
As usual with slow-cooker recipes, I mixed this up this morning and let it cook all day while I was at work (9 hours). No optional toppings for us this time, and it came out great.
Bottom line: Good, unique pasta sauce. If you’re not a huge fan of artichokes, though, I’d recommend using only one can.
