Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas with Avocado Smash

I was folding clothes the other day, and simultaneously flipping through channels, and I stumbled on an old episode of 30-Minute Meals with Rachel Ray and the Food Network. She was making her version of Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese...

She called it Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas with Avocado Smash.

Well, I am still on my soup kick, so I thought I'd give it a try. Not only that...but my kids LOVE salsa and quesadillas, so I figured this recipe would be a no-brainer in the "child eat-ability" category.

And, it's vegetarian...so a great way to get those veggies in my kids diet.

Rachel Ray calls this "Stoup"...because it's thicker than a soup, but not quit a stew. She's always making up funny stuff like that.

OH!! And by the way...I did not double the actual stoup recipe, but I DID double the amount of quesadillas I made. Just in case you were wondering. So this recipe is the original...if you're cooking for a crowd, then you might want to double the quesadillas as well...but leave the stoup...this makes PLENTY...

Salsa Stoup and Quesadillas

• 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, plus some for brushing on tortillas 
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 ribs celery, chopped with greens
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 28-ounce can stewed tomatoes
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups vegetable broth or stock
• 3 TBS chopped cilantro
• 6 flour tortillas, 6-8inches
• 1 cup shredded cheddar
• 3 scallions, chopped
• 4 ounce brick Pepper Jack OR Chipolte cheese, shredded, about 1 cup
• Sour cream, to pass at the table

1. Preheat oven to 300.

2. Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 TBS olive oil, jalapenos, bell pepper, onions, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and the saute veggies 5 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and stock, and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and stir in cilantro.

Yummy...

3. Paint 1 side of tortillas with extra virgin olive oil and place them next to each other, oiled side down, on a large cookie sheet. Mix cheddar with scallions and divide the cheese between the tortillas evenly.

This is totally a kid-friendly-in-the-kitchen recipe...

 Top with another tortilla and top each of those with equal amounts of Pepper Jack cheese. Set the last tortillas on top and brush tops with extra virgin olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes in the oven to melt cheese and crisp tortillas. Cool quesadillas 5 minutes to set and then cut each quesadilla into 6 pieces.

Pre-baked quesadillas...

Avocado Smash

• 1 avocado
• 2 TBS chopped cilantro leaves
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 cup sour cream
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 plum tomato, finely chopped

1. Remove avocado flesh to a bowl. Add cilantro and scallions. Pop the lime in the microwave for a few seconds, and squeeze the juice into the mix. Add sour cream, and season with salt and pepper. With a fork or spoon, smash up the mixture, leaving chunks for a good consistency.

2. Chop and seed the plum tomato and fold into the avocado mixture.

Cool and refreshing...

Serve bowls of stoup with 3 wedges of quesadilla along side each bowlful. Pass the Avocado Smash and the plain sour cream for topping stoup or quesadillas.

courtesy Rachel Ray's 30-Minute Meals

Quick Italian Spinach Pie

Yummy egg-y cheesy goodness...

I made this delish quiche tonight, and I thought I'd share it because it was very good and wonderfully easy...perfect for a night when you have a lot going on and don't have the time (or energy) to come up with something fancy.

The recipe is off kraftfoods.com ...my favorite go-to site for the super-easy-use-what-you've-already-got-in-your-pantry recipes.

Quick Italian Spinach Pie

• 1 16-oz. container 2% cottage cheese (I used nonfat...because it's what I have...and it turned out great. So save yourself some fat and calories if you prefer to go nonfat as well)
• 1 pkg. (10 oz. frozen chopped spinach
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella or shredded Italian cheese
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten (I almost used Egg Beaters, but went with real eggs at the last minute...but next time I'll try it with the egg substitute. And if you use a vegetarian egg substitute, this dish would be Veggie-friendly)
• 1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained, chopped (my jar was 12 ounces...but I like roasted red peppers, so I added the whole thing)
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp, dried oregano (I used the Italian Seasoning blend because it was in front and I didn't feel like digging to the back to look for oregano...see? I wanted EASY tonight...)

1. Preheat Oven to 350. Mix all ingredients until well blended.

What it looks like...pre-baked...

2. Pour into a greased 9-inch pie pan.
3. Bake 40 minutes or until center is set.

THAT'S IT!!!!

Talk about CRAZY easy, right? It's quick, cheap, and really good...and my kids gobbled it up, because they LOVE eggs. They're not too crazy about cottage cheese, but since they couldn't TASTE the cheese through the egg-y spinach-y cheesy goodness, I felt no need to inform them.

My messy slice...

Dinner. It's served.

Now go eat.

courtesy www.kraftfoods.com

World's Best Braised Cabbage

Everyone I know makes the same thing on St. Patricks Day...Corned Beef and Cabbage with a side of Potatoes. It's a great dinner...and everyone loves turning the leftovers into Corned Beef Hash the next morning.

But it is NOT, strictly speaking, a traditional Irish dinner.

It's an American dinner...served on St. Patricks Day.

I'm not knocking it...I've made it PLENTY of times for St. Pat's. And I believe that you can make your own traditions...so why not make Corned Beef traditional?

There are many other absolutely WONDERFUL things to make for St. Patricks Day...a truly traditional dish would be Shepherd's Pie.

If you're looking for something a little more simple, you could go with Potato-Leek Soup. It's great when served with Irish Soda Bread.

But, if you're dead set at serving Corned Beef and Cabbage this year, that's more than okay. After all...I did.

Yup...that's right...I can preach about "real" food and "authentic" recipes all I want...but when it came down to choosing my St. Patricks Day dinner this year...I went with Corned Beef and Cabbage, too...

Now...I don't have to tell you how to cook a Corned Beef Brisket. The instructions are written on the blessed package, and all the seasonings are included in a little packet inside.

What I want to share with you is the BEST cabbage recipe ever.

I know, I know...you're saying: "But Shannan, it says to just add the cabbage and potatoes in with the corned beef the last 30 minutes of cooking. That's the way I've always done it>'

Yeah, yeah...I know...but we're gonna' branch out today, people. I promise you won't regret it!! Have I ever steered you wrong?

Now. most recipes I share on here are not mine. They are recipes that other, and more accomplished, chefs have created and perfected. My goal isn't to share my OWN cooking...but rather to share stuff I've tried and has proven successful with a large family.

This recipe is no different...it is from a cookbook called All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking by Molly Stevens.

Braising isn't complicated...in fact, it usually requires only a few simple ingredients. What it lacks in complexity, though, it makes up for in TIME...although many chefs "braise" in a pan on the stove in 30 minutes or less...I personally feel that there is nothing better than a meal slow-cooked for hours in the oven...and that's the style of cooking Ms. Stevens book focuses on.

World's Best Braised Cabbage

• 1 medium head green cabbage (about 2 pounds)
• 1 large yellow onion (about 8 ounces)
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1/4 inch slices (now see...I was OUT of carrots, and too busy to run to the store...so I used a couple handfuls of matchstick carrots I had in the fridge. It worked...but was not the same...as I usually add 2 or 3 carrots because I like the way they taste when they're done braising. The lesson, boys and girls, is this: don't be like Shannan. Go to the store, and buy a few damn carrots)
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or substitute Vegetable Stock to make this vegetarian...I do)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (I use more...for a bit of a kick)
• Coarse sea salt

1. Heat oven to 325. Lightly oil a large gratin dish or baking dish (9x13 works well).

2. Peel off and discard and bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. The cabbage should weigh close to 2 pounds...any bigger and it won't fit in the dish and won't braise beautifully. If your cabbage is too big, cut away a wedge and save it for salad. Cut the cabbage (or what's remaining if you had to trim it) into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges in a baking dish in a single layer. They may overlap a little...but do your best to get them all to fit flat.

3. Scatter onion and carrot over the cabbage. Drizzle over the oil and the stock. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper. Cover tightly with foil, and cook in the middle of the oven for an hour. After an hour, uncover and turn cabbage with tongs...re-cover and cook for another hour. It's okay of the cabbage tries to fall apart when you turn it...it's to be expected. If it's drying out, add a few TBS stock.

4. Once the cabbage is completely tender, remove the foil, increase the oven heat to 400, and roast until vegetables begin to brown. It should take another 15 minutes. Serve warm and sprinkled with sea salt.

You will never...

...ever...

...EVER...

boil your cabbage again.

courtesy Molly Stevens in All About Braising: The Art of Uncomplicated Cooking

Irish Soda Bread

I am going to tell you a secret...

...you know that delicious bread you eat on St. Patricks Day? The one with raisins and currants and orange zest and lots of other yummy goodies? The one you call Irish Soda Bread? The one that your mother, and her mother, and HER mother made...and have now passed the recipe on to you?

Well, I mean absolutely NO OFFENSE... but that IS NOT Irish Soda Bread.

Think about it...Irish Soda Bread having raisins, and currants, and orange zest, and The Holy Mother knows what else? They didn't have that stuff in Ireland!! Most people were poor!! Farmers!! Fruit was a luxury!! Until this last century, an orange was a special treat the RICH KIDS got in their Christmas stocking!! You didn't have that stuff sitting in your larder, ready to whip out to make your daily bread.

Irish Soda Bread is a humble, everyday bread. It requires only 4 very accessible ingredients. It had to be made each and every day...so it had to be fast, hearty, and CHEAP.

True...adding all those goodies makes the bread REALLY good. Almost like a dessert!! And I'm not saying you shouldn't, if that's what you want to do. After all (and I've said it before)...if it's a recipe handed down in your family...doesn't that, in itself, make it traditional? Who cares if it isn't an honest-to-goodness authentic Irish Soda Bread?

But for those of you puritans out there, I am including a REAL Irish Soda Bread recipe.

This is for a WHITE bread...it's even MORE authentic with wheat. But I made white this year...so that's what you get. Maybe next year I'll go hardcore...grind my own wheat and everything ;).

Now THIS is Soda Bread...

White Irish Soda Bread

4 cups (16 oz) of all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
14 oz (roughly) of buttermilk

Okay...before we even begin...these are ROUGH measurements. I make this bread by hand...scooping out flour and measuring by sight. I tried really hard to measure accurately this year...just for you (so don't ever say I didn't never do nothin' for ya'). If you have to add a little more buttermilk to make the dough "sticky"...then do so. If you add too much, toss in a handful of flour to dry it out. In other words...PLAY WITH IT. The more you make this...the easier and better it will get. Don't save it just for St. Patricks Day...you could make this everyday and have fresh bread at dinner each and every night.

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a cake pan (or...if you're me and have a great round casserole with a lid...or a Le Creuset round casserole with a lid...they will work as well).

2. In a large bowl, sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.

3. Add buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on a floured surface and lightly knead (too much allows all the gas to escape...practice will teach you to know when enough is enough)

4. Shape into a round flat shape in the cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.

5. Cover the pan with another cake pan and bake for 30 minutes (this simulates a bastible pot...or you can just use a covered round casserole). Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

6. The bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped to show it's done.

7. Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.

Don't expect it to last...

Potato-Leek Soup

As I was gearing up for St. Patricks Day, I found myself craving all the wonderful dishes that traditionally get served around this time of year.

And since I absolutely love soup, I had to share my Potato-Leek Soup...it's easy, completely vegetarian (although not vegan, thanks to the addition of cream cheese), and DELISH...

Potato Bliss in a Bowl

Potato Leek Soup

• 2 TBS olive oil
• 4 large leeks, cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 2 lbs.)
• 4 large russet potatoes, peeled, cubed (I actually prefer Red's or Yukons...whichever you use, you need about 4 cups worth)
• 1-=1/4 qt. (5 cups) water
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives 

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot on medium heat. Add leeks; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, water, salt and pepper; cover. Bring to a boil; simmer on medium-low 15 to 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Cool 10 minutes.

2. Add leek mixture, in batches, to blender; blend until pureed. Return to stockpot. Whisk in cream cheese, a few cubes at a time; cook on medium heat until cream cheese is completely melted, stirring constantly.

3. Add milk; cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with chives.

note: this soup is not only fabulous for St. Patricks Day, but also for Passover. Simply select vkosher food products!! Consult with your rabbi if you have any questions!!

courtesy Kraft Foods

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

Yellow Squash

So, I've made lots of interesting things from my Apron Simple Meals binder from Publix...

There was the Chicken & Pasta Primavera...

Steaming vegetables for Chicken Pasta Primavera

It was yummy and had lots of vegetable goodness...I love trying new recipes for old favorites. Sometimes the person with the recipe may do something slightly different than you normally do that puts a whole new spin on the dish...and makes it amazing.

That wasn't really the case here...but it was REALLY good...

I also tried their Beef Stew with Barley recipe...

A really delicious Beef Stew with Barley

This was EXCELLENT...and I enjoyed adding the barley to my stew, but it wasn't any better than other stew recipes I've tried.

However, the Beef Stew with Barley recipe had a side dish recipe for Mushroom Cheese Rolls. It's a very simple recipe...but it was SOOOO good, taht I HAD to share it. It made a very good, but ordinary, dinner something MORE...

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

Mushroom Cheese Rolls

• 8 Bakery Potato Rolls
• 1 (12x24-inch) sheet aluminum foil
• 2 TBS unsalted butter
• 8 oz. pre-sliced fresh baby portabellas
• 1 tsp browning sauce
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 TBS fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 8 slices provolone cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Split rolls crosswise and arrange bottom halves of rolls in center of foil sheet.

3. Preheat large saute pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Place butter in pan, then add mushrooms, browning sauce, salt, pepper; cook and stir 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are well browned. Chop parsley.

I used some garlic-herb butter...cause I'm crazy like that...

Oh my oh my...

4. Combine parsley and mayonnaise; spread over both halves of rolls. Divide mushrooms evenly over bottom halves of rolls; top with 1 folded cheese slice and top halves of rolls.

Rolls are ready for 'shrooms and cheese!!

5. Make a foil pouch. Bring up foil sides; then double-fold top and ends to seal. Bake 10 minutes to melt cheese. Serve.

courtesy Publix Apron Simple Meals

Ribolitta

I'm still on a soup kick...

I just can't help it!! I LOVE soup, and I want to make it ALL THE TIME!!!

I wanted a delicious vegetable soup to follow up our hearty Chicken Marbella recipe, and found this delightful gem tucked away in a Family Fun magazine, of all places. It is an entirely attainable and fairly authentic recipe for Ribolitta...a Tuscan peasant soup.

Ribolitta literally means to "boil twice" in Italian...and that's exactly what you do. Heavy on the green, this is by no means a flimsy broth with a few veggies floating around. It's an almost eat-with-a-fork vegetable sensation that explodes with flavor and gives new meaning to "eating your greens". You can easily substitute different vegetables in and out if you don't have EXACTLY what the recipe calls for.

It requires a little time to prepare...but is worth the effort. No need to double...this soup makes 10+ cups.

This soup is especially good the day after it's made...so it's lucky that the recipe yields a generous amount...you'll want leftovers.

Hearty Ribolitta

Ribolitta

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 leeks, sliced (white stalks only)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (I used the kind with basil and oregano added in)
• 1 (15.5 oz) can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped
• 1 bunch spinach or swiss chard, chopped
• 1/4 head savoy cabbage, chopped
• 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 2 zucchini, chopped
• 1 TBS salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakeswater
• 1 loaf stale (day old) French or Italian bread, sliced
• Grated Parmesan

 1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Onions, carrots, celery, leeks, and garlic...

Add the onion, leeks, garlic, celery, and carrots; saute until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.

Sauteed veggies with the canned veggies...

 Add the tomatoes with their juice, the beans, and the remaining vegetables...

Kale, spinach, cabbage, zucchini, and potatoes...

...then season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Add enough water to cover the vegetables (about 10-12 cups) and bring soup to a boil. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer the soup for 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

2. Add the slices of bread (I can hear you now..."You want me to do WHAT to the bread? Isn't it for dunking...or garnish?"...No...it's not. It's part of the soup. Now do as you're told and add it in!!), then raise the heat to medium high and bring the soup to a second boil, stirring occasionally, until the bread has fully broken down, about 10-15 minutes.

Just do it, already...geez...

3. Let soup stand about 10 minutes before serving. Ladle soup into bowls, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil, if desired (I add the cheese, but not the extra oil...so I guess that makes me decidedly UN-Italian).

Ohhhh...yum, yum, yum...

4. If you just can't help it, serve with freshly sliced Italian or French bread...

courtesy Family Fun magazine