Tortilla Bean Lasagna

We can now buy corn tortillas at our local grocery store. They have a three month "best before date" and are like cardboard compared to fresh tortillas in Mexico. They are inexpensive though and perfect for this main course meal. I cooked the small red beans today in a crockpot before I went to work but canned beans can be used. This recipe is adapted from several I read online.

Saute in a little olive oil until softened:

2 tsp crushed cumin seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
2 sweet peppers, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 lb chopped fresh spinach

Add:

28 oz bottle of strained tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 cups small cooked beans such as black beans or red beans

Warm 12-15 corn tortillas in the microwave oven and cut them in half.
Spread some of the bean mixture thinly on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch pan.
Cover with corn tortillas halves placing the cut edge along the edge of the pan. I used 5-6 tortillas for each layer.

Add a layer of bean mixture on top and grate some mild cheese over the beans (optional)

Add another layer of tortillas and then another layer of beans and cheese.

I could have stopped here but I had so many tortillas I finished with another layer of tortillas and topped that lightly with grated cheese.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Cut in squares and serve with sour cream and a salad.

Burrito Bowls

I travelled through the Dallas Fort Worth Airport a few weeks ago and had time to eat a hot meal. I chose the 360° Gourmet World Grill and ordered a vegetarian burrito bowl. It was so tasty that I made sure I had another on my return trip to Canada. I made a similar dish tonight and it was versatile, fast and filling. Use a bowl or plate and layer:

Brown rice
Black beans
Meat if desired (I added pork for the meat eater in the family)
Roasted vegetables (I made onion, mushroom, zucchini, peppers and sweet potato)

Then add toppings of your choice such as:

Guacamole
Salsa
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Cilantro and/or shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes, red onion

You can serve it with taco chips, tortillas or tostados but it is filling enough without any extras.

Vegetable Stock

We eat a lot of soup and I try to keep cartons of vegetable stock on hand. Bouillon cubes are often high in salt and have other ingredients such as MSG added. Here is a recipe for vegetable stock.

Chop the following vegetables and soften them in 2 tbsp oil in a large stock pan:

1 medium onion
1 medium leek
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
1/2 small tomato
3 cloves garlic

Add 12-16 cups water along with:

1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
4 fresh parsley stems
3-4 peppercorns
salt to taste

Simmer for 30-45 minutes, strain and cool.

Other vegetables and herbs can be used such as oregano and mushroom stems. You should soften vegetables in oil or roast them before boiling the stock for the best flavour. Add vegetables ends to a bag in the freezer until you have enough to make stock.

Turkey Meatballs

I made these for my husband and he raved about them. I made a double recipe and froze them in single serve packages so he can make a quick meal when I am away.

1 pound ground turkey
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/4 c onion, diced
1/4 cup parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1 egg
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs

Mix together and form into balls.

You can brown them in a pan and then bake them at 350 F for 15 minutes.
You can cook them in the pan completely or in boiling stock.
I made them into 1 tbsp sized balls and baked them at 350 F for 30 minutes.

Shirley K's Salmon Quiche

My sister-in-law made this for supper on Christmas Eve and everyone enjoyed it.

1-7 3/4 can red salmon drained and flaked
1 tbsp flour
1- 9 inch unbaked pie shell
1-1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
4 beaten eggs
1 large can undiluted 2% evaporated milk
2 tbsp chopped green onion
2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Toss salmon with flour and pack into the bottom of the pie shell. Cover with cheese. Combine the eggs, milk and onion. Pour into pie shell and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 375° F for 30-40 minutes or until set. Let it stand 5 minutes before serving.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Beth served this soup with grilled cheese croutons. You make a grilled cheese sandwich and cut it in crouton-sized squares.

10 plum tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

Brush with olive oil and season with a little salt. Roast on a tray or shallow baking dish for 1 hour at 350 F.

Dice one onion and sauté in a little butter or olive oil until softened. Add 1 tbsp honey and 1/2 tsp dried oregano.

Add tomatoes, garlic, and 4 cups vegetable stock to onions and simmer for 20-25 minutes, covered. Purée vegetables in blender and sieve to,remove seeds.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with croutons.

Optional - Add 1/2 cup heavy cream if you need extra taste and calories.

Plum Streusel Cake

This recipe is from Anne Lindsay's first cookbook. I could not find my copy of it tonight and I wanted to use up some prune plums that were languishing in the fridge. Thankfully this is a popular recipe and it has been reposted several times on the internet. There are a few minor changes from the original in this version. Any fruit can be used instead of the plums including drained canned fruit.

For the cake
¼ cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
8-10 small plums 

grated rind of one lemon (optional) 

For the streusel topping
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon

For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan or a springform pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs until foamy and combine with butter mixture.. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and lemon rind. Add to egg mixture alternately with milk. 

Turn into prepared pan. Halve and pit plums and arrange over top.

For the streusel topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon; mix well and sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. 

Falafel

This was my second attempt at making falafel. I tried a baked version but they taste much better when pan fried. Deep fried may be even tastier, but this lower fat version is good. It takes minimal time in the kitchen to make falafel, but there are several hours between steps and the process cannot be rushed. Makes about 25-30 small falafel patties.

Step 1:

Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. It is fine if you soak them longer (24 hours)

Step 2:

Drain chickpeas and add to a food processor with

1 medium onion cut in chunks
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or increase cilantro instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
hot pepper flakes or cayenne if desired
4 tbsp flour (use any type of flour to bind ingredients)

Process ingredients until almost smooth. (2-3 minutes) You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

Step 3:

Cover and refrigerate in a bowl for several hours or for up to a day.

Step 4:

Add oil to the bottom of a heavy frying pan. I used 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Use 1 tablespoons of above mixture to make each falafel patty. I flattened them for pan frying but they could be shaped in the traditional round size if you deep fry them. Heat pan until hot and cook falafel until browned and crisp, turning once.

Serve in a pita with cucumber, tomato and sauce or with a salad and dressing. Tahini sauce is a traditional choice but tzatziki sauce is also tasty.

Tahini sauce:

Blend in food processor or blender-

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 3 gloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• hot water to get smooth consistency

Turkish Lentil Soup

This simple and delicious soup takes only half an hour to make. Our daughter had it in a restaurant when she visited Turkey earlier this year and highly recommended it.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 large carrot diced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Lemon slices

Method:

Cook onions in butter until starting to soften. Add other potato, carrots, lentils, broth, water and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes or so until vegetables are soft and lentils are cooked. Put 3/4 of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot or serving bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on soup before eating. (just do it!)

Sprinkle with dried chili flakes if desired.

Serves 6

Bi-Bim-Bap: Vegetarian version

The Becka had Bi-Bim-Bap at an Asian restaurant in Toronto and raved about this "hot pot". It is made with meat, vegetables, rice and eggs and a spicy sauce is served on the side. There are many versions on the internet including several vegetarian options. I used the vegetables on hand in the fridge but other combinations would work just as well. I liked the look of this recipe on the blog Weird Combinations and used their method to make the one pictured above.

Step 1: Prepare 3 cups cooked rice. I used quick cooking brown rice.

Step 2: Cube a package of extra firm tofu and brown it in sesame oil in a frying pan. I sprinkled the tofu with some sesame seeds

Step 2: Cut up 8-10 cups of vegetables. I used carrots, broccoli, sweet peppers, a poblano pepper, garlic and red onion. Mushrooms and bean sprouts are commonly used as well as other Chinese greens.

Step 3: Steam vegetables until tender crisp and set aside

Step 4: Heat some sesame oil or oil of choice in a large wok or pot. Add the cooked rice and spread it evenly on the bottom and sides of the wok. You want to brown the rice until it is a little crispy. After five or ten minutes add the tofu and vegetable in a nice design on top of the rice.

Step 5: Break 4 eggs on top of the vegetables, put a lid on the dish and cook until eggs are set.

Serve with a spicy sauce. We used peanut sauce made with peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sirachi sauce. You can find other sauce options online.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have had this recipe for years and it is our favourite rice pudding. I do like baked rice custards too but they are more time consuming and require cooked rice. This is ready in about 45 minutes if you use white rice.

In a double boiler combine:

1/3 cup short grain uncooked rice (long grain will work too)
2 cups milk of choice
1/4- 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit if desired

Cook over boiling water for 40 minutes until rice is tender and mixture is thickening.

2 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup sweetener of choice
1/2 tsp vanilla or other flavouring

Separate eggs in 2 bowls. Add sweetener and flavouring to egg yolks, stir well and add gradually to hot rice mixture. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Remove pudding from heat and add egg whites to mixture. Stir gently until blended. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.

Serves 4

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

Scalloped Tomatoes with parmesan cheese

I discovered this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen and have made it twice this week. It is fast and easy to prepare and the ingredients are readily available at this time of year. It is a comfort food kind of casserole with the same appeal as pizza, hot bruschetta or macaroni and cheese. There are several versions on the internet with stellar reviews, but I will post it on my own blog for ease of reference. I did tweak the amounts slightly. I used four diced field tomatoes the size shown in the picture below. The other recipes call for 2-1/2 pounds of tomatoes such as plum or grape. I used my cast iron Dutch oven on the stove top and also in the oven.

For croutons:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 slices (2 cups) diced dense bread like sourdough or a good artisan bread. (I used a multigrain sourdough bread)

Add the bread to the oil in a heavy pan, stir and toast on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until bread is crisp and toasted. In the meantime prepare:

Diced tomatoes, 4 large or 2-1/2 pounds plum or grape tomatoes
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

When croutons are done, add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the pot and cook until tomatoes are softened. I put the oven-proof pot in the oven (375 F) and baked it for 30 minutes. You could use a 9 inch square pan or equivalent sized casserole instead.

I made it without cheese the first time and it was delicious. The next time I added 1/3 cup of fresh parmesan cheese petals to the top 5 minutes before taking it out of the oven. The dish needs to sit about 15 minutes before you eat it or you will be sure to burn your tongue!

I would say this serves 4-6 as a side dish. Three of us ate it as the main dish and there were no leftovers.