Veggie Quesadillas

Veggie Quesadillas
Serves 2

1 medium zucchini, peeled and diced
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 6-inch corn tortillas
Olive oil for brushing griddle

Coat a small pan with cooking spray. Add zucchini, onions, and tomatoes to pan and heat on medium-high heat. Once the veggies start to soften, add chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes.

Brush some olive oil on a griddle. Add two tortillas to the griddle, and place cheese on each tortilla. Spoon some of the veggies on each tortilla. Top each with another tortilla to make the quesadilla. Once the tortillas start to brown a little on each side and the cheese has melted, they should be done.

Enjoy!

Panko Crusted Salmon

I recently learned from my Dad that farm-raised salmon is terrible for you. The poor fish are fed all sorts of bad stuff, which in turn will end up in our bodies. Also, have you ever noticed that at the grocery store, the sign for farm-raised salmon always says "coloring added" - weird.

Anyways, the salmon in the picture above is wild salmon. Just so you know.

Panko Crusted Salmon
Serves 1

1 four-ounce salmon filet
1 T dijon mustard
1/2 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl, add the panko and the dried herbs. Rub the dijon mustard on the top of the salmon filet. Then pack the seasoned panko crumbs on top of the mustard. Place salmon in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until fish flakes easily.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant

A wonderful summer recipe!

Balsamic Grilled Eggplant
Serves 2-3

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T chopped fresh basil
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 thick rounds

Place first six ingredients in a gallon-size plastic bag. Add eggplant rounds to the bag. Make sure all of the eggplant gets coated with the marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Place eggplant rounds on heated grill. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side.

Enjoy!

Tamarind Spiced Beans and Spinach

Sorry I've been MIA from the blog lately. Work has been a bit crazy, but it's starting to calm down a bit. I've been cooking a lot, but nothing to write about. Finally, here is a recipe worth posting.

Tamarind Spiced Beans and Spinach
Serves 6

* 2 TB olive oil
* 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 11/2 tsp ground coriander
* pinch of cayenne
* 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
* 1/3 cup water
* 1 tsp evaporated cane juice sugar
* 1 tsp tamarind concentrate
* 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
* 1 can kidney beans, drained
* 1 (6 oz) package pre-washed baby spinach (about 6 cups)
* 1/4 tsp sea salt
* pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened and golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander and cayenne to skillet and stir to coat onion with spices. Cook for one minute then add diced tomatoes, with their juice, water, sugar and tamarind concentrate. Stir to mix well. Add chickpeas and kidney beans and bring mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat and simmer over medium-low heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Stir in spinach until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe adapted from Whole Foods.

Strawberry-Banana Summer Smoothie

I’ve been experimenting with different types of smoothies lately. I figure that summertime is the perfect time of the year to engage in such experimentation. After some disastrous versions, I’ve finally found one that rocks.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Serves one

½ cup vanilla or strawberry yogurt

½ cup frozen strawberries

1/3 cup skim milk

½ banana, sliced

Blueberries for garnish

Put all ingredients except for blueberries in a blender and blend. Serve in a tall glass with blueberries on top. YUMMY!

Enjoy!

Zucchini Chips

First things first, the chicken in this photo is what is NOT important. It was very so-so, so I'm not going to even bother with the recipe. The zucchini chips on the other hand, were awesome. I'm not a big fan of zucchini, but I know that it's in season and is healthy, so I thought I would give it a shot. I tried to experiment with panko (Japanese bread crumbs) here, but they weren't as good as your regular bread crumbs. Also, I would wager a bet that if you have kids, the zucchini chips are a great way to have them eat veggies.

Zucchini Chips

1 medium sized zucchini, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 egg white

Preheat oven to 475.

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat your egg white. Dip each zucchini slice in the egg white and then dredge it in the bread crumb mixture and place on a non-stick baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, turning once.

Enjoy!

Asian Cole Slaw

Happy July 4th Everyone!!

Instead of making the usual mayonnaise based cole slaw for your BBQ today, try this one instead. It's some good stuff.

Asian Cole Slaw

1 pre-packaged bag cole slaw
1 1/2 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. chili oil
1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. fresh minced ginger
1 T chopped green onions (more if you'd like)
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients except cole slaw in a small bowl. Place slaw in a separate bowl and add the dressing over it. Coat the slaw well. Serve.

Enjoy!!