Veggie Filled Quesadilla

Following the "blueprint" theme I made this dish off of this recipe for Black Bean & Avocado Quesadillas. I still intend to make this actual dish because it sounds so yummy, but as a post workout meal I wasn't in the mood for beans (maybe the brownies in a previous post filled my bean quota for a while), but was totally liking the idea of a quesadilla. I'm always up for Mexican food! My version involved many more veggies in place of the beans. Most of the amounts for veggies are estimated because I really just threw in a handful hear and there.

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 small onion, finely diced

3 artichoke hearts, chopped

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped

1/4 avocado, diced

1 medium whole wheat tortilla

1/3 cup grated WW brand mexican cheese

1/2 cup salsa

Directions:

- In a small frying pan, heat diced onion over medium-high heat. Cook 4-5 minutes or until onion is translucent and tender. Add artichoke, cauliflower, and mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.

- Top half of the tortilla with the vegetables. Layer the cheese and avocado over the vegetables and fold the tortilla in half.

- With a large spatula, move the quesadilla to the heated pan used to cook the vegetables. Cook for 3 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned and the cheese on the bottom begins to melt. Flip the quesadilla and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom is lightly browned or estimate based on when the cheese inside is melted.

- Remove quesadilla from the heat and let it sit until cook enough to handle. With a large, very sharp knife, cut the quesadilla into wedges. Serve with your favorite salsa and sour cream, if desired.

This was really good, but super messy! I think I overestimated the amount of veggies that could fit in a quesadilla, but it still tasted great! Definitely a good post-workout lunch and rings in at 6 pts. I plan to make the actual recipe in the future and imagine it will go better since it's a bean puree instead of vegetables in all shapes and sizes. But I still ate it and enjoyed!

Cooking With A Blueprint

In my resolution to cook more I'm also trying to find recipes that I can make for just one. Though I still want to make big casseroles and pasta dishes, I get annoyed eating the same thing for four days straight, but feel bad wasting all that food. So in my most recent cooking quest I used this recipe for Creamy Penne with Asparagus and Artichoke as inspiration basically a blueprint, but basically recreated it. What I came up with was rotini with asparagus and artichoke with tomato sauce instead of the creamy. I had thought about following the recipe completely, but I will never use an entire container of ricotta cheese and I was in the mood for something different. Anyway, below is my take on the above recipe. I also made it for just one!

Ingredients:

1 serving uncooked whole wheat rotini pasta
1 medium bunch asparagus, rinsed, stalks trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3 large artichoke hearts (no added oil), chopped
1/4 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce (I used Jewel organic brand tomato and mushroom sauce)
1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Prepare pasta according to directions on package. Cook until al dente and drain. Set aside.
- Heat garlic and olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and saute until bright green and firm. Add artichokes. Reduce heat to low, add pasta sauce and stir.
- Continue to cook for about 3-4 minutes, coating asparagus evenly. Add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese; stir until incorporated. Add pasta and stir to coat pasta with sauce.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes to heat thoroughly and combine.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper, if desired.

The end result was good, but it's hard to go wrong with cheesey pasta and sauce. As far as points it was about 9-10 pts.

Beans Beans Beans

I love beans, it's true. Ever since going to school in Miami where Cuban food reigns everywhere, rice and beans have become a staple in my life. So when I was searching for a sweet recipe to make to take to work (originally was planning to make cookies) and came across Black Bean Brownies I couldn't help but take a look. What I found was a very interesting recipe and what I made was a very delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can unsalted black beans

2 large eggs

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp instant coffee

pinch of salt

* I also added a 1/2 cup of walnuts (not in the original recipe)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and coat an 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until completely smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 20 minutes.

At 20 minutes take out the brownies and top with walnuts.

Continue baking for another 20-25 minutes until the top and sides of brownies are set, although the insides will still be a bit soft.

Let cool then slice into 16 brownies.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

The final product? So good! Really rich and moist. And they are only 2 points! That's with the walnuts too, so if you take out the nuts they are only 1 pt/brownie. Definitely worth it! Mmmm this may be my go-to brownie recipe moving forward. Plus they are gluten and dairy free!


One last suggestion, I wouldn't tell people the beans ingredient until AFTER they try it. It will weird them out, but then they'll be so shocked at how good they were it'll pass. Enjoy!

What Makes This Passover Holiday Different From All Others?

It's currently Passover so I'm using my new year's resolution to help me get through the holiday. And to answer the question posted as my blog title - this year I'm cooking! Usually matzo pizza is the extent of my Passover cooking and even then I use the microwave; however, I found a recipe for Matzo Apple Kugel and decided it was a perfect addition to my resolution blog! AND I've even been making matzo pizza in the oven this year! Talk about seeing success.

Ingredients:
4 matzo crackers, crushed
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup applesauce
3 granny smith apples, cored peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
PLUS 1/4 cup white sugar & 1 tsp ground cinnamon (for the top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place crumbled matzos in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover.
Let stand for 2 minutes, then drain off the excess water, but do not squeeze.
To the bowl add eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, salt, lemon juice, and applesauce.
Stir to combine.
Mix in the apples and dried cranberries.
Spread the mixture evenly into a 2 quart casserole dish.
Mix together the other 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the top.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is golden and the apples are soft.

A few notes... as you can see I made this in a pie dish. We had some fun trying to figure out what size dish would hold 2 quarts and in the end the pie won! Also, I think this would be REALLY good if you add chocolate chips. It would definitely be a dessert then, now it can sort of go either way, though it is pretty sweet. Next time I would add chocolate chips. But all in all really delicious. I cut it into 8 slices, making it 4 pts/serving. Though, you could definitely get more servings out of it. Each piece is a pretty decent size. Happy Passover!