Category Archives: Vegetable Side Dishes

Shrimp and Roasted Pineapple Quesadillas with Simple Peanut Sauce

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More quesadillas!

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These ones are quite different from the first. But equally as delicious. I’m in love with both.

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I recently had a strong craving for peanut sauce. I think I have made it once or twice before, but it’s not a regular thing I eat. So when I got a craving for it, I decided to give it a try.

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You know how a lot of Asian-inspired dishes and sauces call for a bunch of ingredients that you never have on hand? That is how it is for me. Well, I decided to try a very simple peanut sauce, using just ingredients that I probably already had or would use the entire thing of in this recipe. I hoped the sauce would still taste delicious without buying all the extra things, and guess what? It did!

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This sauce is amazing. It is simple and uses few ingredients. If you’re looking for a delicious peanut sauce that you can simply whip up any night of the week, this is it!

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Let’s talk about the shrimp and pineapple. Greg and I once made shrimp and pineapple kabobs on the grill. They are the perfect combination for peanut sauce. Juicy, plump shrimp + sweet, tangy pineapple + slightly salty peanut sauce = the best ever. And, roasting pineapple takes it to a whole new level of deliciousness.

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Now let’s talk about the cheese issue. Or, in this case, the non-cheese issue. Nope, I did not put cheese in these quesadillas. That is definitely not a usual situation, but if these are done right, it works so well. I promise!

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Greg is the biggest cheese lover ever, so I made him one with cheese. After he tried one with and one without, he agreed that this quesadilla does not need it. There is already so much amazing flavor going on, cheese is not needed!

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So, the only problem with having no cheese in a quesadilla is the sticking together part. They key is the texture of the peanut sauce and being sure to cook the quesadilla long enough.

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Let me explain. If you make these, this is important, or your quesadillas may not stick together! So, the first time I made the sauce, I used 1/2 cup of water to thin it out. The sauce was delicious and a nice texture, but not for these quesadillas. Using 1/2 cup of water made the sauce way too thin for these. It would be a great texture for making peanut noodles or a peanut dipping sauce, but not for these. These quesadillas require a thicker sauce. 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons of water was the right amount. I started with 1/3 of a cup and needed just a bit more. Now, I will say this. Depending on the thickness/texture of your peanut butter, you may not need that extra 2 tablespoons of water. Or you may need more. My peanut butter was fairly thick but yours may be thinner or thicker. Start with 1/3 cup of water and go from there. I tried to show you the texture of the sauce in the picture right below.

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The other important detail to making these “eatable” is to cook the quesadilla until just crispy. You don’t want it to be crispy to the point of being a hard taco shell but you want it to bend and stick in place once it’s folded over. You want it to be slightly crispy, to hold everything together.

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I made these one night for dinner. The next day, I made them again so I could confirm the recipe and photograph it. When I made them the second time, I only had intentions to take one bite, so that I could get some photographs with a bite taken out of the quesadilla. I had already had lunch. These are so good, that once I took that bite, I thought, there is no way I’m not eating the rest of this. Help! 🙂

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Ingredients
*This is what I used to make two quesadillas. These are easily doubled, tripled, etc.
2 tortillas (I used rice tortillas (gluten free))
Olive oil
6 large shrimp, peeled, deveined and cleaned
1/2 cup pineapple chunks, sliced into thin pieces
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 large garlic cloves, divided, one in the peanut sauce and the other for the shrimp
1 lime, divided, one half in the peanut sauce the other with the pineapple
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons hot water

Preheat the oven to 400*. In a bowl, mix together pineapple, a drizzle of olive oil and the juice from 1/2 of the lime. Transfer the pineapple to a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven for 15 minutes.

In a blender or food processor, combine the peanut butter, 1 clove of garlic, the juice from the other half of the lime, soy sauce, brown sugar and hot water. Blend on high speed until the sauce is completely smooth.

Once the pineapple and sauce are done, begin the shrimp. In a saucepan over medium heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add a minced garlic clove and cook for a minute or two, to flavor the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the shrimp. Let cook on one side for about 2-3 minutes and then flip. Add a couple of spoonfuls of peanut sauce to the pan. Let the shrimp cook completely through. Once the shrimp is done, transfer it to a plate and cut it into small chunks.

To assemble the quesadillas, start with a cast iron or regular skillet. I made mine in my cast iron and it worked perfectly. Place the skillet over medium heat on the stove. Add the tortilla to the pan. Add about 2 tablespoons of peanut sauce to one half of the tortilla. Place half of the shrimp and half of the pineapple on the peanut sauce. Let this cook until the tortilla begins to get crispy. Top the shrimp and pineapple with additional peanut sauce, if desired.

Once the tortilla is slightly crispy and the peanut sauce on the bottom has slightly thickened, fold the tortilla over. Using a spatula, press down on the folded over tortilla to mesh everything together.

Cut in half and enjoy!

Notes:
-The amount for the peanut sauce made one cup of sauce. I had leftover sauce after making the quesadillas. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days. I tossed some leftover sauce with sauteed veggies and soba noodles and it was excellent!

Summertime Pasta Salad

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Another cool salad for these hot summer days.

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And this pasta is so, so good. And, I just realized, it’s not actually summer yet. This is still summertime pasta salad. 🙂

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My mom has always made a pasta salad that I like. She uses Italian dressing and salad supreme. I have always enjoyed it. It kind of reminds me of more “traditional” pasta salad compared to this one.

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This idea came from Greg’s mom. Last summer she made some amazing pasta salad with this Gazebo Room Greek dressing on it. I loved it. So did Greg. We made it several times on our own that summer.

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I have made this pasta salad  three times in the last two weeks. It is that good.

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I don’t know what it is about the dressing. It just has the perfect taste. It’s flavorful but not overly Greek-y. Sometimes Greek dressing can be very strong, but this one is just enough.

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And for noodles, any noodle can work in this! Use what you love. We have made it with these spinach linguine noodles, with spiral noodles and, this time, with whole wheat chiocciole noodles (which I also used in this pasta). It has been good with every single noodle we’ve tried.

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Same with veggies. Add what you like. Add a lot or add a little. In this one I used cauliflower, broccoli, tomatoes and corn. Also good in this is cucumber and black beans. You have got to try  those too (I just didn’t have them).

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Also, cheese. Try cheese. I didn’t have it on hand, so I left it out this time. It’s just as good without, but cheese is never a bad decision. I would suggest mozzarella, any kind of cubed cheddar or feta. But try any that you like!

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It’s delicious, simple and completely customizable. Pick your favorite noodle, pick your favorite veggies and pick your favorite cheese. Use this Greek dressing. If your store doesn’t have this brand, I would just try another one. I just know that I love using this one for this noodle salad.

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Boil noodles, mix in veggies, pour on dressing, stir well and enjoy! Delicious food can be that simple.

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Ingredients
1 pound of noodles (I used chiocciole noodles)
1 bottle of Gazebo Room Greek salad dressing and marinade 
2 cups of cauliflower, chopped small
2 cups of broccoli, chopped small
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
1 can of corn, drained and rinsed
Other ideas: chopped cucumber, black beans, cheese, or any veggie that you love (I would love to hear what you would use!)

Chop all of your veggies. I chop the veggies very small for this pasta salad. Use cauliflower, broccoli, tomato, corn, cucumber or any other veggie that you love. Also chop or prepare the cheese, if using.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook noodles according to directions on package. Rinse the pasta with cold water when it’s done cooking so that it won’t be sticky in the salad.

Add the noodles and the chopped veggies (and the cheese, if using) to a very large bowl. Start with once cup of the dressing and give everything a very good stir. If it seems like it needs more, add more dressing until you are satisfied with the taste and “wetness” of the salad. A lot of times pasta salad will dry out as it sits in the refrigerator so it is nice to have some dressing left over to add when you are ready to serve it.

Serve cold and enjoy!

Notes:
-This makes excellent leftovers. Like I said above, if it seems like it needs more dressing after a day or two, add more right before serving. The amount of dressing you use will vary depending on the type of noodle you use, the amount of veggies and how long you have it as leftovers.

Corn + Black Bean + Tomato Salad

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I’ve always been the type of person who has no trouble eating winter-y food all throughout the summer.

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How about you?

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You know, like soup in the middle of July. A warm pot pie in August. I’ve always enjoyed warm winter comfort food the entire year.

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Until now.

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Until now, now that I live in an un-air-conditioned apartment.

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I never understood why soup in the summer didn’t appeal to people. But I do now. I now understand why people don’t want to do that.

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Enter, this salad. I thought — what can I make that involves absolutely no heat, but still tastes delicious?

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Salad. Expect more. I’ll be with no air conditioning all summer long.

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By the way, I thought making this salad was a great idea to keep cool. And then, I got hungry for stuffed shells. So I made them. So much for keeping cool.

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If it is as hot where you are as it is in Philly, give this salad a try. It will refresh you. It combines the southwest flavors of corn, black beans, tomatoes and salsa with cool homemade (or store-bought) ranch, over a bed of crisp greens. Yes, a perfect summer meal.

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Ingredients
A bowl full of mixed greens (I didn’t measure, but I used maybe 6 cups?)
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1 can of corn, rinsed
2 cups diced tomatoes
Juice from 1/2 of a lime
1/2 cup salsa
Homemade ranch dressing, as much as you please

Start by putting the black beans, corn and diced tomatoes into a bowl. Squeeze the juice from 1/2 of a lime over the veggies and stir.

In a different large bowl, add a few large handfuls of mixed greens (or your favorite type of lettuce). Top with a couple of large spoonfuls of the veggie mixture. Add another layer of lettuce and then more veggies. Spoon the salsa on top and then drizzle ranch dressing over the salad.

Using salad tongs or two spoons, toss the salad very well. This will coat all of the lettuce with the salsa and ranch, making a very nice dressing.

Serve with additional veggies, salsa and ranch, if desired.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato + Sage Hand Pies

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Is it okay to share with you three hand pie recipes in one week?

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I was going to wait until next week to show you this one, but I just couldn’t wait!

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These sweet potato hand pies are just so good!

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To start, they are simple. I used store-bought dough. Homemade would be lovely, but if you’re in a time crunch, store-bought is the way to go. Roast some sweet potatoes. Mash them with goat cheese and sage. Stuff into hand pies. Brush with egg wash. Bake. Four ingredients. It’s that simple.

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Second, they are delicious. Kind of remind me of Thanksgiving. I said the same thing about these. Yes, I love Thanksgiving meal so much that I could be happy eating food that reminds me of it all year long. Or the actual meal itself. I would have no problem at all eating a Thanksgiving meal right now. Anyone else?

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Back on the topic of how delicious these are: the sweet potato + sage combination is one of my favorites. It will never get old. It’s a classic. Just add goat cheese and that classic combination just got even better. Add flaky pie dough? Divine.

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Yes, a mini savory sweet potato pie for your Friday. 🙂

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Ingredients:
*This will make 14 hand pies
2 9-inch round pie crust dough
2 medium sweet potatoes
2 oz. goat cheese
1/4 cup fresh sage, chopped
Egg wash — you can either use egg white mixed with water or egg yolk mixed with milk, I tried and liked both
Coarse sea salt, for topping

Start by roasting the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400*. Peel the skin off and then dice the sweet potatoes. Add the sweet potatoes to a bowl and drizzle them with olive oil and toss well so that they are coated. Place on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are very soft. Turn the oven heat down to 350*.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes to a bowl with the goat cheese and chopped fresh sage. Using a potato masher or fork, mash everything together well. The texture should be like mashed potatoes.

Prepare your work surface. Lightly flour a flat counter top and get your rolling pin ready. Roll out the two 9-inch pie crusts. Then, cut the circles for the hand pies. I used a 4-1/2 inch round container and it made five rounds. I then rolled the excess dough back out to get two more rounds. I got seven rounds each time from one 9-inch pie crust. You can use a cookie cutter, cup or container to cut the rounds and the size is up to you. I was very happy with 4-1/2 inches. I wouldn’t want to go to much smaller but bigger would be fine.

Once you have the rounds cut out, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the sweet potato mixture onto each. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash along one side of each round. Fold the round in half, making a half circle, or moon shape. Using your fingers, pinch and fold the edges of the half circle. Then use a fork to push down the edges to really seal the hand pie closed. Make two small slits in the top of each hand pie with a knife and then brush the top with egg wash. I then sprinkled the top with coarse sea salt.

Place the hand pies on the baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the hand pies are just slightly browned on top.

Enjoy!

*Notes:
*I had a little bit of the sweet potato filling left over, so the next day I mixed it with some noodles, reserved pasta water and parmesan cheese. Delicious!

Portobello Sandwiches + Oven Fries

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I’ve got something a little different for you today.

I have two things for you. And I’m going to show you how I made them.

Balsamic portobello mushroom sandwiches with crispy onion, melty cheese and fresh tomato. Yes. And, baked french fries.

This super simple, quick and easy meal will amaze you!

I would say that neither of these are exactly recipes. They are ideas, really. Simple ideas. And two things that can become a regular weeknight meal.

For the easy oven fries, start with a potato (or two or three — this is very easily doubled, tripled, etc. for how many you need!)

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Cut the potato in half.

And then cut the halves in half to make quarters.

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And then again, cut the quarters in half.

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Take the quarters, and slice them into fries.

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Put the fries into a bowl and drizzle with some olive oil.

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And then season those fries. I used salt, pepper, onion powder, paprika and garlic salt. Look below for specific amounts.

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Toss those fries up so that they all get evenly coated.

And then, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lining the baking sheet with parchment paper is not completely necessary, but will make cleaning up easier!

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While the fries are baking away in the oven, it’s on to the sandwich!

Start by prepping the ingredients. Slice a tomato, onion and some cheese.

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Then take care of the onions. You are going to cook them in very hot oil to sort of flash fry them. Read below for detailed instructions. Here is what they will look like once they are done.

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Then, take a nice, big portobello mushroom.

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Pull off the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

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Heat a pan over medium heat with about 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, place the mushroom in the pan.

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Let the mushroom cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. When it’s done, it should be soft and will have shrunk in size.

Once the ‘shroom is soft, turn up the heat to medium high. Pour some balsamic vinegar into the pan. And stand back. It may splash everywhere. You will have some cleaning up to do!

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Let the mushroom cook in the balsamic for an additional 3-4 minutes and then turn off heat and place the sliced cheese on the mushroom.

To assemble, first, take a bun. Any bun. One that will make you happy!

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Place the tomatoes on that bun. Some fresh, ripe, juicy, red tomatoes. I used two, sliced thick.

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Then, the balsamic ‘shroom that now has melty delicious cheese on it.

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Top that mushroom with crispy pan fried onion rings.

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And there you have it, a portobello sandwich!

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Smash down, cut in half, dig right in. However you prefer. Go for it.

It will be good. And it will be messy!

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This is one of my favorite quick and easy meals. It takes no time at all and has few, simple ingredients that make for a not-messy kitchen after.

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I hope that you will enjoy this meal as much as I do!

Ingredients
*For one. This recipe is very easily multiplied.
1 potato
Olive Oil
Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic salt
1 portobello mushroom
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
Sliced tomato
Sliced red onion
Cheese (I used fontina)

Preheat oven to 400*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Start with the potato. Slice it in half. Slice the halves in half to make quarters. Slice the quarters in half. Then slice into fries. Add the fries to a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil. Add the seasoning. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, a pinch of paprika and a pinch of garlic salt. Toss well to evenly coat the fries. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, flip and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Clean the mushroom. Remove the stem and using a spoon, scrape out the black insides.

Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions. The key here is to make sure the oil is very hot before you add them. They will sort of flash fry and get caramelized and crispy, quickly. Once they are done (mine took about 5 minutes), remove from the pan and set aside.

Add a little more olive oil to the same pan and turn the heat to medium. Add the mushroom and let cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. When it’s done, the mushroom should be soft and have shrunk in size. Turn the heat to medium-high and then add the balsamic vinegar. Let the mushroom cook and additional 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the cheese slices to the mushroom.

Assemble the sandwich by placing the sliced tomato on a bun. Top with the mushroom that now has melted cheese on it, and then the red onions.

Take the fries out of the oven and enjoy the meal!