Vegetarian Black Bean Taquitos

This isn't a show off recipe. Let me just say that up front. But it was surprisngly good and my kids ate it (ok so I had to talk Eden through every bite but Fox loved it). I've been looking for more vegetarian recipes lately and found this one while flipping through my Our Best Bites cookbook- their first one. This recipe isn't on their site but I found it online here: http://eatingmywayback.blogspot.com/2011/09/vegetarian-black-bean-taquitos.html
They were easy to make and took only a few minutes to put together. The spinach is so chopped and dark that it easily hides away in the black bean mixture. I thought the spinach would taste funny in a taquito but really, you can hardly taste it at all. I served it with extra salsa on the side but Andrew and Fox prefered it plain. This is a really great, healthy weeknight meal.

Weekday dinners

Hey sisters! I've been struggling a bit lately with what to cook for regular old weeknights and have come across a couple of recipes that are pretty good. Well, one is pretty good and the other is pretty damn awesome. I found a new foodie friend who recommended a blog called Annie's Eats. Her chicken gyro recipe is tasty and I espcially love her tzasiki sauce. I'm bored of my tzasiki recipe and this one has a little kick to it. I think this is a great summer dinner to pack up and take to the pool or a park.
http://www.annies-eats.com/2009/06/02/chicken-gyros/

The other recipe is one if those "you made this?' recipes. I've never made my own red sauce. For as much as I like to cook I've always bought the stuff in jars but I don't know if I can go back to the way I was living before after trying this. It's Ina Garten's weeknight bolognese. Put it on your grocery list. And buy the red wine, just don't take your 4 year old... The alchohol cooks out and the flavor it leaves behind is incredible.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/weeknight-bolognese-recipe/index.html

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Pecan-Gingersnap Crust

Oh my goodness!  This was delish!  I can't say that I have personally made it but a friend made it recently and it was to die for.  In fact, I also had a slice of the Cheesecake Factory pumpkin cheesecake this weekend and this Our Best Bites version was so much yummier!  Love those OBB ladies!

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/11/pumpkin-cheesecake-with-pecan-gingersnap-crust/

Cilantro Lime Pesto Tacos

This has become a favorite at our home...mostly because of the radio-active green color!  It is super yummy!  We pair it with black beans and cilantro lime rice.

Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos
original Joelen recipe

cooking spray for sauteeing
2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
flour or corn tortillas
preferred taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, cheese, etc)


Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder. In a skillet sprayed with cooking spray, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

* To make ahead/freezer meal - Cook chicken as directed as above and cool. Place chicken in freezer bag. Prepare cilantro lime pesto as directed below. Place a 1/2 cup of pesto in a small storage bag then place inside the freezer bag with the chicken. Freeze. When ready to prepare, defrost and heat chicken. Toss chicken with defrosted pesto. If desired, heat chicken and pesto together before filling tacos.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

recipe adapted from Food Network

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sliced, toasted almonds  (I haven't actually added the almonds)
3 tablespoons chopped, fresh garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 cup shredded asiago (Parmesan or Romano can be substituted too)
1  teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup chicken broth


Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes. 

Cherry Almond Torte

Normally when I post recipes I am just giving you links to recipes that I've come across and loved. But this one is genuinely my own. Well, mine and Kari's- my friend who worked on the recipe with me. Back in April we went to the Native American Museum and they were serving a new item in the Mitzam cafe called cherry almond torte in honor of the cherry festival. Andrew ordered one and we both thought it was incredible. I can honestly say it was the best dessert I've had in a very very long time- maybe the best ever. I tried to recreate it over the summer break in Louisiana without success. I was tempted to give up but decided to give it another shot with my friend Kari who is really great with baking desserts and we nailed it! They're actually not that hard to make either.

Ingredients:
Pastry Puff
almond paste- in the baking isle near the canned pumpkin and canned pie fillings
frozen cherries
1 c sugar
juice from half a lemon

Over medium heat stir sugar, lemon juice and cherries together. Bring to boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes of so.

Roll out your pastry puff crust (there are usually 2 sheets in a box) and cut evenly into 9 squares (you'll have 18 squared total). Spray a muffin pan with oil, put one square in each muffin cup, add a small amount of almond paste (you can divide it up into 18 equal peices and shape them into a flat circle), then top with 4 or 5 cherries and a little of the juice. Seal up the edges- you may need to use a little water to do this- and then bake at 400 for 15 or 20 min (I don't remember how long we baked it so just watch it). They are best when hot (but not too hot) out of the oven. Please make these and call to worship me.

Roasted Acorn Squash Quesidillas

I got a bag of acorn squash from a friend last week. Uh, thanks. Actually (can you tell it's Mandy will all my "actually"s?) it led to one of my most recent cullinary obsessions. I started looking around for ways to use it up and came across this one on Smitten Kitchen. I didn't follow her recipe exactly but they turned out so wonderfully. I didn't know I liked acorn squash. No, I love it. It was delicious just roasted but added to the mixture for the quesidillas and it was heavenly. I used red pepper instead of pablano and just sauteed them in the pan with the onion and garlic. I did not add the jalapeno. I used whole wheat tortillas and a small amount of mexican cheese. I didn't even make the salsa to go with it- although I'm doing that this week (when I make this dish for the third time in 7 days). It was so healthy and had such a great flavor. Fox loved it. I loved it. Andrew thought it was pretty good and Eden hated it but ate every bite. I made it the next day and regrettably shared my leftovers with my neighbor who abslutely loved it. I made the whole thing again the next day just for myself and had leftovers the following day. I'm looking forward to making it again this week.
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2008/10/acorn-squash-quesadillas-tomatillo-salsa/

Creamy Tomato Soup

I can't believe I've never shared this recipe! It's the best tomato soup I swear it. It's also incredibly healthy- although it begs to be eaten with a grilled cheese sandwhich. They sortof balance each other out. Now that the weather has gotten a little chilly all I want to do is make soup. Fox calls this the dip for his grilled cheese sandwhich. http://www.ourbestbites.com/2009/03/creamy-tomato-soup/