Broccoli and Red Onion Quesadillas

Another Recipes For Health concoction by Martha Shulman. Good thing I found this column, as it is just getting me into cooking up a storm. These looked healthy and good and I always like quesadillas but don't do well with too much cheese. Sad. :( But these looked like they had a good balance I could handle.

I didn't want to buy cheese for just 2 oz. and then have it go moldy before I use it. And I had two slices of Muenster cheese and some pecorino romano hanging around from when the Robber came last, so I substituted the cheese in the recipe for one slice of Muenster per quesadilla and some pecorino and was suitably satisfied; in fact, I kind of really liked the pecorino flavor with the red onion.

These are relatively easy and I could see making them for the Robber and me again since it's an easy recipe to scale. I also think that the amount of filling better makes three quesadillas rather than two, unless I am just using too small of tortillas.

Here is the link in the NYTimes:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/15/health/nutrition/15recipehealth.html?ref=nutrition

Ingredients:

1 large broccoli crown, about 1/2 pound

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium red onion, cut in half lengthwise, then sliced across the grain

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or epazote (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

4 corn tortillas

2 ounces grated Monterey Jack, Cheddar or mixed cheeses (1/2 cup)

Salsa for serving (optional)

Directions:

1. Make the broccoli filling. Steam the broccoli crown for four minutes, then remove from the heat. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Slice 1/4 inch thick. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy frying pan, and add the red onion. Cook, stirring, until tender and seared on the edges. Add the sliced broccoli. Cook, stirring, until seared on the edges, about three minutes. Stir in the cilantro or epazote, season with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning.

2. In a microwave: Place a corn tortilla on a plate. Top with half the broccoli and onions, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese, and top with another tortilla. Press down gently, then microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the microwave, cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

In a pan: Place a corn tortilla in a pan. Top with half the broccoli and onions, and spread in an even layer. Sprinkle on half the cheese. Turn the heat on medium-high, and heat until the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla begins to brown. Place another tortilla on top of the cheese, and press down lightly. Flip over the quesadilla in the pan, and heat for about 30 seconds or until the cheese has melted. Flip back over, and remove to a plate. Cut into quarters or sixths, and serve. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

Yield: Two quesadillas.

Advance preparation: The steamed broccoli will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator.

Nutritional information per quesadilla: 294 calories; 6 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 30 milligrams cholesterol; 28 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 267 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 12 grams protein.

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry With Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is a recipe that the Robber found that we have now made twice together. It is tasty and a nice meal all in one dish, with the meat and rice and vegetables. I especially love the peanut taste! It comes from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1627,158167-247199,00.html, but we alter it by adding in a whole can of coconut milk to dilute the otherwise very strong peanut taste and to make the curry a little bit thinner. The recipe is quite versatile, really you can throw in anything you want. Onion, pepper, whatever in addition to the broccoli.

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

Directions:

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serves 4.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

There are reasons why kiddoes don't like cream of vegetable soups.

The other day I was flipping through the Moosewood cookbook trying to choose the next recipe to try and happened upon Cream of Broccoli Soup. It looked delicious! The pictures of the broccoli was so appetizing!

I said to R., said I, "I think I will cook the Cream of Broccoli Soup!"

She turned to me and said, "You are engaged."

Says I, "I know! Aren't you glad I'm learning to cook?"

She looks at me like I am crazy. "Do you really expect your husband to eat cream of broccoli soup?"

"Well yes," says I, but I know she's got a point.

"Maybe you should start cooking towards your fiance instead of away from him," she tells me.

I decide to make the Cream of Broccoli soup after all. From the Moosewood, I present:

Ingredients:

4 T. butter
1 1/2 C chopped oniom
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 C chopped broccoli
1 C broccoli flowerets, thinly-sliced
1 tsp. salt (more, to taste)
2 1/2 C water or stock
2 C milk
1/2 C heavy or sour cream
1 bay leaf
pinch of allspice
black and/or white pepper to taste
dash of tamari
dash of thyme or basil (optional to taste)
optional: 1/2 C buttermilk, whisked in right before serving

Note: I used water, sour cream, and basil, black pepper, and omitted the tamari. I added dried mustard and paprika in its place, and added allspice generously.

Directions:

1. Chop up broccoli, flowerets, onion, pepper. You can chop the scallions while the broccoli cooks.

2. Saute the onions in butter with bay leaf (don't forget to remove the bay leaf before pureeing!) until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the chopped green pepper, chopped broccoli, water or stock, and salt. Cook about 10 minutes, covered (until broccoli in tender, but still bright green.)

4. Puree little by little with milk, in the blender. Make sure its pureed until absolutely smooth. (The texture is very important to the success of this soup.)

5. Whisk in the sour cream or heavy cream and the seasonings. Adjust the salt and pepper, if necessary. Steam the broccoli flowerets (do this while sauteeing everything else, duh!) until just done (again, tender, but full of color.)

6. Combine flowerets with soup in a large double boiler or kettle. Heat gently and serve right away. Whisk in the optional buttermilk as you serve. Top it with minced scallions.

Notes:

1. After I blended everything, I poured it all back into the ginormous skillet to season/whisk/warm. It makes so much more sense to do that in the pan than in the blender, don't you think?

2. I found this soup to be way, way, way too thin. Do people really want to drink broccoli-flavored water? So I boiled it for another 20 minutes or so after blending and seasoning, and would have been happy having thickened it another 10 minutes maybe.

3. In the future, I will boil it to thicken it and then add the buttermilk and scallions AFTER the thickening, to avoid funny boiled buttermilkness.

4. This soup is tasty if you are a rabbit. No really, the sour cream and milk and spices and broccoli taste really are quite satisfying! Especially if eaten with fresh chunks of Mom's cornbread dunked in the soup, which is how I ate my first bowl.

5. This will probably not feed the fiance, who (unlike me) is not a rabbit.