Quesadillas con Queso

Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 cup masa
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* 3/4 cup warm water
* 1/4 cup Monterey Jack, grated
* 1/4 cup Cotija Blanco cheese, grated
* Chipotle Salsa, recipe follows
* Sprig cilantro

Directions

Place masa and salt in a mixing bowl. Slowly mix in water until you
reach a doughy consistency. Using 1-ounce from mixture, roll into a
ball. By hand, slap the dough and form a tortilla (about 5-inches in
diameter, 1/8-inch thick). If you have a tortilla press, place 1 ounce
masa ball and lightly press down and make a tortilla. Repeat with
remaining mixture.

Combine the cheeses and set aside.

To cook tortilla, place it on a griddle or comal that is about 250
degrees F. When tortilla is slightly brown, flip tortilla over and
cook the other side. When both sides are almost done, place cheese
mixture on 1 tortilla and cover with the other one, making a
quesadilla. Cook until the cheese melts. Cut quesadilla into quarters
and serve with chipotle salsa and a sprig of cilantro.

Charred Chipotle Salsa:

4 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup diced onion
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 cup pineapple juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 lime, juiced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place tomatoes, onions and garlic in a small roasting pan. Coat with
olive oil and roast until charred and blistered, about 25 minutes. Let
cool. Place in blender with remaining ingredients. Do not puree, but
leave a little chunky for texture.

From: foodnetwork.com

Eggnog-Panettone Bread Pudding

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

* 1 loaf panettone, available in Italian specialty stores, cut in
half (enough for about 5 cups, diced)
* 3 whole eggs
* 3 egg yolks
* 3/4 cups sugar
* 2 cups half-and-half
* 1/4 cup rum
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
* Vegetable cooking spray

Optional accompaniments:

* Vanilla ice cream
* Whipped cream

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

Place a tea-kettle of water on to boil for a water bath. With a
serrated knife, remove the side crusts from the half piece of the
panettone. Cut into 3/4 to 1-inch dice. You should have 5 cups.
Reserve the cubed panettone in a large mixing bowl.

For the eggnog custard, in another bowl thoroughly whisk together the
eggs, yolks, sugar, half and half, rum, vanilla extract, and a healthy
grating of fresh nutmeg. Pour this over the bread cubes.

Spray a 12 hole muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray. Ladle the
bread/eggnog mixture gently and evenly into the muffin tins. The big
cubes sticking up look nice. Place the filled muffin tin in a tall
sided cookie sheet or roasting pan. Transfer to the preheated oven and
carefully pour the hot water from kettle onto sheet pan, creating a
water bath for the muffin tin to sit in.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the tops are nicely browned, and a
toothpick comes clean from the center.

Bread pudding may be served warm or cold. Vanilla Ice cream or whipped
cream would be great accompaniments.

Alternately place the muffin tin in a roasting pan on the stove. Pour
in up to 1-inch of boiling water. Cover and cook over medium-high heat
for 15 to 20 minutes. The puddings will puff and a toothpick will come
out clean from the center. The tops won't brown with this method.
Perhaps a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar at serving time would be nice.

Tandoori Chicken with Mashed Chick Peas and Pepper and Onion Salad

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

* 1 cup Greek yogurt
* 2 inches grated ginger root
* 4 cloves garlic, grated, divided
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 2 teaspoons coriander
* 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
* 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 3 tablespoons plus some for drizzling extra-virgin olive oil, divided
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
* 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut across in 1/2
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 2 cans chick peas, drained
* 1/2 cup chicken stock
* 1/4 cup tahini paste
* 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced or 1/2-inch dice
* 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or 1/2-inch dice
* Hot banana pepper rings, drained and chopped plus 2 tablespoons juice
* Handful fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
* 1 lime, juiced, plus 1 lime, for garnish
* 4 pita breads

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 to 550 degrees F, as high as it goes. Cover a
baking sheet with foil and set a baking rack on top if you have one -
not necessary but use it if you got it.

Place yogurt in shallow dish and combine with ginger, 3 cloves grated
garlic, chili powder, coriander, paprika, turmeric, cardamom, cumin
and 2 tablespoons oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and
coat in sauce. Arrange on baking sheet and roast 20 to 25 minutes
until juices run clear.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1
clove grated garlic. Pulse chop the chick peas in food processor then
add to garlic oil and season with salt and pepper. Mash with chicken
stock and tahini and reduce heat to low.

Combine red onion, bell peppers, chopped hot peppers, to taste, 2
tablespoons hot pepper pickle juice, cilantro leaves, lime juice.
Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Wedge the remaining lime, reserve.

Warm and crisp pitas in hot oven last few minutes chicken is roasting.

Serve chicken with lime wedges to squeeze over top. Serve mashed chick
peas alongside. Top the chicken with pepper salad. Cut pitas in half
and pass at table.

Pumpkin-Peanut Curry Noodles with Five-Spice Seared Scallops and Shrimp

Cook Time: 20 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 1 pound spaghetti
* Salt
* 5 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
* 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
* 2 inches ginger root, minced or grated
* 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
* 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
* 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
* 1/4 to 1/3 cup tamari dark soy sauce, eyeball it
* 1 (15-ounce) can cooked pumpkin
* 2 rounded tablespoonfuls mild or hot curry paste (recommended:
Patak's) found on international foods aisle
* 3 tablespoons five-spice powder
* 12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 12 diver scallops, trimmed and patted dry
* 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces, then thinly sliced
lengthwise into matchsticks

Directions

Heat a large pot of water for noodles. When water boils, salt it and
add pasta to cook to al dente or with a bite to it.

While pasta cooks, heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat with 2
tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil. Add garlic, ginger, red bell
pepper, and pepper flakes to the pan and cook together a couple of
minutes, then add peanut butter and melt it. Whisk soy into peanut
butter, then stir in pumpkin and curry paste. The sauce will be very
thick. Turn down the heat to low. Add a ladle or 2 of pasta cooking
water to thin sauce a bit and simmer over low heat. Adjust salt, to
taste.

Heat a small to medium skillet over high heat. Pour the five-spice
powder onto a plate with some salt. Press both sides of the shrimp and
scallops into the powder. Add 3 tablespoons of remaining oil to hot
skillet. Place the shrimp in the pan and cook 1 minute, flip and sear
the other side until just opaque. Remove shrimp to a plate and set
aside. Add another 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet and heat back
up to smoking. Add the scallops and sear on both sides until opaque.
Remove scallops and add to the plate of shrimp.

Drain pasta and return pasta to the pot. Add the curry-pumpkin sauce
and toss thoroughly. Serve noodles on 4 plated and top with scallions
and seafood.

Why-the-Chicken-Crossed-the-Road Santa Fe-Tastic Tortilla Soup

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* Vegetable or corn oil, for drizzling, plus 2 tablespoons -- 2
turns of the pot in a slow stream
* 3 ears corn on the cob or 2 ears fresh-frozen cobs, defrosted
* 1 red bell pepper, split and seeded
* 1 pound chicken breast tenders
* 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, 1/3 palm full
* 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/3 palm full
* Salt and pepper
* 1 small to medium zucchini, small dice
* 1 medium yellow skinned onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, chopped
* 1 to 2 chipotle in adobo peppers (medium to hot heat level),
chopped -- available in small cans in Mexican and Spanish food section
of market
* 1 can stewed tomatoes, 28 ounces
* 1 can tomato sauce, 8 ounces
* 3 cups chicken stock, available in re-sealable paper containers
on soup aisle
* 4 cups blue corn tortilla chips, broken up into large pieces
* 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper Jack cheese
* 1/2 cup sour cream

Optional garnishes:

* 1/4 red raw onion, chopped
* 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley leaves
* 1 ripe avocado, diced and dressed with the juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions

Heat a grill pan to high and a soup pot to medium high. Drizzle oil on
corn and place on grill. Add red pepper to grill with corn. Char
vegetables 10 minutes, total, turning occasionally. Remove to cool, 5
minutes. Remove charred skin from the pepper.

While vegetables cook, dice chicken. Add 2 tablespoons oil to hot soup
pot. Add chicken to pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt
and pepper. Lightly brown chicken on each side. Add zucchini, onions
and garlic and chipotle peppers. Cook vegetables with chicken 5 to 7
minutes to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and stock. Bring soup to
a bubble, reduce heat to medium low.

Scrape corn off cob and add to soup. Chop grilled red pepper and stir
into soup. Add chips to soup in handfuls and fold in. Serve soup
immediately with scatter of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour
cream. Top with any or all of the suggested garnishes.

Broccoli Rice

Cook Time: 17 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 cup white rice
* 1/4 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 box chopped frozen broccoli, defrosted and squeezed dry in kitchen towel

Directions

Bring broth and butter to a boil. Add rice and stir to combine. Bring
liquid back to a boil then reduce heat and simmer, 15 minutes.

Add bell pepper and chopped, defrosted, drained broccoli. Cook rice
with broccoli and pepper another 2 to 3 minutes. Fluff with fork and
serve.

BLT and P (Bacon, Leek, Tomato and Potato) Soup

Cook Time: 25 min
Level: Easy
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

* Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
* 6 slices lean, smoky good quality bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
* 3 small ribs celery from the heart of the stalk, finely chopped
* 2 small to medium carrots
* 3 leeks, trimmed of rough tops and roots
* 1 bay leaf
* Salt and pepper
* 3 medium starchy potatoes, such as Idaho, peeled
* 2 quarts chicken stock
* 1 (15-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, drained
* Handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
* Crusty bread, for dunking and mopping

Directions

Heat a medium soup pot or deep sided skillet over medium-high heat. To
the hot pan add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and the bacon.
Cook bacon until brown and crisp. Add the chopped celery. Take peeled
carrots and lay flat on cutting board. Hold each carrot at root end
and use the vegetable peeler to make long, thin strips of the carrot.
Chop the thin slices into small carrot bits or carrot chips, 1/2-inch
wide. Add the chips to celery and stir. Cut leeks lengthwise and then
into 1/2-inch half moons. Place the leeks into a colander and run
under rushing cold water, separating the layers to wash away all the
trapped grit. When the leeks are separated and clean, shake off water
and add to celery and carrots. Stir veggies together, add a bay leaf
and season with salt and pepper. While the leeks cook to wilt, 3 to 4
minutes, slice the potatoes.

Cut each potato across into thirds. Stand each piece of potato upright
and thinly slice it. The pieces will look like raw potato chips.

Add stock to vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add
potatoes and tomatoes. Cook 8 to10 minutes until potatoes are tender
and starting to break up a bit. Add bacon and parsley and stir. Adjust
seasonings. Serve immediately with crusty bread.