Cheese and Bean Quesadillas

ingredients

• 1/4 cup refried beans
• 4 6- to 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2/3 cup shredded colby-and-Monterey Jack cheese
• Salsa (optional)

directions

1. Use a table knife to spread half of the refried beans on 1 tortilla.
2. Place bean-topped tortilla in a medium skillet or griddle with the bean side up. Put skillet on a burner. Turn the burner to medium heat. Sprinkle half of the cheese over tortilla. Top with 1 plain tortilla.
3. Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Use a pancake turner to turn quesadilla over. Cook 2 minutes more. Use pancake turner to remove quesadilla from skillet. Repeat with remaining tortillas, refried beans, and cheese. Turn off burner. Remove skillet from burner. Use pancake turner to remove quesadilla from skillet.
4. Use scissors to cut each quesadilla into 4 triangles. Serve with salsa, if you like. Makes 4 servings.

*www.shine.yahoo.com

1.  

Refried Beans

This is in preparation for the Quesadillas that I want to try. Since I still don't know how to make refried beans, I might as well make a separate post about it.

So here it is..

• Cook time: 45 minutes

We use bacon fat in this recipe, though you can easily use olive oil or lard. Although the recipe only calls for 2 Tbsp, we find that the flavor is greatly enhanced with the addition of a couple more tablespoons of bacon fat, just for flavor. You can also get some smokey flavor in the beans by adding a bit of chipotle powder, sauce, or chipotle Tabasco.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cups of dry pinto beans (about 1 lb or 450gm)
• 3 quarts of water
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 2 Tbsp (or more to taste) pork lard, bacon fat, or olive oil (for vegetarian option)
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste
• Cheddar cheese (optional)

METHOD

1 Rinse the beans in water and remove any small stones, pieces of dirt, or bad beans.

2 Cook the beans in water.
Regular method Put beans into a pot and cover beans with at least 3 inches of water - about 3 quarts for 2 1/2 cups of dry beans. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to simmer, covered, for about 2 1/2 hours. The cooking time will vary depending on the batch of beans you have. The beans are done when they are soft and the skin is just beginning to break open.
Pressure Cooker method Put beans into a 4 quart pressure cooker with a 15 lb weight. Fill up the pressure cooker with water, up to the line that indicates the capacity for the pot. Cook for 30-35 minutes - until the beans are soft and the skins are barely breaking open. Allow the pressure cooker to cool completely before opening. If there is resistance when attempting to open the cooker, do not open it, allow it to cool further. Follow the directions for your brand of pressure cooker. (See safety tips on using pressure cookers.)

Strain the beans from the cooking water.

3 Add the onions and lard/fat/oil to a wide, sturdy (not with a flimsy stick-free lining) frying pan on medium high heat. Cook onions until translucent. (Note the onions are optional, you can skip them if you want.) Add the strained beans and about a 1/4 cup of water to the pan. Using a potato masher, mash the beans in the pan, while you are cooking them, until they are a rough purée. Add more water if necessary to keep the fried beans from getting too dried out. Add salt to taste. Add a few slices of cheddar cheese, or some (1/2 cup) grated cheddar cheese if you want. When beans are heated through (and optional cheese melted) the beans are ready to serve.

Note that many recipes call for soaking the beans overnight and discarding the soaking liquid. We don't. We discard the cooking liquid and just add some water back into the frying pan when we are frying the beans.

*www.simplyrecipes.com 

Salsa Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 6 small ripe avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup salsa
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or salt-free seasoning blend
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Tortilla chips

Directions:

• In a bowl, mash avocados with lemon juice.
Stir in salsa, onions, salt and garlic powder. Serve immediately with tortilla chips.

*www.rd.com

10 Minute Zesty Salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 6 green onions, chopped
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chilies
• 1 can (2-1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1/4 cup prepared zesty Italian salad dressing
• Tortilla chips

Direction:

In a bowl, combine the first six ingredients; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with tortilla chips.


*www.rd.com

Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

Ingredients:

• 24 medium jalapeno peppers
• 1 pound uncooked chorizo or bulk spicy pork sausage
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• 12 bacon strips, cut in half
• 
  
• Directions:
• • Make a lengthwise cut in each jalapeno, about 1/8 inch deep; remove seeds. Combine the sausage and cheese; stuff into jalapenos. Wrap each with a piece of bacon; secure with toothpicks.
  • Prepare grill for indirect heat, using a drip pan. Place jalapenos over pan; grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 17-20 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer inserted into filling reads 160°. Grill, covered, over direct heat 1-2 minutes longer or until bacon is crisp. 

    *photo and recipe courtesy of www.rd.com

Mini Corn Salsa Tostadas

I love Mexican food, super! 

And I am so glad I stumble on this certain article about Mexican appetizers that I think I want to try someday. heehee!

First in line is this Mini Corn Salsa Tostadas.

Ingredients:

• 3 flour tortillas (8 inches)
• 3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
• 3 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro,divided
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3/4 cup fresh or frozen corn, thawed
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno pepper
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Using a 2-in. round cookie cutter, cut 12 circles from each tortilla. Coat both sides of circles with cooking spray. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 4-5 minutes or until crisp. Cool.
• In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, 1 teaspoon cilantro, onions and garlic powder; cover and refrigerate. In another bowl, combine the corn, tomato, jalapeno, orange juice, oil, salt and remaining cilantro; cover and refrigerate. Just before serving, spread 1 teaspoon sour cream mixture over each tostada. Using a slotted spoon, top each with a teaspoonful of corn salsa. 

  *photo and recipe courtesy of www.rd.com