Shrimp ceviche bites

Inspired by my sister, Regina’s recent post about shrimp bruschetta and this Weight Watchers recipe for shrimp ceviche cocktail I just had to make this version of shrimp ceviche + gazpacho + margarita, in a bite-size version, for a party we’re attending tonight.

Shrimp ceviche bites

¼ c red onion, finely chopped
4 small limes, squeezed
1 orange, squeezed
2 t olive oil (I used blood orange olive oil that my sister brought me from The Tubby Olive
1 lb small shrimp, raw, peeled, and deveined
1 avocado, diced into small chunks
1 tomato, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
½ serrano pepper, seeds removed and minced
2 T cilantro, finely chopped, plus more for garnish
⅛ c tequila
salt and fresh black pepper to taste
2 heads endive, for serving

Combine all ingredients except endive in a non-metal bowl and toss to mix well, but gently, so as not to mash the tomato and avocado. Refrigerate for 6 hours, the citrus will “cook” the shrimp. When ready to serve, place one shrimp and a teaspoon of vegetables on each endive leaf. Garnish each with chopped cilantro or one whole cilantro leaf, if desired.
 

Leftovers by any other name ...

It’s a week to Thankgsiving. Don’t panic! You still have time to get your feast in order. Follow my Countdown to Thanksgiving timeline, to a flawless day. 

In the meantime, it’s a perfect time to make room in your fridge, freezer, and pantry for all the special ingredients you need for your Thanksgiving meal, and the holiday baking that is sure to follow.

 +  = 

I made pork and pumpkin enchiladas with leftover Apple Pork Roast from family dinner, leftover pumpkin purée from Pumpkin-Hazelnut-White Chocolate Biscotti, roasted garlic from Garlic Oil I made as gifts for clients, and lettuce, cheddar, and flour tortillas from the taco shindig my son had when his friends were home from college for the weekend. 

Enchiladas (or tacos or burritos or quesadillas) are a perfect way to remake leftovers. Use one meat (or none or several), whatever veggies and beans available, cheese, sauce (doesn’t need to be enchilada sauce or even red sauce, there are green chile enchilada sauces, cream-based enchilada sauces, try it with what you have), and flour tortillas (I always keep these in the freezer), and there you have it, enchiladas!


Pork and pumpkin enchiladas

1 c juice drained from 28-oz can of peeled whole tomatoes
1 c pumpkin purée
1 t–1 T hot sauce, to your preferred SQ (spicy quotient)

4 c leftover cooked pork, diced
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c pumpkin purée
3 T roasted garlic
3 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
2 c shredded lettuce
remainder of 28-oz can of whole tomatoes, squeezed and smashed
2 T hot sauce, to your desired SQ
12 flour tortillas

Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350°. Combine 1 cup juice drained from whole tomatoes, 1 cup pumpkin, and hot sauce in a shallow dish, set aside. In a large bowl, combine pork, beans, remaining pumpkin, garlic, 2 cup cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and hot sauce, and mix well.

Dip both sides of one tortilla in the shallow dish of sauce, fill tortilla with about ½ cup pork mixture, roll tortilla, and place seam down in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas until all pork filling is used. Top with remaining cup of cheese, distributing so that all tortillas are covered. Cover with foil that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more until cheese is bubbly, by not brown.

September Meals

As always, when September rolls around, we suddenly find ourselves busy, like many of you, juggling school schedules, sports, activities, and more. Then throw in a few back-to-school-nights, and the question becomes not only, "what am I going to feed them?" but "WHEN am I going to feed them?" We really enjoy sitting down to a family meal, but it is just not always possible. So I try to look at about 2 weeks worth of our schedule and plan for meals when we can sit and eat together, and plans for eating in shifts. I also plan for days when I'll be able to do some work on the meal before I put it on the table, and for days when I need it to be good to go whenever we walk in the door. So for the first few weeks of school, here are some of the meals we have gone with - it is a mix of some old favorites and some new ones that I pulled from websites and/or magazines. Overall, I'd have to say my family has been pleased.

Old favorites:

Baked Stuffed Potatoes - This is always a favorite in my house and the best part is that it can be easily tailored to individual tastes (and what I happen to have on hand). I bake my potatoes, then slice them in half and scoop out the insides. I mix this with a little butter, milk and salt... AND some steamed, chopped broccoli and cauliflower. It ups the veggie factor of the meal, plus I get to mound the inside on the potato when I refill which just makes it looks so pretty (see photo). Also, if I offer the veggies as a topping, the kids have the option of NOT putting it on, but when it is already inside it, it is a done deal. I usually also add in some shredded cheddar cheese because when I pop it back in the oven, it gets nice and melty. YUM. Then I serve with toppings. Some great ideas: bacon, sour cream, chives, chili, more veggies, more cheese, salsa, and anything else you can think of that your family might enjoy. Serve with a salad and we are good to go!

Chicken Divan - I know we have the recipe on here somewhere. An old family favorite. I have switched from using cream of chicken soup in the sauce to using cream of broccoli soup. AND I always double this - one recipe for dinner, one for the freezer.

Black Bean Soup - This could not be easier and is another recipe that changes based on mood and/or what I have in, but is always a hit at my house. I usually drain and rinse about 3 cans of black beans, add in salsa or diced veggies and a can or two of diced tomatoes, some seasonings, some broth. I like it a little chunky, I usually use my immersion blender to make it soup-like, but still leave some chunks and add cilantro in at the end. I usually serve this with quesadillas and toppings for the quesadillas or soup, such as corn, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, diced onion, salsa, sour cream. 

Tomato Soup & Cheesy Breadsticks - Much like the black bean soup, I throw in a mix of canned tomatoes, broth and veggies and blend. Then I wrap 1/2 mozzarella cheese stick in a crescent roll and bake for time on can. So easy, so yummy. Family favorite! (One of the new recipes I came across adds bacon and white beans to a tomato soup. May have to try this)

Korean BBQ Flank Steak - This recipe is also on the site. It is from Aunt Sarah on a visit a few years ago and has been a go-to grilled steak recipe here since. We love this one and the leftovers are great for a steak salad the next day for lunch.

Fajitas/Tacos/Burritos - Some version of wrapped Mexican-style food, choose meat, fish, bean or veggie and put it together as you wish. Easy to please everyone.

Some New Quick & Easy Favorites:

Thai Pork Wraps - I posted about this recipe that we found in the September issue of Rachael Ray's magazine and it is now a must-have in the rotation. I made our second batch last week and froze in single-size servings to be pulled out when needed before or after practices, etc. to accommodate different schedules. As I was packaging it, Holland came in and asked if she could have a bowl before soccer practice that day. 

Pan-fried Chicken - Marinade: 3 TBSP canola mayo, 2 TBSP low-sodium soy sauce, 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice, 1 TBSP chile pase. Marinate chicken breast in this for at least 15 minutes. Then dredge in 1 1/2 c panko bread crumbs. Heat large nonstick skillet over med high and cook chicken in two batches, 4 minutes each side. The flavor was great. Next time I'll try baking, though. 

Skinny Scampi - Spaghetti squash, cut in half, cut side down in large microwavable dish, add 1/3 c water and microwave on high until tender, about 10 minutes. Remove seeds. Meanwhile, heat 1 TBSP olive oil over med heat, add 1 chopped red bell pepper and 1 chopped clove of garlic and cook about 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, peeled and deveined; 1/4 c vegetable broth and 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice and cook, tossing occasionally, until the shrimp are firm and pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1/4 tsp. lemon zest and 2 tsp. chopped flat leaf parsley and remove from heat. Using a fork, rake the spaghetti squash lengthwise to remove the flesh. Toss the squash with 2 tsp olive oil, season with salt & pepper. Serve shrimp on top of squash (serves 4).

Lamb & Turkey Burger - From Cooking LIght, this recipe had mixed reviews, but some are never going to like lamb, and some are never going to like burgers. Those of us that enjoyed it, really enjoyed it. I did not use the sauce with the recipe and instead did a chop of cilantro, mint & parsley, mixed with a little lemon juice and mayonnaise. We served it with a tomato-cucumber salad - thinly sliced cucs and tomatoes, tossed with chopped parsley, olives, lemon juice and olive oil. A bigger hit than the burgers with some!

Hope this gives you some ideas of new recipes to try. Would love to hear some of your favorites.

Happy Cinco de Mayo! We were early on the celebrating this year. We attended a neighborhood bash on Saturday, because we just couldn’t get it together for tonight (too many darn kids running in too many darn directions). Delicious empanadas, fajitas, and frijoles a la charra.

Then, in our household, yesterday I needed a meal I could throw together quickly and early and with what I had on hand, so that everyone could feed themselves when they came in from baseball practice, before the baseball game, and from the baseball game, respectively. It ended up being a great, family-pleasing meal — I love when that happens!

I have a divided crockpot. In half, I put 4 chicken breasts, a can of enchilada sauce, and a can of diced green chiles. In the other half, I put 2 cans of red kidney beans, a large can of diced tomatoes, a cup of white rice, uncooked, a teaspoon of garlic, some salt, pepper, and cumin, and about ¼ cup of diced red peppers that I had on hand. I turned the crockpot on High at 2:30; I cut up some avocados, tomatoes, lettuce, black olives, green onions, and put them and shredded cheese, salsa, and sour cream in Tupperwares together in the fridge, defrosted some tortillas, and by 5:30, the chicken was cooked and ready to be shredded and returned to the sauce, and the rice and beans were cooked (but I might add about ½ cup of water next time) — soft chicken tacos with red beans and rice, from where there was no original meal plan, I love it! (And, as it turned out, thunder and lightning ended the first game early and canceled the second game altogether, so we got to sit down and eat as a family, even better.)

Tonight, we’ll grill, but my nod to Cinco de Mayo will be this Black Bean Salad that my family has lovingly turned into a dip (or filling for burritos and tacos). It’s one of the healthiest dips you’ll find. (Oh, and we’ll have a glass of sangria.) Enjoy!

Black Bean Salad

2 16 oz can black beans, drained, rinsed
1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, minced
½ t cumin
2 dashes Tabasco pepper sauce
2 small garlic cloves, minced
4 T balsamic vinegar
8 T olive oil
salt and pepper
2 avocados, diced

Combine all ingredients except avocado in a bowl and let stand for 30 minutes to combine flavors. (Can be prepared up to 2 days in advanced and refrigerated.)

Just before serving, add diced avocado, correct seasonings, and serve on a leaf of Boston lettuce as a salad, or as a dip with tortilla chips.

Friday night cocktails and appetizers

Part deux. I have some homemade amaretto on the hutch staring me down. My friend Tammy has seasonal cocktails, and my husband usually loves them. I can’t remember what her summer cocktail is right now, but her winter cocktail is amaretto and ginger, and Fred loves it. I’m not a ginger ale person, but you can only drink so many amaretto on the rocks before you’re lying flat on your back, so I came up with amaretto and orange juice. Whether you prefer ginger ale or OJ, serve it in a highball glass, on the rocks.

This evening, we’ll be having our amaretto cocktails with black bean “hummus”. This is a recipe that originally came from my friend Eileen. It isn’t a Mediterranean inspired hummus, it’s more of a Mexican black bean dip, but because of it’s consistency and color, we had trouble coming up with a name for it [that didn’t sound like the punchline of a 5th grader’s off-color joke]. Thus, I’ve taken to calling it “hummus”. Again, one of my favorite things about it is that I usually have all the ingredients on hand, and if I don’t, they’re simple enough that I can remember what they are without writing them down.

Black bean hummus

1 can black beans, drain and reserve liquid
½ jar Mrs. Renfro’s Roasted Garlic Salsa, more if you like
1 clove garlic
juice of 1 lemon
½ bunch cilantro, more if you like

Put garlic in a blender and blend until garlic is chopped fine. Add beans, salsa, lemon, and cilantro to blender. Blend until smooth (a hummus-like consistency). Add as much reserved liquid as you like to reach your desired consistency.

Sunday is Football Day in our house this Fall. Youth football games at one o’clock, and the Patriots after that (so far it’s been on tape delay because the games have all conflicted with the 1 o’clock youth games). It has worked for us, though, because I have been able to throw a meal in the crockpot and have dinner waiting when we come in to sit down in front of the game. Last Sunday I tried a new recipe, and (as usual) I didn’t have all the ingredients handy, so I improvised. It made so much that we had some other folks from my son’s team come back and join us, and it was such a hit that my sons asked for it again for dinner on Monday night — and there was enough that they could.

Crockpot pork carnitas (Based on Slow Braised Carnitas from foodtv.com)

3 lbs lean boneless pork loin, roughly chopped
15 ozs red enchilada sauce
15 ozs beef broth
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 chipotle pepper, roughly chopped
4 green bell peppers, roughly chopped
4 plum tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 T vinegar
½ bunch fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped (even better if you have a friend to do this for you like I did)
hard and soft taco shells, salsa, guacamole, cheddar cheese, sour cream

Season pork with salt and pepper and sear in skillet until it has a nice golden crust. Place pork in crockpot with enchilada sauce, beef broth, onion, peppers, and tomatoes. Cover, and simmer on low for 6 hours or until pork is tender.

Stir in cilantro and serve with taco fixings.

I served a quick black beans and rice side dish with this. Nothing beats a quick side dish, and I like this one because of the easy proportions, so put this in your mental file (and the ingredients in your pantry) for a rushed night. It would work equally well as a main dish if you add in a sausage like kielbasa or chorizo.

Quick black beans and rice

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chile peppers
1 can water
1 can rice
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
¼ c cilantro, roughly chopped

Add tomatoes, water, and rice in saucepan, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes, remove from heat, stir in black beans , and let sit covered for 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.

Can also be served as a cold rice salad.

P.S. The Patriots won!

Grilled Fish Tacos

We tried this recipe from epicurious.com with tilapia a few weeks ago and it was a big hit. It is on the menu for this week as well. Thought you might enjoy.

2 c chopped white onion

3/4 c chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 c olive oil

5 T lime juice

3 T orange juice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 t dried oregano

1 lb tilapia, striped bass, or sturgeon

coarse kosher salt

1 c mayo

1 T milk

Tortillas

2 avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced

Salsa Verde 

Lime wedges

Stir 1 c onion, 1/4 c cilantro, oil, 3 Tbsp lime juice, orange juice, garlic and oregano in a med bowl Sprinkle fish with coarse salt & pepper. Spread 1/2 onion mix over bottom on 11X7X2 in baking dish. Arrange fish atop and spoon remaining mixture to cover fish. Cover and chill 30 minutes. Turn fish; cover and chill 30 minutes longer. 

Whisk mayonnaise, milk and remaining 2 Tbsp of lime juice in a small bowl. Set aside.

Brush grill grate with oil and heat to med-high heat. Grill fish with some marinade still clinging until just opaque in center, 3-5 minutes per side. Grill tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

Coarsely chop fish; place on platter. Serve with lime mayonnaise, tortillas, remaining 1 c chopped onion, remaining 1/2 c cilantro, avocados, cabbage, Salsa Verde, and lime wedges.

OK, so I’m a day late for Super Bowl Sunday, which, according to my two younger sons should be “National Chili Day”. While I was growing up, my dad was one of those cooks who had certain meals. He made pancakes & sausage on Saturdays and eggs & bacon on Sundays (PopPop still makes eggs & bacon for our kids whenever we visit Sleepy Hollow or he visits Newburyport). And Chili. Chili was our Sunday football game staple, our New Year’s Day open house centerpiece, and still has a place on every buffet table my parents ever set. My dad’s one of those cooks who doesn’t really measure anything, just makes it the same, by eye and taste, every single time.

A friend of mine, who love my dad’s chili and also loved to cook herself, once made her chili for my dad. She wanted him to say it was as good as his. He’s a hard-nosed Irish man who likes things made one way and one way only. He said, “You put garlic in it. You don’t put garlic in chili.” (His reaction was similar when my sister Bridget introduced us to her Vegetarian Chili, which is spectacular, and I promise to share it with you soon.)

When my sister Maureen first moved to San Francisco, one of her roommates was from Wisconsin. When Fred and I visited, they served chili over spaghetti. It didn’t taste much spicier than meat sauce to me. My sister Regina likes to put cheese and sour cream on her chili; I save those for my tacos and nachos. As far as my dad is concerned, once you find something you like, don’t mess with it. And when it comes to this basic ground beef and beans chili, I tend to agree wholeheartedly.

PopPop’s chili

2 lb ground beef (Dad never used lean, I do)
4 cans Progresso dark red kidney beans, drained
2 T chili powder
2 lg onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 T Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco Sauce or Texas Pete’s Hot Sauce (a sentimental favorite because my dad’s name is Pete) to taste
2 lg cans whole tomatoes with juice
salt and pepper to taste

Brown beef, onions, and peppers in large stockpot. Drain fat from pot. Add chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, beans, tomatoes, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. Simmer for 2 hours. Taste and fix seasonings if needed. Serve over white rice with corn bread and a green salad (I suppose you could top with sour cream and cheese if you must).

Don't labor on Labor Day

My sister, Bridget, is having my parents and aunts to dinner over the holiday weekend, and she wanted the food to be ready so that she could visit, and not spend the day in the kitchen. She wanted to make use of the seasonal vegetables (she usually has some great garden offerings, either her own or from friends), and grilling.

I told her that lately my do-ahead meal has been fajitas. You can do the chicken and steak and leave them slightly rare, and keep them warm in the oven on low or in the crockpot on warm until you're ready to eat. They don't have to be hot, hot, when you serve them, just warm, then you can make all the fixin’s: salsa, guacamole, cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, sour cream, flour tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, ...

If you aren’t in the mood for Mexican, you can do a nice salad and top it with the steak and/or chicken. You could do some other nice seasonal treats to go along with the salad, almost like a salad bar (nice tomatoes, cucumbers, marinated zucchini), and some corn on the cob on the side.

These are also great meals for those crazy back-to-school nights when we don’t know if we’re coming or going.

What do you think? What do you serve when you don’t want to miss all the fun while you work in the kitchen?

Entertaining 911, continued

31 Days of Blog: Day 3. There is a certain wisdom to getting the necessities out of the way first thing in the day to make sure they get done. I always apply this to the dreaded cleaning of the house, if it doesn’t get done by noon, it seldom gets done, I either run out of steam or I lose focus. The same is true for blogging once a day during this National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) of July/Food, yesterday is a great example, I only wrote an 80-word post, half of which was done before 7 am, when I got distracted (toilet-training a two-year-old is a wonderful thing), and I didn’t actually post until the rest of my family was breathing down my back looking for dinner. Today, I’m trying to get it done early again.

I’m still in the 4th of July mode, and I want appetizers galore this weekend (we actually had nachos for dinner last night, and we had so much fun making them as a family — that almost never happens in my house, cooking as a family). At a recent dinner party, I made an upscale version of Chile con Queso. It was a nice change. The goat cheese adds tang, and the green salsa adds heat, a really nice complement. You can serve the dip with your favorite bagged chips, or you can make your own adobo chips from the recipe below, it’s easy and tasty, uses up leftover corn tortillas (you know me and my using up leftovers), and doesn’t have a lot of extra sodium.

Warm goat cheese and cilantro salsa

1 jar Mrs. Renfro’s green salsa
½ c cilantro
½ c low-fat cream cheese, softened (½ block)
¼ c goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350°. To prepare salsa, combine salsa and cilantro, cover and set aside.

To prepare cheese, combine cream cheese and goat cheese in a small bowl; stir until blended. Spread cheese mixture into a shallow ramekin or baking dish; cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or just until warm. Remove from oven, top with salsa, and serve with chips.

Adobo Chips

½ t paprika
¼ t cumin
2½ t fresh lime juice
8 6-inch white corn tortillas
1 t canola oil
1 t adobo sauce

Preheat oven to 375°. Combine 2½ teaspoons lime juice, canola oil, adobo sauce, paprika, and cumin in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Brush 1 tortilla with about ¼ teaspoon juice mixture, spreading to edge. Top with another tortilla; repeat procedure with juice mixture. Repeat procedure 6 more times (you will have 1 stack of 8 tortillas). Using a sharp knife, cut tortilla stack into 6 wedges. Place wedges in a single layer on baking sheets. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes; turn wedges. Bake an additional 10 minutes.

We’ll be sharing this new Con Queso tonight with friends while we watch fireworks at Salisbury Beach. Enjoy!

Cinco de mayo quick bites

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! I'm pretty sure this is just another American excuse to turn any day into a party ... and I have no problem with that! Bring it on! In fact, tonight we’re going from one son’s baseball game to the other’s, so I sent out a call to the baseball team — how about we all bring appetizers to the game (and forget about the dinner rush before or after the game). Like I said, any excuse for a party.

But Cinco de Mayo got me thinking about the beauty of Mexican food. First, it’s quick. For the most part, you roll some unsuspecting ingredients into a tortilla, and you’re done. Second, it’s kid-friendly. Think tacos: Kids get to make their own and customize by adding what they like most, so it’s less work for you in the kitchen, and they’re happy. Win-win. The same is true for most varieties of Mexican foods: Enchiladas, burritos, quesadillas, nachos (no, we’re not above having a big plate of chili or chicken nachos for dinner). Third, it’s adaptable. Any taco recipe you like, you can turn into burritos, and burrito recipe you like, you can turn into enchiladas, etc. Also, don't like chicken? Substitute pork or beef or beans. Very adaptable, use what you have on hand. Fourth, it’s quick. (You know that that is so important, I can’t state it strongly enough.)

Quesadillas are a quick grilled cheese sandwich with other fun fillings tucked in. They’re a great use for leftovers, too. When making the chicken quesadillas below, make it quicker by using leftover chicken if you have it (a roasted chicken from the supermarket is also a great way to get a quick meal on the table). If you don’t have the leftover chicken, it’s still pretty quick to poach the chicken as directed. (Whenever I need quick cooked chicken, I use this method for poaching, it’s so quick and easy, it’s a real “building block” recipe.)

The other great thing about quesadillas is they may be made ahead. Think impromptu party: Guests knock on your door, you’re covered, you have appetizers or dinner in the freezer already. Just serve with some good-quality salsa, and, if you have it, sour cream.

A word about cooking the quesadillas, electric quesadilla grills are available. They press the tortillas and ingredients together and leave nice indentations so you can cut the quesadilla into 6 professional-looking pieces. I don’t have this gadget, so I use two cast-iron frying pans (any frying pan or skillet will do, the heavier the better). Heat them both over moderate heat, spray one with cooking spray and layer the first tortilla, ingredients, and second tortilla in the pan, place the second skillet on top and apply a little pressure, this will press and cook the quesadilla more evenly. If necessary, you can turn the quesadilla to finish cooking before cutting with a pizza cutter or sharp knife and serving.

Poached chicken

1½ lb chicken breast halves
1 t lime juice

Arrange chicken in a glass pie plate with thickest sides at edge of plate; sprinkle with lime juice. Cover with plastic wrap (make a vent hole) and cook in microwave on high power 6 to 8 minutes, turning breasts over after 4 minutes. Cool slightly, then shred meat.

Chicken quesadillas
serves 4

3½ c chicken, cooked
¾ t salt
½ t pepper
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
2 T vegetable oil
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
5 oz Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, grated
8 large flour tortillas (fajita sized)
optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, cilantro, lime wedge, guacamole

Sprinkle chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper.

Cook onion with remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper in oil in a 10- to 12-inch skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute, then transfer to a large bowl. Add chicken to onion mixture along with cheese.

Heat a second similarly sized skillet. Layer one tortilla, 1 cup chicken mixture, and a second tortilla in the skillet, place the second skillet on top and apply a little pressure, this will press and cook the quesadilla more evenly. Cook, turning once, until cheese is melted and quesadilla is golden brown, about 4 minutes total. Assemble and cook remaining quesadillas in same manner. Transfer with a spatula to cutting board and cut in half. Quesadillas may be served or refrigerated or frozen for later use at this point.

To reheat quesadillas: Remove from freezer and defrost in refrigerator the day before you plan to eat them. Heat in 325° oven for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted, but tortilla is not too crisp. Cool 5 minutes.

To serve: Slice with pizza wheel or large serrated knife.

Black bean quesadillas
serves 4

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 green onions, finely chopped
½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1½ T jalapeño pepper, seeded, minced
3 t cumin
5 oz Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese, grated
8 large flour tortillas (fajita sized)
optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, cilantro, lime wedge, guacamole

In a large bowl, coarsely mash beans with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Add green onions, peppers, garlic, jalapeños, and cumin. Add cheese.

Heat a second similarly sized skillet. Layer one tortilla, 1 cup bean mixture, and a second tortilla in the skillet, place the second skillet on top and apply a little pressure, this will press and cook the quesadilla more evenly. Cook, turning once, until cheese is melted and quesadilla is golden brown, about 4 minutes total. Assemble and cook remaining quesadillas in same manner. Transfer with a spatula to cutting board and cut in half. Quesadillas may be served or refrigerated or frozen for later use at this point.

To reheat quesadillas: Remove from freezer and defrost in refrigerator the day before you plan to eat them. Heat in 325° oven for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melted, but tortilla is not too crisp. Cool 5 minutes.

To serve: Slice with pizza wheel or large serrated knife.
Serve quesadillas with sour cream, salsa, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, and guacamole, if desired — and of course a large margarita, on the rocks with salt.