Spanikopadilla (Greek quesadillas) and hearty greek salad

One secret about Anna, is that she will eat anything if it is contained in a tortilla with cheese.  Naturally, I was stoked when I found some recipes in a magazine that were all interesting variations of the quesadilla.  This was the first that I tried.  The filling is a mixture of sauteed spinach, feta cheese, a little egg, and some mozarella.  I paired our substantial quesadillas with a greek salad that contains bulgar wheat, garbanzo beans, tomatos, cucumbers, and cilantro with a lemon/dill vinagrette.  Feel free to add feta or olives to the salad or top it with some home made tzaziki sauce (yogurt cucumber sauce-- also good as a dip for the quesadillas). 

Spanikopadilla Recipe

olive oil
10 oz baby spinach
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper
pinch of nutmeg
1 tsp dried dill or 2 TBSP fresh dill
1 tsp dried parsley or 2 TBP fresh parsley
2/3 cup feta cheese (or however much you want!)
4 or 5 flour tortillas
3/4 cup shredded mozarella

Heat oven to 425, saute the spinach in a little olive oil until it has wilted and significantly reduced in size (a few minutes).  Take it out of the pan and set aside to cool. Once cooled, squeeze out the spinach to get rid of excess water.  Meanwhile, in the same pan, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for a few minutes until softened.  Add to the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the egg, feta, and all spices.  Gently combine.

Arrange tortillas on a baking sheet.  Sprinkle a little mozarella on half of each tortilla, then evenly distribute the spinach/feta mixture among each tortilla on top of the mozarella.  Sprinkle a little more mozarella on top of the spinach mixture, then fold the tortillas in half over the filling.  Brush the tops with just a little olive oil and bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes (depending on how crispy you want them) on the top rack in the oven.

Greek Salad

3/4 cup bulgar wheat
3/4 cup boiling water
1 can garbanzo beans
1/2 of a red bell pepper diced
1/2 cucumber chopped large
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tomatoes chopped large
1/2 cup cilantro chopped (or parsley, or dill, or basil, or mint...whatever you have on hand)
2 TBSP olive oil
3 TBSP lemon juice (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried basil
feta cheese, olives (optional)

In a large bowl, pour the boiling water over the bulgar wheat and let stand until the bulgar soaks up the water (about 30 minutes).  Let cool.  Once cool, add the bell pepper, tomatoes, beans, cucumber, green onions, and cilantro.  In a small jar with a lid, combine the dressing ingredients-- olive oil, lemon juice, salt pepper, and dried spices.  Shake until combined and then pour over the salad.  I like to add a little more lemon juice at this point, and when I have it on hand-- some feta cheese and sliced olives.  Refrigerate for a few hour or until ready to serve.

My favorite soup: crock pot split pea

This is the best soup I have ever made.  I crave it, and it is split pea soup for goodness sake.  And seriously, when I make it for other people, they always want the recipe.  That shows how much confidence I have in it, that I will make it for company.  It is that good.  But I almost feel like its cheating to take credit because it requires almost no effort-- so it is a really good soup for any family where you don't have a lot of time and want a good, comforting soup to serve.  And it is chalk (chock, chaulk?) full of protein and fiber, and requires absolutely no ham, hamhocks, or pigs of any kind.

1 lb dried split peas (I don't sort or rinse or anything...kind of lazy that way)
1/2 onion diced
2 potatoes diced (I don't peel potatoes)
3-4 carrots sliced (or really as many as you want)
2-3 stalks of celery sliced (or diced, depending on the kind of chunks you want)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp paprika or smoked paprika (or more if you like it)
2 bay leaves
6-8 cups of hot chicken stock (I just use boiling water and bouillon)
salt and pepper to taste
lemon juice, and olive oil (optional)

Just layer in a crockpot, in the order listed, and cook on high for 4-5 hours.  You don't even need to stir until after it is all done cooking, at which point the peas have softened so much that it is has turned into an almost creamy mixture.  I like to drizzle a little olive oil onto the raw vegetables because I generally don't trust fat free concoctions and I think a little olive oil is healthy.  Also, I like to squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the soup after it is all done cooking because I think it gives it a nice bright flavor!  Again, you can follow the directions according to taste, making modifications as necessary (or adding more water if it is too thick).  It is fool proof!

A new beginning

About two years into our marriage, my husband revealed to me that he thought meat was "weird," especially ground meat of any kind. There was actually a heirachy of weirdness. From most weird to least weird:

1. eggs

2. ground meat

3. pork

4. chicken

5. beef

The weirdness was exponentially exacerbated if

a) the meat had been cooked the day before and refrigerated, and became inedible if it was

b) microwaved to reheat it.

However, the heirachy of weirdness could be superceded if:

a) the meat was prepared in a delicious, technically superior way, or

b) there was enough flavor or hot sauce to cover the taste of the meat.

Thus began our journey of a thousand vegetarian recipes. I began renting cookbooks from the library and perusing online recipe banks for vegetarian recipes. In the beginning, it was rocky, but over the last couple of years has become a happy lifestyle for our family. We eat vegetarian 90% of the time, including fish about once a week (fish does not fall into a "weird" category unless microwaved). The other 10% is primarily composed of one thing-- Buffalo chicken pizza (because it falls into the "hot sauce/flavor covers the chicken" exception). In addition, we almost always order meat at restaurants and have no problem eating meat at other people's houses. You could call us social carnivores. But at home, veggies and whole grains rule!

Additionally, I feel our family is better following the mandate to "eat meat sparingly" from the Word of Wisdom of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Most people only concentrate on the no alcohol/coffee/tobacco stuff, and totally overlook the guidance regarding the food we eat-- grains being the staff of life and fruits and vegetables to be eaten with "prudence and thanksgiving." As a marathon runner, I especially appreciate the promise associated with the Word of Wisdom, that I will "run and not be weary, and walk and not faint."

This blog will be for recipes only. It is not to showcase any photography skills and it is not my second business. IT is just to share my favorite recipes with those of you who want to add in more meatless meals to your rotation. I will try to keep editorializing down to one paragraph per entry, and there will only be one photograph per entry as well.

Enjoy!

Veggie burgers

The ultimate veggie burger (in my humble but correct opinion), and the best place to start if you are wanting to add in more meatless entrees into the rotation. You won't be dissapointed.
This was what we ate Superbowl Sunday. Veggie burger (from "the Food Network"), baked sweet potato fries (from "Our best bites") and a curred pea and cabbage cole slaw (from "Allrecipes.com"). So good. I entered it in a burger competition (okay, so it was just a bunch of friends), and I got 4 votes for best burger. Even meat eaters like it.

adapted from "Morgan's Veggie Patties"
2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/3 cup diced black olives
1/2 cup diced red bell peppers
1 diced jalapeno
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup diced artichoke
1 can black beans, drained
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can white beans, drained
2 1/4 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
3 eggs

Basically, just saute all the veggies in olive oil until tender, and then let them cool. Add the veggies to the beans and all the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl. I like to mash this together and mix it with my hand, kind of smashing the beans into the mixture along the way. If it seems too wet, add a little more bread crumbs. It won't look perfect because the beans will still look like beans.

Shape into large patties and place on greased baking sheet, and then chill for about a half hour. It will help the patties to firm up and they will hold together better when you cook them.

I have had great success both with baking and frying. Usually I fry these in a little canola oil-- a few minutes on each side (depending on the size of the patty). The recipe makes quite a few veggie burgers (unless you make them huge), and from what I hear they freeze well. So go at it.