Veggie Quesadilla

Ingredients:

•          Large flour tortillas
•          Grated cheddar cheese
•          Olive oil
•          Chopped onions
•          Chopped green peppers
•          Avocado – smashed into guacamole

Instructions:

Heat a large cast iron frying pan to medium high heat. Add a small amount of oil and spread it around the bottom of the pan. Cook your onions and peppers for five-seven minutes, and then remove and place in separate bowl. Next, take one large flour tortilla and place it in the same pan.

Spread your avocado mixture on the bottom of the tortilla. Next, take a handful of grated cheese and sprinkle over the top of the tortilla. Then, add cooked onions and peppers (and anything else you may like, just don’t overload it).

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add second tortilla on top and press down to secure. Let cook for five or so minutes until you can tell cheese is melting. Check that bottom tortilla is crispy by using a spatula to lift up. The tortilla is slightly browned and crispy, flip over carefully. Once other side is crispy, remove from pan and cut into four wedges.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Recipe: Vegetarian Stromboli

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of pizza dough – can buy this pre-made at Trader Joe’s
• 1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of sliced artichoke heart
• 3 chopped roasted red peppers
• 1/3 cup chopped of olives – green or black
• 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.   Next, Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to look like a pizza. Spread the cheese, leaving a 1-inch border. Then, add your veggies. Roll it like a jelly roll and crimp the edges with fingers or a fork. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and feels crispy.

Burrata and Arugula Pizza

I got this idea after seeing a friend have order it at Pitfire Pizza. They make their Burrata Pie with: burrata cheese, tomato sauce, caramelized onion, hazelnut and a pesto drizzle on top of wild arugula.

Photo from: Pitfire Pizza; The Burrata PieThat was a little too fancy for me, plus I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I simplified it and made a traditional burrata pizza with just: burrata cheese, tomato pizza sauce, parmesan cheese slithers and arugula on top with drizzle of olive oil.

It was really easy and tasty. Just get some ready-made pizza dough from Trader Joes or any grocery store, roll it out and top it with the tomato sauce first, then the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes – until crush is brown and cheese is melted. Take out and let cool a few minutes then top with arugula and drizzle olive oil on top.

Grilled Green Apples and Cheese

I went to the farmers market this weekend and saw a tasty sandwich I just had to try. Grilled cheese with Granny apple slices. It was a nice twist on the classic grilled cheese. The tart flavor from the apple combined with the sweetness of the honey and Gruyere cheese was a nice combination. Try it for yourself.

Sandwich Ingredients:

·         1 apple – Granny Smith works best – thinly sliced

·         Gruyere cheese – grated or thinly sliced

·         2 slices of bread – Multi-grain, Rustic loaf

·         Butter

·         Honey

Sandwich Instructions:

Preheat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Spread one side of each slice of bread with butter and place butter side down into the skillet. Layer apple slices, cheese onto one slice of bread – drizzle with honey, top with other slice of bread. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the bottom slices of bread are golden brown. Carefully flip the sandwich and cook until golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve with homemade rosemary potato chips – recipe below.

The UK's tastiest meat-free dish is ...

Hearty Mushroom, Ale and Puy Lentil Pie
By Winner: Kate Ford

Ingredients:

• 10 small shallots, halved
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tablespoons of tomato puree
• 75 grams puy lentils (about 3 ounces), washed and drained
• 150 grams of chestnut mushrooms (about 5 1/2 ounces), sliced thickly
• 150 grams flat mushrooms (about 5 1/2 ounces), sliced thickly
• 20 grams (about 1 ounce) of dried porcini mushrooms
• 275 milliliters (about 1 1/2 cups) of brown ale
• 200 milliliters (about 1 cup) of vegetable stock
• 50 grams of (about 2 cups) baby spinach
• Cornflour and butter made to a paste, to thicken
• Ready-made puff pastry
• 1 egg

Heat olive oil and butter in a pan, add shallots and cook gently until brown. Reduce heat, add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in tomato puree, lentils, flat and chestnut mushrooms. Turn up heat and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the brown ale and half  of the stock. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer for 30 mins.

Soak the porcini mushrooms in a cup of warm water for 20 minutes, drain (reserving the soaking liquor) and chop roughly. Add both the porcini and the soaking liquor to the pan. Simmer for a further 10 minutes, using the remaining stock or the cornflour and butter paste to adjust the consistency until a thick gravy-like pie filling is achieved. Stir through the baby spinach, and spoon the mixture into individual pie dishes. Brush the edges with beaten egg and cover with rolled puff pastry. Brush the pie tops with puff pastry and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until pastry tops are golden and well risen. Serve immediately.