Potato and Spinach Curry

Ingredients:
2 (14.5-oz) cans diced tomatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions medium size
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1 garlic clove chopped
2 tbsp ground coriander
4 potatoes
2 cups vegetable stock
1tbsp red thai curry paste
8 oz spinach leaves
salt

Directions:

1. cut onions into thick wedges
2. chop ginger
3. chop garlic clove
4. heat vegetable oil in large wok
5. add onions, garlic, and ginger
6. cook 2-3 minutes
7. chop potatoes into chunks
8. add potatoes and coriander to wok
9. stir-fry for 2-3 minutes
10. add stock and curry paste
11. simmer gently 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft
12. add spinach leaves and stir for one minute
13. SERVE IMMEDIATELY!

Refried Beans with Cinnamon and Cloves

My mama had been begging me for weeks to make these beans.
She made them and loved them. She insisted that once I found and executed this recipe I would never have to buy refried beans out of a can again.
Mama told me, "Just google 'cinnamon refried beans' and it's right there in the results."
I tried it, and couldn't find the right page.
She wanted me to make them so bad that finally she just sent me the link.
She even bought me the ingredients and left them at my apartment when she came to visit so that I would have no excuse but to make them (I love my Mama).
Here's the the original recipe.


These beans would be best if made from scratch, but honestly I struggle with planning; so remembering to soak the dried beans long enough before dinner is hard for me.
These beans are delicious. I ate them for breakfast and dinner for at least 3 days while I was fasting. They're pretty easy to make, so try them!

Ingredients:

• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced into 1/4'' pieces
• salt and fresh-ground black pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 fresh chilli pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 14-oz can diced tomatoes, drained
• two 15-oz cans red kidney beans (or other beans), rinsed and drained
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tbsp butter or margarine

Directions:

1. Generously film bottom of 10-inch skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. 
2. Saute the onions with salt and pepper to taste until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. 
3. You want to hear a sizzle as they cook.
4. Add Garlic, jalapeno, cinnamon, and cloves
5. cook the mix until fragrant (about 1 minute)
6. take care not to burn the spices
7. add tomatoes
8. saute for 1 minute.
9. Stir in the beans and water.
10. bring to a fast simmer while crushing the beans with a potato masher (or back of large spoon) as they cook
11. scrape the bottom of the pan as the beans begin to thicken
12. simmer until the beans are thick (about 10 minutes)
13. just before serving blend in the butter or margarine 
14. taste and adjust seasonings

*The beans hold in the refrigerator for 5 days; add liquid as needed when reheating.

Sorry I don't have any pictures... I ate them all!

VEGGIE SOUP

This soup recipe feeds an army. Make it at the beginning of the week and eat it for lunch the rest of the week!

My medium size pot is just a little too
 small for all the soupy goodness.

Make sure you use a big pot so that it can simmer without boiling over the edges.
This soup is easily made vegan by using vegetable bouillon and margarine.
It can easily be made for meat-eaters by adding in chunks of cooked chicken breast. I would guess it would be best if you added the meat right after you added the water.


ingredients:

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 3 sticks celery chopped
• 2 potatoes chopped
• 1 tbsp butter or margarine
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cube vegetable or chicken bouillon 
• 6oz can tomato paste
• 4 cups water 
• handful of spaghetti 
• 1/2 cup french cut green beans (can be frozen or canned or fresh)
• 2 heaping tbsp flour 



This is about how much pasta I used.

directions: 

1. In a medium-large pot, melt butter. 
2. add chopped onion, carrots, celery, and potatoes. 
3. sautee for 4 min, don't brown the veggies.
4. stir in bouillon cube, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and water.
5. bring to boil and simmer for 10 min.
6. break spaghetti in thirds, add to soup and simmer for 10 min.
7. add beans and simmer for 5 minutes more.
8. Mix flour with a little cold water in a cup. Add this to soup, stirring well. 
9. Cook for 1 more minute before serving.
10. Serve hot soup to your hungry friends. 

NOTE: If the soup starts to thicken when re-heating for left-overs, just add a bit of water to make it thin again. 

Spinach Quesadillas

Easy to make, didn't take much time, really yummy.

Ingredients:

• tortillas
• shredded cheddar cheese
• spinach
• onions (chopped, sauteed)
• salsa (optional)

Directions:

1. grease pan
2. add tortilla
3. add shredded cheddar cheese
4. spread the rest of the ingredients out on top of the cheese
5. add more cheese
6. top with another tortilla and turn over to cook other side.
7. slice into wedges and serve with salsa over the top

Note: I burned my top tortilla a bit, so keep an eye on the heat while your tortilla is in the pan.

I topped off the tortilla with some of the homemade salsa from Saturday.

Portobello Fajitas con homemade salsa

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and caps cut into strips
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• homemade or your favorite salsa to taste

STEPS:

First cook the onions and peppers in olive oil until soft (5min on medium heat)

add mushrooms (3min)
then add spices and cook 3-5 additional minutes.

roll vegetables into tortilla

add salsa

enjoy!

Tonight's Disaster: Quiche

Mama decided we [meaning me and sister] would make quiche for dinner using leftover ham.
Sister doesn't eat ham, so we made a mushroom and onion quiche for her.

What follows are the recipes I used for each quiche. I followed a half hand-written and half typed recipe. Following someone else's recipe is HARD. :-(


I forgot a few things in each recipe, so we'll see how they turn out. Quiches are in the oven as we speak.

Veggie Quiche (sister helped me make this one)

• two Portabella mushrooms sliced small
• 2/3 of a white onion chopped
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 teaspoon dried mustard
• salt and pepper to taste
• cheddar cheese shredded
• mozzarella cheese shredded
• pre-made pie crust in tin

1. saute onions till almost caramelized
2. sautee mushrooms
3. place in bottom of pie crust
4. add handful of each cheese
5. mix salt, pepper, milk, eggs and mustard in bowl
6. pour over solid ingredients.
7. cook for 40 min @ 375F

NOTE: we had way too much liquid for the quiche, and it spilled everywhere as we were trying to get it into the oven. Also, forgot flour in this quiche.

Ham & Cheese Quiche

• small pieces of leftover ham (enough to cover the bottom of a pie tin)
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 tbs flour
• cheddar cheese (shredded)
• mozzarella cheese (shredded)
• pre-made pie crust in tin

I was in a hurry when I made this so I totally forgot a lot of ingredients (oops).

1. put ham and a handful of each cheese in pie tin
2. mix it around
3. put eggs, flour, milk in bowl
4. pour over dry ingredients
5. put in oven at 375F for 40 min

So if I had an ideal ingredient list it would look like this

• whatever you want to fill it with (veggies, ham, ect.)
• about 1.5 cups shredded cheese (any combo of cheddar, mozzarella, colby ect)
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 tsp dried mustard
• 1 tbsp flour
• salt and pepper
• pie crust

I'll let you know how they turn out...


UPDATE:
So I guess tonight's dinner wasn't a disaster at all! Both quiches came out fine, although the veggie one was a tiny bit watery. Not bad enough to affect the deliciousness. Pictures coming soon.