Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

This past summer I got a subscription to Cooking Light. LOVE it. They always have great vegetarian ideas and a section on quick and easy dinners. As soon as I saw this recipe for roasted corn and goat cheese quesadillas in the March 2009 issue, I knew I had to make it. It was easy to make and tasty. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it did not hold together as well as a regular quesadilla, because goat cheese doesn't melt the same way as mozzarella or cheddar does. So, these were pretty messy. Next time I might add a little parmesan or pecorino to the mix.

Ingredients
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear-- I used unsalted canned corn)
2/3 cup (5 ounces) goat cheese, softened
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 1 green onion-- I used 3)
10 tablespoon bottled salsa verde, divided (I used regular salsa
Cooking spray
Olive oil (optional)

Directions
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes or until browned. (I also cooked the green onions with the corn.) Place corn in a small bowl. Add goat cheese to corn; stir until well blended. Divide corn mixture evenly among 4 tortillas; spread to within 1/4 inch of sides. Sprinkle each tortilla with 1 tablespoon green onions. Drizzle each with 1 1/2teaspoons salsa; top with remaining 4 tortillas.

2. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. (I used olive oil here instead of cooking spray.) Place 2 quesadillas in pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from pan; keep warm. Wipe pan clean with paper towels; recoat with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges. Serve with remaining 8 tablespoons salsa.

Use-Up-Your-Leftovers Pasta Sauce

This week I went to one of my old college standby recipes-- pasta sauce that uses up all the fridge leftovers. I always have a can of diced tomatoes on hand for just this purpose. Quick, easy, and healthy.

Ingredients
1 14 oz can of petite diced tomatoes
1 package of refrigerated cheese tortellini (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
1 cup of wine (I used some leftover red zin)
2 TB olive oil
And whatever veggies you want to use up. I used:
2 cups bagged spinach
1/2 green pepper
1/2 yellow pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion
3 cloves garlic
1 medium summer squash
Handful of basil
Dried Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Chop all vegetables into bite size pieces. Cook tortellini according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion; saute about 2 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies (excluding spinach and basil) and saute until they start to get soft, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and allow mixture to simmer for several minutes until it starts to reduce. Add the can of tomatoes; simmer and stir occasionally until water evaporates, about 4-5 minutes. Stir in basil and spinach; cook until spinach wilts. Finally, add Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and then stir in the cooked tortellini. Serve hot with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

One-Pot-Wonder Baked Ziti

My friend Jodi sent me this recipe. She called it a "one pot wonder" veg ziti. It's a twist on a baked ziti recipe that is absolutely delicious! It's quick and easy, and I think a little lighter than a regular baked ziti because it doesn't use ricotta or a premade spaghetti sauce. We will definitely be making this again and again. The red pepper and garlic give this a nice little zing. It's also a nice flexible dish to use up leftovers... I tossed in some mushrooms, green onion, pecorino cheese, and parsley.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
salt & fresh ground pepper
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 cups water
12 ounces ziti pasta (3 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, minced
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

1) Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 475.

2) Combine oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in 12-inch ovensafe nonstick skillet and saute over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. (If your skillet is not ovensafe, transfer the pasta mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole dish before sprinkling with the cheese and baking). I then sauteed some mushrooms and green onions here, about 2 minutes.

3) Add crushed tomatoes, water, ziti and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4) Cover and cook, stirring often and adjusting heat as needed to maintain vigorous simmer, until ziti is almost tender, 15-18 minutes.

5) Stir in cream, Parmesan, and basil. I also added chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) Sprinkle mozzarella evenly over ziti. I also added some shredded Pecorino cheese here. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until cheese has melted and browned, about 10 minutes. Serve.

Scallops Provencal with Herbed Couscous and Mushrooms

I love watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network, but never made one of the recipes I saw on her show until today. I have been wanting to make this scallop dish for a while, and since I am now taking the city bus to work (blah) which takes me right by Eastern Market, I figured today would be a good day to try it out. It turned out SOOOOOOOOOO yummy. In addition to the scallops, she made an herbed basmati rice. Instead, I made a box of pinenut couscous (takes about 8 minutes), and added some dill and scallions. After making the scallops, I used the pan to quickly cook up some baby bella mushrooms and spinach for a side dish. All said and done, this took me about 25 minutes. Definitely a keeper!

Here's the recipe, from the Food Network website:

Ingredients
1 pound fresh bay or sea scallops (I used sea scallops)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup chopped shallots (2 large)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, cut in 1/2

Directions
If you're using bay scallops, keep them whole. If you're using sea scallops, cut each 1 in half horizontally. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss with flour, and shake off the excess.
In a very large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over high heat until sizzling and add the scallops in 1 layer. Lower the heat to medium and allow the scallops to brown lightly on 1 side without moving them, then turn and brown lightly on the other side. This should take 3 to 4 minutes, total. Melt the rest of the butter in the pan with the scallops, then add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and saute for 2 more minutes, tossing the seasonings with the scallops. Add the wine, cook for 1 minute, and taste for seasoning. Serve hot with a squeeze of lemon juice.