So, I’ve had a pretty stellar weekend. We went to the Renaissance Faire (my first ever!), we ate fair food, saw great things, saw weird things, rode an elephant (yes, we really did and I have pictures to prove it!), watched a jousting match and got a sunburn - woo. Then, after we got home, we had Brandtinis and Old-Fashioneds on the back patio – um, no, Things 1 and 2 did not share that good time with us, they’re totally underage and I don’t want to go to jail! What’s a Brandtini, you ask? Well, it’s a really yummy take on a martini with brandy, gin and vermouth. Quite delicious and so much fun to drink out of my new martini glasses!
Today, I enjoyed my coffee on the back patio, watched some golfers make some really bad shots (yes, I giggled, I’m sorry, I know it was wrong) and then put up some shelves, did some laundry and got some good stuff accomplished around the house. After all that bad but good stuff we ate, I was kinda craving vegetables and good for you good stuff. So, I decided to make Farmers’ Market Quesadillas (Cooking Light, August 2004) and a salad for dinner. And, as a bonus – yes, BONUS! – I decided to make dessert too! Well, after a dinner of good for us stuff, it seemed only right to reward our healthy eating. J And, besides, it’s a Cooking Light recipe too – Funky Monkey Parfaits. Don’t those sound fun – can you see why I was drawn to them?!
Okay, the quesadillas were pretty easy to make and they turned out to be quite tasty! They are my new favorite quesadilla! And, I think the filling minus the cheeses would go quite nicely with a grilled sausage – YUM! But I digress, back to the quesadillas. Something you should know is that I do not eat mushrooms. Not at all. Yuck. Ick. Gross. Now, I can eat food that has mushrooms in it or on it, I just don’t eat the mushrooms. I’m not such a non-fan of mushrooms that they can’t be anywhere near what I’m eating – that belongs to the egg for me. That’s a whole different story. Anyway, you can order a pizza with mushrooms on it and that would be just fine by me. I will dissect the pizza to ensure that a mushroom never enters my mouth but hey, I’m adaptable and perfectly fine with picking mushrooms out or off any food I may be eating. Needless to say, I did not use mushrooms in this recipe. I substituted an orange pepper and grilled it along with the red pepper and the poblano. Please note, these peppers will still be very hot after sitting in the Ziploc bag for 15 minutes so be prepared for an “ouch!” when you go to peel them – yes, you have to peel them, don’t be afraid, it’s not too difficult, I promise, the skin comes right off. The rest was pretty easy – sauté veggies, assemble quesadillas and cook. YUM! I would recommend, if you are cooking for a large group (this recipe serves 12), use a griddle or two to make quick work of the final cooking step to get them to the table still warm. We didn't do that but we did turn the oven on low (200 degrees) and stashed the completed ones in there while the others were cooking. They came out just fine – and warm - so you can do this if you don’t have a griddle or just don’t believe me. J
Now, let’s talk Funky Monkey Parfait. Let me just say this – Oh. My. Goodness! These were SO good!!! The chocolate custard was thick and rich, the bananas were perfect and well, the peanut butter part came from Nutter Butter cookies and as far as I’m concerned, any dessert that involves Nutter Butters is off to a pretty great start. To coin a phrase – YUM-O! (thanks Rachel Ray!) I love the Funky Monkey Parfait and I’m not ashamed to say it. Let’s all say it together – FUNKY MONKEY!! Yay!
Fine, so I don’t have parfait glasses – don’t ask me why, I don’t know. In fact, I just got ramekins yesterday. How could I love to cook and not have ramekins?! I know, it’s ridiculous. Anyway, don’t judge me about the parfait glasses – I used my new martini glasses! J Delicious and so cute too! Enjoy!
Here are the recipes. Happy cooking, eating and drinking!
Farmers’ Market Quesadillas
1 to 2 poblano chiles
1 large red bell pepper
Cooking spray
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 ½ cups chopped yellow squash
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chopped oyster mushrooms
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup (2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
8 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1. Preheat broiler or grill.
2. Place poblano and bell pepper on a foil-lined baking sheet; broil 10 minutes or until blackened, turning occasionally. OR place peppers directly on grill and grill until blackened. Place poblano and bell pepper in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel poblano and bell pepper; discard seeds and membranes. Cut peeled peppers into thin strips.
3. Heat a large nonstick skilled over medium-high heat. Coat with cooking spray. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes or until the onion is lightly browned. Add squash and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Add pepper strips and mushrooms; cook 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and moisture evaporates, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Monterey Jack and 1 tablespoon goat cheese over each of 4 tortillas; top each with 2/3 cup vegetable mixture. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Monterey Jack, 1 tablespoon goat cheese, and 1 ½ teaspoons cilantro over each vegetable-topped tortilla; top each with remaining tortillas.
5. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place 1 quesadilla in pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until tortillas are crisp. Repeat procedure with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Yield: 12 servings (serving size: 2 wedges).
Calories 140 (34% from fat); Fat 5.3g (sat 2.8g, mono 1.2g, poly 0.2g); Protein 6g; Carb 17.9g; Fiber 1.5g; Cholesterol 12mg; Iron 1.2mg, Sodium 360mg; Calcium 132mg
Funky Monkey Parfaits
6 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup Dutch process cocoa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Dash of salt
1 ½ cups 2% reduced-fat milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup peanut butter sandwich cookie crumbs (such as Nutter Butter; about 8 cookies, crumbled)
3 cups sliced banana
1. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a 2-quart glass measure; stir well. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk. Microwave at HIGH for 2 ½ minutes, stirring occasionally. Microwave at MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) for 2 ½ minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla. Cover surface of mixture with plastic wrap; chill.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon cookie crumbs into each of 8 (8-ounce) glasses; top each with 3 tablespoons bananas and 1 ½ tablespoons chocolate mixture. Repeat layers once, ending with chocolate mixture. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 parfait).
Calories 191 (21% from fat); Fat 4.5g (sat 1.4g, mono 1.4g, poly 0.6g); Protein 4g; Carb 37.7g; Fiber 1.9g; Cholesterol 5mg; Iron 0.9mg; Sodium 127mg; Calcium 53mg
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