Food Lately

Whew!  I feel like the past couple weeks have been a whirlwind!  I haven't had a moment to sit down and write a post.  We had my daughter's fifth birthday party this past Saturday.  It was an "Arielsa" party...because she and I couldn't agree on just Ariel (me) or just Elsa (her)...so we combined the two princesses.  Not sure what it says about me that I am fighting with my 5-year-old over which princess is better...hm, I choose not to think about that too much. Ha!  But the result was lots of fun!

Blue Cupcakes and Blue Whoopie Pies for the party.

Two princesses, one party!

However, amid the busyness, I did cook some interesting and yummy recipes.  I'd like to share them with you!

Veggie Quesadillas with Cilantro Pesto

Recipe:

 1 Zucchini

1/2 Eggplant

1 colored Bell Pepper

1/4 Red Onion

Juice of 1/2 a Lime

1 teaspoon Chilli Powder

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Flour Tortillas

Butter for browning/toasting the tortillas

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cilantro Pesto (recipe below)

Instructions:  Peel the Eggplant and chop it and the other vegetables into small pieces.  Heat the Olive Oil over medium heat.  Add the chopped veggies to the pan along with the Lime Juice, Chilli Powder and Nutmeg (you're thinking, "Nutmeg? Weird."  It just kind of adds a little texture to the flavors).  Sautee this mix until the veggies are tender and starting to brown.  Transfer to a plate.  Now you're ready to assemble the Quesadillas (pronounced like Napolean Dynamite, of course).  Melt a bit  of butter in your pan.  As it is melting, spread some Cilantro Pesto on one tortilla, top with a handful of cheese, spread some of the veggie mixture and then add more cheese.  Place the other tortilla on top.  Place in the pan and allow the cheese to melt and the tortillas to toast on each side.  Just use your judgment for how many minutes.

 These colors just inspire me!

Cilantro Pesto

I discovered this in a Southern Living book a long time ago.  I usually whip it up any time we have quesadilla night, because it is so ridiculously good on a quesadilla!!

Recipe:

Just throw in the food processor and blend until mostly smooth...

2 bunches of Fresh Cilantro

1-2 Garlic Cloves

Zest and Juice of 1 Lime

1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

It's always fun to do a movie night with the family.  If you can make dinner fit the theme of the movie, that's even better!  At the library, my kids picked out "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs".  I have a simple meatball recipe that I've used several times: Meatball Recipe   I grabbed a jar of Marinara and Gluten-free noodles from Aldi and there you have it, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" night!

It was my week to bring snack to our church small group meeting.  I recently did a recipe for grape salsa that was soooo good!  It might sound odd, but the mix of sweetness and spiciness with salty chips, just works!  Here's that recipe:  Grape Salsa  So as I was making my usual Black Bean Salsa, (recipe here: The Blog Post with the Black Bean Salsa Recipe), I decided to add in some fresh green grapes.  I put in about a cup, cut into fourths.  It tasted fabulous!  

Black Bean Salsa with Green Grapes

   I served it with Blue Corn Chips, because you know my thing with color.  

The more color, the better!

I can honestly say, from experience, that these recipes are great busy-week recipes.  My family enjoyed them too.  Good luck and good dinners for your busy week!  Love to all!