Spinach Enchiladas

The first time I made spinach enchiladas, years ago, the result wasn't great. I would even go so far as to say they were rather bland and I hadn't made them since. But then... I came across the old recipe, complete with notes on what I thought could be improved. I decided to give it another shot and I'm really glad I did because this time was a success!

The only thing I haven't tried yet is making my own enchilada sauce. It seems like a very easy process but in the interest of convenience, I just grabbed a couple cans off the shelf in the market. For sure next time though, I'm making my own sauce.

Spinach Enchiladas

1 Tablespoon butter

1/4 cup yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

10-ounce bag fresh spinach, steamed and chopped (frozen, thawed, is fine)

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1 cup pepper Jack cheese, shredded

salt, to taste

10 6-inch flour tortillas

2 - 10-ounce cans red enchilada sauce

Optional: 1/4 cup chopped green onions, for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 375°

2. In a medium skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.

3. Add onions and sauté 1-2 minutes, until fragrant and softened. Add garlic and continue cooking an additional minute.

4. Add the spinach and continue cooking and stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes.

5. Remove pan from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese, sour cream, 1/2 cup Monterrey Jack, and 1/2 cup pepper Jack cheese. Season to taste with salt.

6. One at a time, add 1/4 cup of the mixture to the center of each tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in a prepared 11"x7" baking dish.

7. Pour enchilada sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with additional Monterrey Jack and pepper Jack cheeses.

8. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, if using, and allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

Easy Beer and Cheddar Dip

This dip is amazing with pretzels!  Don't think about the calories, just eat it!  But wait a day or so, if you can.  While the dip is good right away, it's even better the next day so it's a great make-ahead appetizer or snack.

The first time I made this, I used Guinness.  Today, I used a pale ale.  Both are good, which just goes to show, whatever you have on hand is probably fine.  Also, this is one of those recipes that can be very easily adapted to suit personal taste.

1 (8oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/2 of 10z. pkg. Ranch dressing mix

1/4c beer

1 1/4c Cheddar cheese

1/8 tsp. seasoned salt

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/8c green onions, chopped

1.  Mix everything together in a small bowl and adjust seasoning to taste. 

2.  Cover and refrigerate. Give it a few hours for the flavors to really blend before serving.

Apple and Blue Cheese Crostini

I've been kicking around the idea of serving these for Thanksgiving and decided to do a test run last night.  What I love is the simplicity of the flavors and also the way you could put everything together in advance or just spread out the ingredients and let everyone build their own. Saves you a step and, really, people like build-your-own food - it's fun!

I've always loved apple and Blue cheese together but what was new to me was the addition of honey. This is what totally puts this appetizer over the top.  It's just that little kiss of sweetness against the the tanginess of the cheese.  So, what I'm saying is, if you skip the honey, it's still good but not as good as what the rest of us are eating.

If you want to get fancy, your can make your own bread (recipe here) or you can do like I did this time and grab a fresh baguette from the bakery.

1 - sweet red apple (I used a honey crisp), sliced thin

4 oz. medium-soft Blue cheese, room temperature

1 TBSP fresh rosemary

honey

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Slice baguette into 1" slices and arrange on a baking sheet.  Toast in the oven 1-2 minutes.

3.  Layer each baguette slice with a "schmear" of cheese, a sprinkle of rosemary, and a light drizzle of honey.

Serve with a crisp white wine - perfect!

Spinach Stuffed Mushrooms

Because I had three full bags of baby spinach in the fridge that I needed to use or lose, spinach was the theme of last night's dinner.  We had a delicious spinach and tortellini soup, more on that another day, and these little mushroom bites.  They were such an easy and elegant addition to the meal and, since they're made with cottage cheese, not super heavy in calories like the cream cheese-based stuffed mushrooms I usually go for.

1 TBSP olive oil

12 baby bella mushrooms

12 mushroom stems, chopped

2 TBSP yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2c baby spinach leaves

1/2c cottage cheese

1 egg

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. cayenne powder

1 TBSP fresh basil, chopped

2 TBSP Parmesan cheese, grated

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat olive oil.

3.  Add onion and mushroom stems.  Saute 1-2 minutes.

4.  Add spinach and allow it to cook down; 1-2 minutes.

5.  Add garlic and continue sautéing another minute.  Remove from heat and set aside.

6.  To a food processor or blender, add the cottage cheese, egg, nutmeg, black pepper, and cayenne.  Pulse a few times to combine mixture but still retain some texture.

7.  Add spinach mixture and basil.  Pulse another 3-4 times; just enough to blend.

8.  Spoon everything into the mushroom caps.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

9.  During the last 5 minutes of baking, top each mushroom with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Tip: Make the filling ahead of time and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake.

Oven~Baked Refried Bean Dip

It's snack time!  Grab a bag of chips and dig in!

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2c plain yogurt

1 (16oz.) can refried beans

3 TBSP taco seasoning

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper sauce

2 TBSP green onions, chopped + a little extra for garnish

1c Cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1.  Preheat oven to 350*

2.  In a medium size bowl, stir all ingredients together, reserving 1/2c cheese and the extra green onions.

3.  Add to prepared baking dish.  I used two smaller dishes but the recipe works just as well if you put it all in an 8x8.

4.  Top with the remaining cheese.

5.  Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes.

White Wine Alfredo Sauce

My husband could probably eat fettuccine Alfredo every day of his life and I've experimented with various combinations over the years.  Most were tasty, some were so-so, but this one has emerged as the clear favorite:

4 TBSP butter

4 TBSP all-purpose flour

1c. heavy cream

1c. chicken flavored broth (Better Than Boullion makes a great veg version)

1c. Mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2c. Parmesan and Romano cheese, shredded

3 TBSP Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4c. white wine 

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  In a medium-size sauce pan, melt butter over low heat.

2.  Add flour.  Cook and stir with a whisk until well blended. (2-3 min.)

3.  Add cream and broth.  Stir to blend.

4.  Add remaining ingredients and continue stirring over low heat until cheeses are melted and sauce is a smooth consistency.


*If the sauce starts to get too thick, just thin it back out with a splash of wine or broth.

5.  Toss with pasta and serve warm.

Some people swear by Chardonnay for Alfredo sauces but I used a Sauvignon Blanc for this one 

and thought it was fabulous - Cheers!

Green Chile and Pepper Jack Egg Bake

This is officially my new favorite egg dish!

I had big plans to make it last weekend but... I don't know, something happened and it just didn't work out.  You know how these things go.  Days went by and I finally remembered I had bought the cheeses specifically for this so I should probably get on with making it.

And that is how we came to have "breakfast for dinner".  In order to make the meal not so breakfast-y  though I did throw together a side of black beans (butter, onion, garlic, cilantro - easy) and that rounded out the meal nicely.

Here's the super simple and oh, so yummy recipe:

6 eggs, beaten
1/2c pepper Jack cheese, shredded
1c cottage cheese
1/4c all-purpose flour
1/4c green chiles, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350°.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, pepper Jack cheese, cottage cheese, and flour.

3.  Fold in the green chiles.

4.  Pour everything into a prepared 8x8 baking dish.

5.  Bake 1 hour, or until eggs are set.  Serve warm.

P.S.  The leftovers were great the next day.  

I spooned some into flour tortillas and devoured them for lunch!

Goat Cheese Quinoa with Spinach and Pine Nuts

It was one of those days when very little went according to plan and I was *this* close to letting the pizza man handle dinner...

but then I remembered the gorgeous okra and corn on the cob just bought two days ago at the farmers market.  I needed a dinner that incorporated both these purchases.

Oh, and there's that partial bag of spinach I need to use or lose... and that goat cheese I bought with no real plan for its use (I love the stuff and can't help myself sometimes) ... this meal was clearly meant to come together.

Paired with oven-roasted okra and corn on the cob with Old Bay seasoned butter, this was an easy, and delicious, dinner:

1c quinoa, cooked according to pkg. directions

1 TBSP olive oil

3 TBSP pine nuts, divided

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2c spinach leaves, rough chopped

2 TBSP goat cheese, crumbled

1.  Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2.  Add pine nuts and garlic, cooking 1 - 2 minutes, until lightly toasted.

3.  Add cooked quinoa and spinach, cooking and stirring occasionally until quinoa is heated through and spinach is wilted.

4.  Remove from heat and fold in cheese.

5.  Garnish with additional 1 TBSP pine nuts and serve warm.

Yields 2 generous portions.

Caprese Pasta

I don't know what it is lately, but I have been craving the simple and delicious flavor combination like crazy!  Sandwiches, salads, pizza... it was only a matter of time before pasta went into the mix.  Good thing I love caprese-anything because I now have quite a bit of fresh mozzarella in the fridge, thanks to a recent Buy 1 Get 1 sale at Whole Foods.

This was a super easy dinner that I threw together in no time last night.

1/2lb. farfalle pasta, cooked and drained

3TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP yellow onion, diced

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2c vegetable stock

1c cherry tomatoes, quartered

1c fresh mozzarella, cubed

1c fresh spinach, rough chopped

salt and pepper, to taste
basil for garnish

1.  In a medium pot, cook pasta according to package directions; drain in a colander and set aside.

2.  In in same pot, over medium high, heat olive oil and add diced onions.  Cook approximately 1 minute before adding the garlic and thyme.  Cook and stir another 1-2 minutes, until mixture is softened and fragrant.

3.  Pour in the vegetable stock and continue cooking until liquid is reduced almost half.

4.  Add the pasta to the pot.  Then, gently stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and mozzarella; allow to heat through approximately 1-2 minutes.

5.  Season to taste, garnish with basil, and serve hot.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Pepper Bites

At a recent event with my husband, there were trays of bite size appetizers made up of all sorts of complicated combinations floating around.  The one we both seemed to enjoy most though was the simplest.  A little spicy, a little sweet, a little creamy, a little crunch….. it's a perfect balance and so easy!

Notes:

* You can buy peppadews in a jar but I also found them on the olive bar, of all places. 

* Soy creamer worked great for me but dairy milk, half and half, whatever you have on hand would work as well. 

12 peppadew peppers, seeded an drained well

4oz. goat cheese

1-2 TBSP creamer, to taste

1.  Place the cheese in a small mixing bowl.  Add the creamer 1 tsp. at a time and stir until the mixture reaches desired consistency.  (I used 1 TBSP = 1 tsp. but the amount you use will depend on the softness of your cheese.)

2.  Scoop the cheese mixture into a piping bag and fill the peppers.

3.  Refrigerate if you're making these ahead of time but serve them at room temperature.