Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

Any of you who know me personally know that my weakness is Mexican food. Something about tortillas, cheese and beans that I can't get enough. But it is rough on my cholesterol and waistline. One option I have been able to use is vegetarian tortilla pie. This recipe is an Amy original. It calls for a ton of vegetables, high protein beans and light on cheese (so sad). It doesn't go very far though and usually only makes 2-4 servings. It is perfect for kicking a Mexican food craving though.

When you go to a Mexican food restaurant and order "refried beans" you are usually getting a lot of lard-fried beans. They taste so good, but honestly making beans at home is the best way to get the good nutrition without the unnecessary fats. Pinto beans are actually one of the MOST nutritious beans you can eat, just behind soybeans, with their fiber, folic acid and iron content. Black beans are also high in fiber and folic acid. Beans are also one of the healthiest foods for you that you can get for cheap. Canned beans run about $1 per can and have a lasting shelf life. I stock up any time they are on sale. If you can, buy organic or preferably low-sodium. You should rinse and drain your beans to ensure all preservatives and added salt are washed away.

Lastly, beans are great for vegetarians because they provide high levels of protein with no dependence on meat. Beware my friendly vegetarians, tofu is not as potent with protein levels as beans and also fails to provide adequate levels of fiber for a daily diet. Tofu and other processed soy products lose a lot of nutrition of natural soy beans because of the heavy processing it undergoes. For more about the awesome-ness of beans, catch Cooking Light's September 2010 issue.

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

small can corn, rinsed and drained

bag baby spinach

1 cup salsa

6-9 corn tortillas

1/2 medium onion, red or white

1 jalapeño, chopped

fresh cilantro

8 oz pepper jack or Mexican blend cheeses, shredded

1.5 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Saute onion and pepper in minced garlic, cumin and red pepper. Once pepper and onion are soft, add beans. Add 1/4 cup water to beans and cook until beans start to break. Slightly mash beans to speed up the process. The mixture should be "refried" with some whole beans still in tact.

Stir in corn and spinach leaves. Stir until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat. Stir in salsa. Trader Joes has a fantastic Double Roasted salsa that goes with about any dish I prepare. I highly recommend this salsa for cooking because it is flavorful and chunky. If you are using salsa with a lot of cilantro, than adding fresh cilantro is unnecessary. Otherwise, add cilantro now.

Oil a 1 quart round casserole dish (small and tall if you have one). Layer two tortillas on the bottom of the dish, trying to cover as much space as possible. Top tortillas with half bean mixture and 1/3 cup of cheese. Repeat once more. Top cheese with two more tortillas and remaining cheese.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Heat oven to broil for a few minutes to brown top cheese. Cut into fourths and serve with more salsa and sour cream.

Deviled Eggs

Worried about eggs going bad? A healthy snack and simple deviled egg recipe will do the trick. I make these using only what I have in my refrigerator door. I try not to eat more than two eggs a day so it's ideal for taking out the last of the eggs before the expiration date.

My husband is stubborn about eating hardboiled eggs, but they are incredibly healthy for you, despite anti-cholesterol posters, and simple to make low-fat. Eggs are great for the eyes and may reduce the risk of cataracts due to their carotenoid content. One egg contains six grams of protein and only 1.5 grams saturated fat. Eggs are also naturally rich in Vitamin D and sulpher, which promotes healthy hair and nails. Be sure to buy organic or free-range chicken eggs.

Deviled Eggs

4 eggs (2 to share)

2 tbsp low-fat, olive oil mayonnaise e.g. Smart Balance or Kraft

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (optional)

hot sauce, to taste

garlic salt and pepper

2 tsp dill relish

1 scallion or 1/2 tsp onion powder

paprika or crushed red pepper

Set eggs in a small pot and cover with water. Heat pot until water boils, turn off heat (do not remove from stove) and cover. Let stand 13 minutes. This is a fool-proof method for perfect eggs. It seems unpredictable, but it works.

Once cool enough to handle, shell eggs and slice in half long ways. Using a small spoon, scoop out egg yoke (it should come out easily if the eggs are cooked correctly) and add to a medium bowl. Add mayo, mustard, and relish. If you are using Tabasco sauce, you do not need to add anymore vinegar - the eggs will taste too bitter. If you are using a less vinegary hot sauce, such as Louisiana, add the white wine vinegar. I still prefer Nandos, but it's only available in Africa in care packages from my sister.

I think scallion tastes great in eggs, but this is supposed to be a cabinet stables kind of recipe so substitute a little bit of onion powder instead. Season with garlic salt and pepper. You may want to add more hot sauce or relish depending on how you want your eggs to taste. Be sparing when adding mayo and mustard since you won't be able to lessen those portions.

Use a small fork to reload deviled eggs with filling. They will be full. The fork makes a nice indention in the egg, although the icing bag is ideal. Unfortunately I don't have one. Top your eggs with paprika or crushed red pepper - for a bigger kick.

Sasquash Sandwich

I was sad to learn recently that the Bear Rock Cafe had closed down near my office. I also saw that their website is "under construction". I hope they resurface soon because they have a great selection of breads and vegetarian options.

I was first introduced to the Sasquash sandwich at Bear Rock. I liked it so much I wanted to make it at home, with a few alterations. I buy the pumpkin seed bread at Panera Bread. They will pre-slice your loaf but be sure to store it properly to keep from molding prematurely. I also found a similar-tasting Vidalia dressing with Ken's. It is offered in low-fat, which is actually just as good and significant fat-reduction. The original sandwich comes with sprouts and eggplant, but as you can tell from the Ultimate Vegetable list, they don't count for much, so I leave them off since I don't care for them much.

Sasquash Sandwich

sunflower-seed bread, sliced

vidalia onion dressing

fresh rosemary, crushed

garlic, minced

1 yellow squash, sliced

1 zucchini, sliced

1 pint mushrooms, preferably baby bellows

eggplant, sliced (optional)

sprouts (optional)

romaine lettuce

tomato, sliced

provolone or Havarti cheese, low-fat

Crushing rosemary is not that simple. I used to use a butcher knife but the roasmary would shoot all over the place. I finally invested in a tiny mortar and pestle. It was fairly cheap and makes crushing herbs the only means available. Rosemary is a strong herb so use sparingly. I use about one teaspoon.

Saute garlic in 1 tsp oil. Add sliced zucchini and squash and mushrooms. If using eggplant, add here. Sauté vegetables until slightly browned but not wilted.

Spread dressing on two slices of bread. Top one side with cheese and toast in a toaster oven or convention oven (at 400 degrees) until cheese is melted and bread is slightly toasted. Spread sautéed vegetables on cheese side - the cheese keeps the vegetables in tact - and top with lettuce, tomato and sprouts (if using).

The taste-maker in this recipe is the dressing. Do not short-change this meal without it.

Italian Pasta Salad

Happy Labor Day weekend! Here is a quick recipe to include in your holiday celebrations.

Sometimes it is easy to let vegetables go bad before you have something to make with them. That has been especially difficult this year with gathering CSA vegetables every week. I try not to meal plan until Tuesday's pick-up, but not everything in-season is always the most convenient.

One trick I have learned is making pasta salad with leftover vegetables and cabinet staples. And you don't have to make a ton of it either. Just boil enough pasta to about half the amount of vegetables you plan to use. I will not include measurements so you can use your own portions based on what you have and what you like. This also makes a great side dish for weekend barbecues and outdoor dining.

Italian Pasta Salad

rotini pasta

fresh tomatoes and/or jarred sundried tomatoes, chopped

red or green bell pepper, chopped

red onion or shallot, chopped

shredded carrot

jarred, pitted black olives, sliced

dried or fresh basil

Italian dressing, low fat

shredded Parmesan cheese

I prefer Trader Joe's rotini pasta because it is multi-colored and makes for a more colorful presentation. I never use an entire bag of pasta in one setting because I am usually only making food for two people. It is easy to pour what I want to use and store the rest. Be aware that pasta swells when it is cooked so use less than what you think you need.

I've said before I do not care for raw vegetables, although most vegetables are more nutritious when they are served raw. I sauté the bell pepper, onion and carrot and let them cool before mixing my salad. You may even want to boil or steam the vegetables to avoid added fat and over heating. Any of these techniques are acceptable, even if you want a quick side dish that calls for raw vegetables.

Once vegetables cool to room temperature, mix with pasta and basil. Slowly add Italian dressing one teaspoon at a time until you get a coating that suites you. If you do include olives, their natural fat will make up for taste from low-fat dressing. Mix in shredded Parmesan last.

Hummus Wrap

The good thing about summer is that it invites light meals to avoid packing on warm fat. This results in a lot of lunch salads and cold sandwiches, but you can easily get burnt out of those quickly. Rachel, my roommate foodie before I got married, was impeccable about making homemade hummus every week to make wraps with for lunches on campus. I had her sit down with me and go over her "recipes" before she moved out. I say "recipes" in quotations because Rachel is a open-the-cabinet-and-make-something kind of cook. She literally had to make the hummus in front of me to know what measurements to give me. So she got to do all the experimenting and I get to enjoy fool-proof hummus - as well shall you.

Hummus ala Rachel

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small bunch parsley

1 tbsp. flax seed (or flax seed meal)

juice of one lemon

Cayenne pepper

cumin powder

2-3 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp peanut butter

add ins: one jarred roasted red pepper and/or feta cheese

Boil chickpeas for about 3 minutes or when skins start to come off - drain and move to blender. Reserve 1 cup water. Add 2 tbsp oil, lemon juice and flax seeds and blend. Flax seeds need to be "damaged" to release their beneficial fats, so blend the seeds or buy flax meal. If chickpeas get "chalky" add another tbsp oil or reserved water. Add red pepper, cumin, garlic, parsley and peanut butter. I know you are supposed to use tahini paste in hummus, but Rachel tried the tahini and it really didn't taste as good. You get more of an earthy taste with the peanut butter. Use natural peanut butter if you can, or TJ's reduced-fat peanut butter. You can also use almond butter for healthier fat. Blend your add-ins if using.

The best variety Rachel ever made was to add a jarred, feta cheese stuffed red pepper. I accidently bought some at the sore and didn't intend to use them so Rachel added them to her weekly hummus and it was amazing. You don't have to use feta-stuffed peppers, or you can just add feta cheese - it comes in Mediterranean-seasoned also. Fermented cheese are the least processed cheese because the "process" is natural. Cheeses like goat cheese, feta, cottage cheese are all probiotic cheeses that come with great benefits, especially for women.

Store-bought hummus contains a lot of unnecessary oil. I like that Rachel uses a modest amount of oil and substitutes water. You can also add more peanut butter for a smoother consistency. Rachel is also great about hiding flax seed in her meals and shakes. Flax seed is a good cholesterol-building fat. Rachel suffered from awful cholesterol regardless of her all-natural diet, and she had great tips for increasing good cholesterol to maintain a healthy balance.

Mediterranean Wrap

3 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp olive oil

4 Roma (or similar sized) tomatoes, chopped

1 English cucumber, chopped

parsley, chopped

shallot, chopped

coarse salt and pepper

feta cheese, crumbled

homemade hummus

tortilla wraps or Naan bread

This wrap is great for the summer because it uses so many in-season vegetables. I am not a huge fan of cucumbers, but for some reason the CSA cucumbers are more appealing - or maybe my tastes have just changed. I like to make this the day before I eat it to let the tomatoes and cucumber "pickle" in the marinade.

Combine lemon juice, oil and salt/pepper. Set aside. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, shallot and parsley. I know I've said I hate the taste of raw onion, but shallots give off the aroma of red onion without having an overwhelming aftertaste. And let's face it, if you are eating Greek for lunch, your breath is not going to be saved from anything. Drain any excess juices if possible. Slowly add oil mixture to vegetables. Do not oversaturate the vegetables. Let sit overnight preferably.

To make your wrap, spread hummus on a tortilla wrap or Naan. Top with marinated vegetables - use a fork to limit juices from transferring to the wrap. Top with feta crumbles. Wrap and enjoy.

Gorgonzola and Heirloom Pizza

It's tomato season! My poor CSA is suffering from the heat of a Raleigh summer, but we have gotten to enjoy some of his tomatoes already.

This is delicious pizza recipe with few ingredients but so much taste and a little bit goes a long way to satisfy. I have added spinach for nutrition and color as well as a little more cheese just to get everything to stick together. This recipe comes from a Cooking Light recipe that featured tomatoes.

Trader Joes sells great premade pizza dough for only $1. I have learned to use their whole wheat option more often, but nothing beats the taste and texture of their white flour dough. They used to carry an herb and garlic edition, but I have not seen that option for some time now and doubt they carry it anymore. I have learned to add my own herbs to the pizza to make up for it's absence.

Gorgonzola and Heirloom Pizza

pizza dough, make your own or buy Trader Joe's variety

cornmeal

Italian herbs, optional

1/2 cup shredded white cheese, such as fontina or mozzarella

1 cup Gorgonzola cheese

2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced and seeded if necessary

2 tbsp fresh basil

one handful baby spinach, finely chopped

garlic pepper

Let the pizza dough sit for at least 20 minutes or until it is room temperature and begins to slightly rise. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Don't knead too much or the crust gets hard. Roll out your dough on a floured surface. My pizzas are always shaped in crazy designs so don't try so hard to make a perfect circle. As long as the crust is the same thickness throughout then it will all taste the same. Spread some cornmeal on your baking sheet or pizza stone and transfer your dough to your cooking surface. Do NOT use cornmeal as your dry ingredient when rolling out your dough. I don't know the chemistry of it but your dough will become tight and contract and you'll never get it rolled out.

Fork dough several times to avoid air bubbles. Lightly spray oil e.g. PAM or brush olive oil onto the crust with a pastry brush. Add herbs of your choice e.g. oregano, rosemary. I would say definitely go with fresh herbs for this pizza since you don't want to overwhelm your tastes buds with concentrated flavor. Fresh herbs are lighter in their flavor.

Sprinkle gorg cheese over crust. Top cheese with finely chopped spinach. You want to cover your pizza sufficiently because the spinach will wilt when cooked. Top spinach with slices of tomato. Heirloom tomatoes are so tasty because they have more tender "meat" in them then genetically-modified tomatoes. As a result, you also have fewer seeds. You want to seed your tomato if it is juicy so you get a sun-dried taste. Top tomato slices with white cheese - just enough to keep toppings from piling off the pizza. I used TJ's low-fat mozzarella but if you are making this dish for company I highly recommend fontina or fontiago. Top with basil and garlic pepper.

Bake for 12 minutes or until crust is crispy and cheese is melted. Turn to broil for a minute or two (don't leave the kitchen) to brown the top cheese, if desired. This is an addictive and beautiful pizza for guests or summer evenings on the porch. It is also classy enough to eat with wine. I suggest a Viognier - crisp white wine that is dryer than Pinot Grigio but cleaner than Chardonnay.

Perfect Potato Salad

How many of you have tried to make your own potato salad? I love potato salad, but I am so picky it's hard to order some and know how it will turn out. Some are dry and tasteless and others are drown in cheese and sour cream. I think I have finally found a recipe combination that works for me, except for one odd quality - it's served warm.

When I think of potato salad I think of BBQ side dishes and eating outside in the summer, but honestly this recipe only works so well because it is served warm. You do have a lot of flexibility in what you can include in potato salads. I don't like many raw ingredients - red onions have an after taste that take days to fade. And hard celery bites in my potato salad is such a turn off. But there are also ways to add some nutrition to this party side that can pretty much go unnoticed by those anti-vegetable family members of yours.

Potato Salad

2 lb. red potatoes

1.5 tbsp cider vinegar

2 eggs

1/4 c. mayo e.g. Kraft's olive oil

1/4 tsp dijon mustard

1/4 tsp celery seed

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 stalks celery, chopped

1/2 red pepper, diced

1-2 carrots, shredded

1/2 yellow onion, diced

2 tbsp dill pickle relish

paprika, for serving

fresh parsley, for serving

You should definitely use red potatoes for this recipe. Someone did a test to see which potatoes were most absorbing and would take on the most flavors for potatoes salad, and red potatoes won hands down. I know they are cheap but don't use russet potatoes - it will not taste the same. Boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until able to easily pierce with a knife. Let potatoes cool. Cut the potato in half long-ways and then into thirds, or approximately bite-sized pieces. Stir in vinegar and set aside.

While potatoes are boiling, put two eggs into a shallow pot and cover with water. Set stove to high until water boils. Once boiling, cover pot and turn off stove - do not remove pot from heat. Time for 13 minutes. This is Martha's full-proof hardboil egg instructions and you will never have an overcooked egg. Once cool enough to handle, shell eggs and chop.

Mix your mayo and mustard together. Add seasonings. Add relish. Set aside.

In a frying pan add celery, onion, red pepper and carrot. Sauté until celery starts to become soft and vegetables are slightly brown. Add salt and pepper to vegetables.

First mix the warm potatoes and vegetables. Start with half your mayo mix and stir into potatoes. The heat of the vegetables will "melt" the mayo slightly and you will better be able to tell how much more you need. Add egg last. Top salad with fresh, chopped parsley and paprika. Serve immediately.

Some other tips: I like sautéed sweet onion in my salad, but you can also use sliced green onions since it is not so powerful. I am a big fan of dill relish but other recipes called for sliced cornichons if you prefer that taste to dill. Also, I never peel my potatoes, even for masked potatoes. As long as you clean the potatoes you are actually getting more nutrition from the skins. But if you dislike your potato skins remove them once they have boiled and are cool enough to handle.