Mushroom Avocado Quesadilla

Let's take another trip down memory lane. Because I like revisiting old recipes especially if they contain cheese and other stuff, too. Well...also quesadillas of any kind are quite frankly delicious to eat year round. It doesn't only have to only be cheese in it. You can mix and combine to many ingredients to fit your taste. It's funny because the more you make a certain recipe, the more it becomes a little specialty you can whip up in seconds.

I remember during my college days, one of my favorite picks was ordering up a chicken or sometimes tuna quesadilla. Along with chimichanga Thursdays. Hence why I gained those Freshmen 15 or whatever, but that's another story. I'd always order the large quesadilla with several packs of tapatio sauce on the side. Thinking about it makes me salivate. Hahaha... Oh, the memories. :)

This makes 2 quesadillas.



Mushroom Avocado Quesadillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas (6" or burrito sized)
Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
2 Large Portobello Mushroom caps (rough chopped)
1 medium sized tomato (diced)
1 ripe avocado (sliced)
1 Tbps Butter or margarine
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to season
Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)


On medium heat, heat the oil and melt the butter. Once the oil is heated toss in the portabello slices. Cook them until tender and darker in color. Season with some salt and pepper.

Sandwich the cheese between two tortillas and in another pan (medium to high) heat the tortillas until the cheese is melted.

It'll take roughly 3-5 minutes for the cheese to melt and the tortilla to get slightly crisp. Flip the quesadilla and heat the other side for another 3-5 min.

Remove from the skillet and open the quesadilla. Add in the some of the portabellos, tomato, avocado and some of the optional cilantro.

Serve with a side of sour cream.

Note: Toss the avocado with some lemon juice to keep it from turning brown.

Baked Tilapia Enchiladas

There's still time to enter the B + B 1-year giveaway, if you haven't yet.  Click here.

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I remember reading a post over at The Adventures of Tavolini, where Lini mentioned having fish enchiladas one day. That got me thinking and I'm still slightly on my tortilla kick when I realized that enchiladas was something I hadn't made yet. I bought a some tilapia fillets for my enchiladas. you can also use cod, sole, or mahi mahi. Made some chunky pico de gallo where I added some leftover pineapple chunks sitting in the fridge. That was the only thing I stuffed into the tortillas along with the baked fish. For the red sauce I used some Bertolli Arriabata Tomato sauce.  Sprinkled a good amount of cheese on top and melted them.

Also as being a part of Foodbuzz's Tastemaker program, I was fortunate enough to have gotten to sample some of Bertolli's new sauces. I was surprised at the lovely box it came in. It was one those open flap type box, too. Which was really cool to open. Both sides of the flap had recipes which utilize one of the sauces. In the main compartment held two glass jars.

One was a Four Cheese Rosa Sauce. The other was an Arrabiata sauce, which was a spicy tomato and red pepper. I've mostly known the Bertolli brand for their variety of pastas, but I enjoyed this sauce quite a lot. I still have some left, so I may just have some straight up spaghetti. For the other sauce I'm thinking something along the lines of lobster once again. We'll see what I come up with.

Makes 6 enchiladas

Baked Tilapia Enchiladas

6 taco sized totillas
2-3 medium sized tilapia fillet
Seasoning (salt, pepper, paprika or you own choice)
3 c salsa
1-2 c Bertolli Spicy Tomato and pepper sauce
2 c shredded cheese - mexican blend - queso, jack cheese, cheddar

Preheat your oven to 400˚F

Liberally season the tilapia fillets with salt, pepper, and paprika or you choice of your favorite seasoning. Place the fillets on a lightly greased foil-linned baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Let the fish rest for at least 10 minutes after baking to let the juices redistribute.

Preheat your broiler.

Take a tortilla and place a nice piece of the tilapia on the side closest to you along with to tablespoons of salsa. Fold in the sides, then roll the tortilla like a burrito.

Place them in an oven safe shallow dish. Pour over the Tomato sauce over and sprinkle the cheese evenly. Put the dish into the broiler for 2-3 minutes just until the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

Slightly Tropical Quesadilla

I still have more mushrooms and frozen spinach. I still had those extra tortillas that I had made the other day. So I put eerything together like I did with the pizza. Cheese, then spinach, then mushroom. Then in comes the tropical aspect of this meal. Chopped pineapple bits. Yup! You wouldn't necessarily find it paired with spinach or mushroom in a quesadilla, but if it's paired Canadian bacon and baked into a pizza, heck...why not? I brought out ol' Georgie for this one. Cook both sides at once.

Makes 2 quesadillas

Slightly Tropical Quesadilla

4 taco-sized tortillas
2 c shredded mozzarella
1 c spinach  - from frozen
1/2 c chopped mushrooms
1/3 c Pineapple bits - roughly chopped

Take a tortilla and sprinkle 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella. Next layer the 1 cup of the spinach, followed by half the mushroom and pineapple. Top with another tortilla

Do this to make the second quesadilla.

Preheat your skillet. When hot enough, place the quesadilla flat. Cook for roughly 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted. Then flip and cook the other side for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve warm.

Burrrrito

My mom had cooked some ground pork mixture several days ago. Now I wasn't sure at the time of what to make with them and since I tried my hand at making tortillas, I couldn't leave it with just making small taco-sized. No. I went ahead and made almost burrito-sized ones, too. Mwhahaha... Burrrrrito time!!!! So I decided to make a sort of "breakfast burrito" out of them.  I had some lettuce that I had shredded the night before. Oh, I had every intention from the previous night of making burritos the next day. Slightly planned ahead so that I didn't have to buy any ingredients, but soon I find out that I didn't have any beans.  I wish I did. As much as I love going to the market and buying necessary ingredients, my laziness to drive out conquers.

So I heat up the pork mixture, add in the shredded lettuce for that added crunch. Top with some shredded cheddar and voila! Add a couple dashes of hot sauce on mine and I'm good to go. Though, I need to practice my burrito wrapping practice skills. Looks like it want to bust out at the seams.

Makes 4 burritos.

Burrrrito

2  torillas - burrito sized
1-2 c shredded lettuce
shredded cheddar cheese

meat filling
1/2 lb ground pork
1 small bell pepper - chopped
1 small tomato - deseeded/chopped
1 garlic clove - chopped
1/2 small onion - chopped
1small potato - small chopped - optional
salt  and pepper to taste

Saute the garlic in a tiny drizzle of olive oil. then add in the onion and cook until limp. Then the  ground pork. Cook until the meat is browned.

Next add the tomato and the optional potato. Cook all together until the potato is tender.

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Lightly heat the tortilla on an ungreased skillet or wrapped in foil in a 350˚F preheat oven for 5 minutes.

Place the filling like a log in the center of the tortilla. then the lettuce. Top with the cheese.

Roll up the burrito. With the filling facing you horizontally, wrap the bottom part over the filling, then fold in the sides and fold in the top. Wrap it in a piece of foil or serve as is with a side of hot sauce.

Fish Tacos

Does that first pic scream dream sequence or what?

Right now my fridge and cupboards are looking like slim pickings. I wasn't able to go to the farmer's market this past weekend, so I have to make due with what I've got left. Yet, I've noticed that sometimes the best recipes come out when I've got little to nothing in the kitchen. But when I do have the kitchen stocked up, I draw a complete and utter blank. I know I'm not alone on this.

Anyway, on that list of slim pickings are some leftover sun-dried tomato pesto, a couple whole wheat tortillas, a cup of plain Greek yogurt, and a couple cans of sardines in soybean oil. I only used one can. I don't get why sardines and anchovies get such a bad rap. It's good stuff. It's fish except one is slightly saltier. Oh well, that means more for me and whoever wants to partake in the fishy fun. So what did I make with those ingredients? I settled for some soft tacos. Did a quick pan-fry of the sardines, assembled the tacos and it was chow time.

A new version of the fish taco? Sure, why not? There's not a real fishy taste because of the pesto and yogurt. I gotta say I really liked it.

This makes 2 tacos.



Sardine Soft Tacos

2 taco-sized tortillas
1 4oz can sardines in oil
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto
Plain Yogurt
Paprika
Pieces of Butter Lettuce


Make sure to remove any bones or spine from the sardines.

In a small pan or skillet, pan-fry the sardines in its own oil. Season each side with paprika and cook until you get a slightly crisp crust. Roughly 2-3 min per side on medium to low heat.

When fully cooked, place on a paper towel to drain off the excess oil.

Spread some sun-tried tomato pesto in the middle of the tortillas. Then place some of the pieces of the butter lettuce.

Divide the sardines evenly between the two and dollop some of the yogurt on top.

Wrap it up and enjoy.

Tuna Pestodillas

I had a little avocado pesto leftover. I still have cans of tuna left in the cupboard. I wondered what I can make with the two. Field trip to Whole Foods. Looking up and down the aisle. I spot the torillas. Whole wheat goes into my basket. Check. Head to the produce section. Spot me some bell peppers and tomatoes. Take one of each. Check. Pay for items and head for the car.

Get home. Roast bell pepper and tomato. Remove provolone cheese and avocado pesto from the fridge and tuna from the cupboard. I finally get my "Ah-Ha" moment. A tuna-pesto quesadilla. A little itty-bitty twist to the classic cheese quesadilla.

You can also use the ready roasted bell peppers and tomatoes that are preserved in oil, if you're short on time.

It's really tasty. I've never had tuna quesadillas until this. It's always chicken or the regular cheese mix and until recently mushrooms. All that gooey deliciousness!




Tuna Pestodillas

4 taco-sized torillas
Avocado Pesto
1 Tbsp Lite mayo
1 5oz can tuna in oil
6 slices provolone cheese
1 tsp dry thyme
1 tsp dry parsley
1 bell pepper (deseeded and sliced)
1 large tomato (deseeded and quartered)
Olive Oil

Optional
Roasted Bell Peppers in oil
Roasted Tomatoes in oil


Preheat oven 400˚F

In a bowl, coat the bell pepper and tomato in a little olive oil, place on a baking sheet and roast for 30min. (You can also use the ready made roasted peppers and tomatoes if you don't have the time.)

Cool after roasting and cut into chunks.

Preheat your broiler.

Remove most, but not all the oil from tuna and put into a bowl. Add in the mayo, thyme, parsley, bell pepper and tomatoes pieces. Mix well.

Lay out a tortilla. On one side, place some cheese and fold over. Do the same for the other three tortillas and place on a baking sheet.

Place the quesdillas in the broiler for 3-5 min or until the cheese it melted.

Remove from the broiler and carefully open the quesadillas. Spread some avocado pesto followed by the tuna mixture and fold it closed.

Cut in half or enjoy it whole.

Roasted Garlic Tortilla Chips

Here's a cool way to use left over tortillas in case you don't want to make another taco or quesadilla. The flavor of the oil and garlic infused together brings a twist to the classic tortilla chip. A little Italian twist. These are baked, too. I wanted to add some parmesan, but I didn't have any on hand.

If you just want the regular salted version just coat the tortilla wedge with some olive oil and sprinkle some salt over them.



Roasted Garlic Tortilla Chips

4 taco sized tortillas (Cut into wedges)
3 Large garlic cloves (minced)
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Dry Parsley
Salt
Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Preheat oven 350˚F

Mix together the olive oil, garlic, parsley and a pinch of salt. Let it stand for 5-10min to let the flavors fuse.

Then lightly coat both sides wedges with garlic mix and place on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 min or until crisp.

Enjoy with some salsa, dip or a nice bowl of soup.

Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Tacos

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!! It's time to get your margarita on. Wooooo...

How about some tacos with an Asian twist, eh? This is my take on the whole Korean taco craze here in LA. Take that Kogi BBQ!!! (...but in all seriousness they really do have good tacos.)

For my version, it has some teriyaki glazed pan-fried chicken on a bed of stir-fried veggies in a warm wheat tortilla.



Glazed Teriyaki Chicken Tacos

Teriyaki Glazed Chicken:

4 large chicken tenders
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

4 Tbsp Soy Sauce
4 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornstarch dissolved in 1 Tbsp Water

For the Glaze: In a small saucepan, combine soy sauce, vinegar, garlic powder, cornstarch and brown sugar and heat until the glaze thickens.

Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper and paprika.

Heat a pan with some oil. When hot, cook chicken rough 5-8 min per side. Baste the chicken with the glaze before turning. Baste again after turning.


Veggie Stir-Fry:

1 red bell pepper (sliced)
1 yellow bell pepper (sliced)
1 small onion (sliced)
2 baby bok choy (sliced)
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
Sesame Seeds
salt & pepper to season

In a wok or large skillet, heat some cooking. Saute the onions, bell peppers, and bok choy. Season with salt and pepper.

When the the veggies looks tender, adding the oyster sauce. Cook for another 2 minutes. Stir to distribute flavors. Sprinkle some sesame seeds and stir once again.


Putting it all together: Wrap loosely 4 tortillas flat in some foil. Warm in the oven for 5-10min.

Place a nice helping of the stir-fry then a chicken tender, wrap it up and enjoy.

Mushroom Avocado Quesadillas

I had an extra avocado, so I needed to do something with it. First thing that popped into my mind was a cheese quesadilla. But I didn't want to make guacamole out of it. That would have been a given. Though, as much as I love the dip form, I love more the freshly opened and eat with the spoon way.

This makes 2 quesadillas.



Mushroom Avocado Quesadillas

Whole Wheat Tortillas (6" sized)
Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
2 Large Portobello Mushroom caps (rough chopped)
1 medium sized tomato (diced)
1 ripe avocado (sliced)
1 Tbps Butter or margarine
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to season
Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese (optional)
Chopped cilantro (optional)


On medium heat, heat the oil and melt the butter. Once the oil is heated toss in the portabello slices. Cook them until tender and darker in color. Season with some salt and pepper.

Sandwich the cheese between two tortillas and in another pan (medium to high) heat the tortillas until the cheese is melted.

It'll take roughly 3-5 minutes for the cheese to melt and the tortilla to get slightly crisp. Flip the quesadilla and heat the other side for another 3-5 min.

Remove from the skillet and open the quesadilla. Add in the some of the portabellos, tomato, avocado and some of the optional cilantro.

Serve with a side of sour cream.

Note: Toss the avocado with some lemon juice to keep it from instantly turning brown.

Baked Empanada

Empanadas are generally deep-fried. I still love those deep-fried versions, but this time around I opted for a slightly healthier way of making them. Hence, comes my friend, the oven.

It'll still has that crisp crust with a touch of chewyness and without the oil. Very delish and goes well with a salad.


Empanada Dough

2 c Cake Flour
2 Large Eggs
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 c Butter or margarine (softened and cut into pieces)

Combine all ingredients together until its one large mass. You can mix these ingredients together in the food processor to make it go faster.

If mixing my hand, put the flour in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add all the ingredients and mix until it almost forms into a dough blob.

Knead the dough a few times, form into a ball and wrap it tight in saran wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 30min.



Filling:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground chicken
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/2 medium onion (small diced)
Salt & Pepper to season

Optional:
Sun-dried tomatoes
potatoes
raisins


In a skillet, heat some oil. When the oil is hot, add in the garlic and onions. Cook the onion until translucent. Then add the ground pork and chicken and any of the optional ingredients.



Putting it all together:

Preheat oven 375˚F

Have an egg wash on hand (1 egg beaten with 2 Tbsp of water) for sealing the dough a coating before baking.

Remove the dough from the fridge. Unwrap the dough and place on a flat well-floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough - 1/8" thick (like a pie crust) Cut out the circles using a cookie cutter or some other round item. This will make roughly 12 rounds. You'll want them around 4 inches in diameter.

Place a small amount of filling on one side. Brush some of the egg wash on the edges of the unused side, then fold over into a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges to your desired crimp "design" and place on a lightly greased baking sheet, if not using a silpat. Brush some of the egg wash over the top of each empanada.

Bake these for roughly 25 min or until the the crust has a goldben brown color.


Note: Keep in mind that dough has the tendency to dry out, so place a damp cloth or paper towel over the finished pieces and unused dough to keep them moist.

Frida Mexican Cuisine (Restaurant Review)

Frida Mexican Cuisine
The Americana at Brand
750 Americana Way
Glendale, CA 91210



A couple days ago, I had gone here for a casual lunch with a good friend. I've passed by it many times during my walks and drive-bys. I've been tempted to come here having seen so many people occupy the table in their outdoor patio area.

We walk in and were greeted by a hostess. It was around early afternoon, so there wasn't much people there. It was a lovely day outside and we opted to have a table in out patio area. The location of the place was perfect as to where it didn't have much of the afternoon sunlight and nicely shaded by the building it sits under. The decor had a sort of modern-spanish appeal to it. At night, the bar is lit up, so it attracts the customers attention. It's located at the corner on a major street, which is a great place to attract attention.

We sit at our table. A basket of tortilla chips and two salsa dips in gravy boats were brought out. The chips definitely tasted like it was made in-house. For the salsa dips, one was a green dip with a touch of lemon to it and a red dip that had a little kick of heat, but you'd barely even know it was there. They also brought out two little mini tostadas for us to munch on while we waited for our meals.





My friend ordered the Tostada Chicken Salad from the lunch specials. It is served in large tostada bowl with mixed greens, grilled chicken, tomato, rice, beans, sour cream, cheese. Tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Chicken was lightly seasoned. Mixed greens over some rice and beans. It was a good combination of salt, savory and sour.



I ordered the Burrito Vegetariano also from the lunch specials. This had sauteed vegetables, rice, beans, sour cream, queso fresco, avocado wrapped in a flour tortilla. Garnished with diced tomatoes.

I loved this dish. It was either that or I was really hungry. Rice was well cooked. Not crunchy or undercooked. It's got a nice chewy texture that blended well with the beans. The veggie medley inside was tasty. I liked that there was a lot of zucchini in it. The sour cream was not overpowering the subtle flavors of the veggies. I added some of the salsa dips to give the tortilla a little more taste. Torillas can sometimes taste a bit bland.



Service was quick and waiter was courteous as well. Overall for the price we paid, it was an enjoyable, filling meal.


Jenn's rating: (10 being the best) 7 of 10

Duritos

Duritos, originally uploaded by Misadventures of Little J.

Growing up in and around Los Angeles, I remember these mexican treats being sold by push cart vendors on the street corners, walking up and down my street or by churches on Sundays. The constant honking of the bicycle horn reminds me of the little kiddie music being blasted from ice cream trucks as they drive by. Their own way of saying "I'm here!" I remember my excitement as my friends and I would buy a bag as an after school snack and devour every bite.

They come in small or large bags (depending on who is selling them) and look like pin wheels. There are also square shaped ones, too. These tasty treats resemble chicharones (pork rinds), but are not made of any meat product. They are made of flour and deep fried. If done well, they shouldn't be overly greasy.

Pop open a bag and squeeze a generous helping of lemon juice and hot sauce. Tapatio is usually the hot sauce of choice. Shake the bag really well, so that every or most of the tasty morsels are nicely coated, then enjoy. If you wait too long, they will turn soggy and mushy. Yet, still good enough to eat.