I like quesadillas better than grilled cheese sandwiches

I fill my quesidillas with mozarella cheese, browned onions and refried beans.  I sometimes add tomatoes and/or avocado. 

This is the basic recipe I got from an Alice Water's cookbook for kids.
12 oz. Monterey Jack cheese or mozzarella cheese
16 corn or flour tortillas
1 cup tomato salsa

Grate the cheese.  Put a lightly olive oiled cast-iron pan on the stove over medium heat.
Lay out 8 of the tortillas on a table and spread the grated cheese over each one.  Spoon some salsa on the cheese and then top with the rest of the tortillas.
Use a spatula and slip the tortilla "sandwich" into the hot pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until the cheese is melted.  Remove with the spatula, cut into quarters, and eat right away.

Apple Strudel photo and recipe

My mom got this recipe from her friend Erika.  Erika was born and raised in Germany.  The filling is made with apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, almonds, raisins and bread crumbs.

Filling:
4 Tbsp. bread crumbs
125 g butter
3 kg sour apples like Granny Smith
75 g raisins
75 g chopped almonds
100 g sugar
cinnamon
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar (optional)

For the crust:
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup butter
a little salt

Cut the butter into flour like you would do to for  a pie crust.  Add the sour cream and mix together.  Put the dough in the refrigerator overnight.  The next day, roll the dough out the length of a cookie sheet.  Place the filling on the dough and smooth the filling out to about an inch of the edges of the dough.   Roll up the dough and pinch the edges together.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

The very best tofu recipes

Baked Tofu 

Drain firm tofu and slice in rectangles.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.


I found a Baked Tofu Frittata recipe online at www.vegikitchen

http://www.vegkitchen.com/recipes/baked-tofu-frittata/

It had olive oil, red onion, zucchini, mushrooms, tofu, nutritional yeast, non-dairy milk (I used eggs to bind the "quiche" together instead of the non-dairy milk and cornstarch, basil, turmeric, cumin, red pepper flakes, tomato, scallions, kalamata olives.



Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Tomato (from the Garden Grazer)  The author loves Yellowstone like Joe too!   A similar recipe is in Melissa's cookbook called Vegan for Everybody

Ingredients
1 small onion
3 cloves garlic
2-3 roma tomatoes
1 lb. extra-firm tofu
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Large handful baby spinach (or more)
Salt to taste

Directions
Dice onion and mince garlic.
In a large pan over medium heat, saute onion with a little salt for 7-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, crumble tofu and dice tomatoes.
Add garlic to the pan, and cook for 30 seconds. Add crumbled tofu and tomato. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Some may stick on the bottom but that's normal.)
While the tofu is cooking, put the cumin, paprika, and turmeric in a small bowl. Add 1-2 Tbsp. water, and stir to combine.
Add seasonings and nutritional yeast to the pan. Stir well to combine.
Add spinach and cook another 3 minutes.

Maria's roasted tofu 


I had a student who was a vegetarian and she gave me this recipe after I asked her for her favorite tofu recipe 

Tofu Frittata

1 pound extra firm tofu

2-3 eggs

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1  tsp. Dijon mustard (or yellow mustard)

2 tsp. olive oil

some crushed garlic

some crushed thyme

some turmeric (or another spice you like)

salt and pepper

1 – 2 onions

1 to 2 cloves of garlic

3 to 4 stakes of celery (or another vegetable you like)

sun dried tomatoes (or your choice of a vegetable mixture  )

1. Crumble tofu to look like cottage cheese.
2. Mix in the soy sauce and the mustard and set aside.
3. Sauté onions, celery and garlic in olive oil.  Add thyme and other spices you like.
4. Beat 2 to 3 eggs in a bowl and then add to the tofu mixture.
5. Add the sautéd vegetables to the tofu mixture. 
6. Bake the frittata in a 400 F oven for 20 to 30 minutes until it is firm like a quiche.

Frying pan tofu triangles with vegis

1lb. medium firm tofu
3 Tbsp. grape seed oil

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes

1 cup mushrooms or other vegetable
1 cup red pepper, sliced into strips
chopped onions
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ginger, minced
3 green onions, sliced

1.  Cut the block of tofu in half length-wise, then cut each half diagonally into 2 large triangle-shaped pieces.

2.  Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in skillet.  Add tofu and lightly brown until crispy, about 5 minutes per side.  Remove tofu from skillet.

3.  Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in skillet.  Add sliced peppers and mushrooms to skillet.  Cook for about 2 minutes.  Add ginger and garlic, cook another 2 minutes.

4.  Add half of teriyaki sauce to vegetable mixture.

5.  Serve tofu on top of vegetable mixture and drizzle remaining teriyaki sauce to taste.

Bar cookies that celebrate brown sugar

My mom had a recipe from her South Carolina friend called chess cake.  I thought that cake was so amazing.  Brown sugar clumped together was such an awesome taste to me as a kid.

Here is the chess cake recipe

2 sticks oleo
1 box brown sugar=2 cups
1 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 egg whites
powdered sugar for dusting finished cake before serving

Melt margarine, add both sugars and blend well.  Add egg yolks and beat well.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.  Add flour mixture to creamed mixture.  Fold in nuts and vanilla.  Beat egg whites until stiff.  Fold into batter.  Spread batter into a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.  When done sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

This is another bar cookie that celebrates brown sugar
1 lb. box of dark brown sugar = 2 cups
2 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 sticks butter
3 eggs
dash salt
1 cup nuts (optional)
12 oz chocolate chips (optional)

Melt butter in a 10 x 13 pan and spread the butter up the sides of the pan.  Pour the remaining butter into a bowl and add the brown sugar.  Stir together and cool slightly.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Mix eggs and vanilla into brown sugar mixture and then add the dry ingredients.  Stir in chocoate chips and the nuts if you are using them.  Bake for 25 mintues at 350 degrees.  Cool before cutting.  Makes 48 bars.

These peanut butter cookies always turn out looking and tasting great

These cookies are also known as "Ruthie's Never too many Peanut Butter Cookies."  I like that they always turn out looking and tasting good.

1 cup sugar (or less)
1 cup brown sugar (or less)
1 cup shortening (I have used solid vegetable oil and also coconut oil successfully.)
2 eggs
1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp salt

chocolate chips to decorate

Mix sugars and shortening until fluffy.  Add eggs and peanut butter and beat again until fluffy.  Stir in flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Shape into 3/4 inch balls.  Pace 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Place 3 to 5 chocolate chips on each one.  Bake at 375 degrees until set (approximately 10 minutes).  Have the cookies cool on the cookie sheet to retain their shape.  Remove. Enjoy.

Sweet Potato Recipes

Sweet Potato Souffle

You can make these the day before and re-heat in the oven.

1 quart mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1 ts. cinnamon
1/4 cup melted butter
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp. allspice
1/2 cup sugar or less
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Mix all ingredients together and put into a greased casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until heated through.


Sweet Potato Puff

4 cups mashed cooked yams or sweet potatoes
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup half and half cream
some salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
4 eggs, separated
4 additional egg whites

Mash the yams with the melted butter.  Beat in the cream, eggs yolks, salt, cinnamon and pepper.  Beat the egg whites, all eight of them, until stiff (not dry) and fold gently into the yam mixture.  Spoon everything into the buttered souffle dish.  Bake in 325 degree preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden and puffed.


You can add sweet potatoes to the apple betty to make a Georgia apple sweet potato crunch

2 cups cooked, peeled and thinly sliced sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping to put on and then broil:
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup copped pecans

Preheat oven to 350. spray a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.  Put in half the sweet potatoes and cover with one half of the apples and raisins  Sprinkle with 1/6 cup brown sugar and dot with 1 Tbsp margarine.  Add remaining sweet potatoes, apples, and raisins and top with 1/6 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp. margarine and salt.   Cover and bake 30 minutes

Uncover and bake until the apples are soft. about 30 additional minutes.

Meanwhile in a medium bowl combine the melted margarine, 1 cup brown sugar, flour and pecans. Sprinkle the pecan mixture over the baked desert and place under a broiler for 1 to 2 minutes, just until top is golden brown.




Sweet Potato Pone
This is from a cookbook called Cordon Bubba on Texas cuisine

2 cups grated sweet potato.  Try to grate the potatoes finer than the regular sized grater option.
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. butter
dash of salt

Combine all ingredients.  Bake at 350 degrees in an ovenproof casserole dish for 35 minutes or until set. 

Cookie press cookies

1 cup shortening
2 cups sugar or a little less
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsps. vanilla
4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup milk
lemon juice from 2 lemons

Cream shortening and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy.  Add well-beaten eggs, milk and vanilla.  Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and slat.  Then add to creamed mixture.  Put dough into a cookie press and press cookies on baking sheets.  I usually add sprinkles to the cookies to decorate them.  You can use a little egg white on the cookies first to help the sprinkles stick, but it is fine to omit the egg white too.  Bake 8 minutes in a 350 degrees oven.

A really good frittata kind of dish using corn tortillas

5 corn tortillas, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 onion, chopped
optional: 1 or 2 jalapenos, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro
4 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
juice from 1/2 of a lime

In a frying pan, saute onions and then add corn tortillas, tomatoes, cilantro and peppers if you are using peppers.  In a small bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper.  Whisk briskly.  Combine the egg mixture with vegetables in the frying pan and fold over until eggs are firm.  Sprinkle with lime juice and serve.