Quesadilias

I had some leftover chicken, a tomato on its last leg and of course, quite a few flour tortillas. The cheese is starting to go away in the freezer (remember, I bought a TON of it for 67 cents a while back).

I finally figured out the secret to me of making a good quesadila. Kind of fry up the shell FIRST: spray pan with non stick (or you can use butter) and flip the shell back and forth til a little crispier than normal. Once it starts getting fluffy (air pockets), toss a layer of cheese on top, add your toppings (like making pizza, more is not necessarily better), fold over in half & cover.

Oh yum. It was delicious. I can't believe I haven't made them this way before. I normally use 2 shells and try to flip without spilling everything. Toasting the shell first makes all the difference in the world!

Protein Bars

I got this recipe over at Carmen's site and I tweaked it a little. The original recipe called for strawberry protein powder. I only buy vanilla as I think it’s much more universal, however, I may change my mind now. AND think of the endless possibilities with the flavors!

1 4serving box instant cheesecake pudding mix (or whatever flavor you want/have)
1 cup oats (I only buy the old fashioned ones)
2 tbs peanut butter
1 ¾ cup whey protein (6 scoops) (I kind of free measured this with 1 cup & eyed the 2nd cup, will cut down a little next time)
2/3 to ¾ cup skim milk, as needed. Ok, I used reconstituted powdered non fat milk.
Wheat bran

Mix all powder ingredients. Cut in peanut butter. Add milk til you have a real sticky mess in bowl, all is mixed into a glob and you can barely stir anymore (good workout!!). The stickier the better as this will keep the bars from getting crumbly.

Line a 6 x 6 (huh? I only have 8x8) pan with wax paper. Spray wax paper with nonstick spray. Dump glob into middle of pan & use another sheet of wax (sprayed) to mush & level out in pan. Cover top with wheat germ to cover all sticky areas. Place in fridge for 30 minutes (I did mine overnight).

Pull out of pan using sides of wax paper & flip over into pan. Top this side with wheat germ til no longer sticky. Don’t worry about excess wheat germ, you’ll use it up in the pan. Cut into 12 bars, coating cut sides with wheat germ in bottom of pan. Wrap each individually in wax paper & keep in fridge.

You know, these weren’t so bad. I can see lots of possibilities here. I had one for breakfast, and they are pretty filling, that small bar. So…will definitely look into some other flavors of pudding to do.

Crockpot - Cuban Pork Roast

This came from the newspaper & I decided to try it on Sunday. Man, it was pretty tasty and easy to make!

Cuban Pork Shoulder - Crockpot

9 garlic cloves chopped
2 tbs salt
4 tsp dried oregano
1 tbs ground cumin
2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground chili pepper (did not have, used chili powder)
2 bay leaves, finely crumbled
1 tbs grated orange zest
2 tbs white vinegar
2 tbs oj
2 tbs lime juice
5 lb pork shoulder, bone removed & excess fat/skin trimmed, cut into 2 inch cubes
3 onions, halved and sliced
1/3 cup chicken or veg broth

In large bowl, combine garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, pepper, chili, bay leaves & orange zest. Stir in vinegar, oj & lime juice to make paste like.

Add pork pieces to bowl and toss to coat. Set aside to get happy while finishing preparations.

Layer onions that you’ve cut ¼ inch or so thick in bottom of 5-6 qt crock. Pour broth over onions. Arrange pork on top of onions in even layer and pour any extra marinade in too.

Cover crock & turn on to high heat, cook 4 to 4 ½ hour til pork is fork tender. Turn off and crack lid to allow mixture to cool a little. Gently stir pork with onions & serve. Serves 8.

*Serve with black beans & rice – I use Vigo Black Beans & Rice in the bag as my family swears it’s the only stuff they like.

Ginger Dressing

This is really good on salads, especially any cabbage based, oriental type salad.

Asian Ginger Dressing

3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs minced ginger
¾ olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
½ cup soy sauce
3 tbs honey
¼ cup water
Pinch of cayenne pepper (to taste, optional)

In large jar, combine garlic, ginger, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, honey & water. Cover with tight lid & shake like crazy.

Remove lid & heat in microwave 1 minute to dissolve honey. Let cool. Shake well before serving.

Olive-Y Garden Salad Mix

Ok, so everyone knows how to make a salad, right? BUT if you really want to 'pretend' you are out at this restaurant chain, you need to make it like this.

1 bag American blend salad
4-5 slices of red onion
4-6 black olives
2-4 banana peppers
½ cup croutons
1 small tomato, quartered
Freshly grated parm cheese

Chill salad bowl in freezer 30 minutes. Place salad in bowl, top with red onions, olives, peppers, tomatoes & croutons. Add fresh grated parm cheese if desired, top with generous amount of salad dressing.

Olive-Y Garden Salad Dressing

I've had a lot of different recipes for this dressing. This is by far, IS the only one to use. I used to make it every weekend for a while there and plan on getting back into again, starting this morning:

Italian Dressing

1/2 cup mayo
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp veg oil
2 tbs corn syrup (now that I'm a little healthier minded, need to find something as substitute)
2 tbs parm cheese
2 tbs romano cheese
¼ tsp garlic salt (or one clove of garlic finely minced)
½ tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp parsley flakes
1 tsp lemon juice

Mix all ingredients in blender til well mixed. If too tart, tame down with a dash of sugar.

NOTES: Best if you let it sit for a while in fridge
I sometimes just put in a jar and shake the heck out of it.
I’ve used all parm cheese and no romano (4 tbs) when that’s all I have, no biggie.
Can be doubled.