Cream of Spinach Pockets

Cashew Cream Sauce:

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup raw cashews

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Filling:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed

1/4 cup fresh parsley

4 medium pita pockets or tortillas

1. Put all the cream sauce ingredients, including salt and pepper to taste, in a high-speed blender and mix until it is all smooth, then set aside.

2. To make the filling, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the onion.  Stir and cook for 3 to 5 minutes before adding the garlic and spinach.  Cook them for an additional 3 minutes.  Add the cashew cream sauce and cook until it thickens a little and has a creamy consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn off the heat and mix in the parsley.

3. Stuff each pita pocket with filling or spread the filling over half a tortilla and fold the other half over.  Cook the filled pita or tortilla in a panini maker or a skillet.

Source: Easy Vegan Breakfasts & Lunches, by Maya Sozer

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

1 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, patted dry and cut into 1/4 inch cubes (or 1 cup leftover cooked chicken)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
Cayenne pepper, to taste
3 cups freshly grated Monterey Jack cheese (10 oz)
12 6-inch whole wheat tortillas
Butter, for cooking
BBQ sauce

Other recommended toppings: sour cream, fresh cilantro, lime wedges, and seeded, minced, hot peppers

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno (if using) and cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Add the chicken and season with the paprika, salt, and cayenne. Cook until slightly browned and cooked all the way through (if using already cooked leftover chicken, add the chicken and cook just until warmed through). Remove from the heat.
2. Stir the grated cheese into the chicken mixture until well combined. (I put the chicken mixture on a cutting board, separated it into six portions, and then mixed the cheese into each one, in order to avoid melting the cheese and making a gooey mess in the pan.)
3. Wipe out the skillet and place it over medium heat (or set a griddle to 350). Melt a big pat of butter in the pan (I didn't wipe my skillet and just used the grease left from cooking the chicken/etc.). Place one tortilla in the bottom of the pan.  Put one of the six chicken/cheese portions onto the tortilla, then place another tortilla over the top. Smear another small pat of butter on top of each tortilla to help grease the pan when you flip the quesadilla over (not necessary, in my opinion). Cook until the tortillas are golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
4. Transfer the cooked quesadilla to a cutting board while you cook the remaining quesadillas. When the cheese is slightly cooled and set, cut each quesadilla into 4 or 6 slices. Serve warm with BBQ sauce, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, and minced hot peppers (if desired).

Source: 100 Days of Real Food cookbook

Try #1 - April 12, 2015
So I went all out with the "100 Days of Real Food" cookbook for this meal - cooked the chicken in the crockpot, made homemade tortillas, and finished with these quesadillas.  The "BBQ Chicken" aspect is a little misleading - I thought the BBQ sauce would be mixed into the quesadilla, which I guess you could do.  But these are basically chicken quesadillas with BBQ sauce as a topping.  I think they would be just as good with a peach or other slightly sweet salsa. Or probably any salsa. They were quite excellent with the BBQ sauce. The quesadillas were pretty dry by themselves, mostly owing to the homemade tortillas, I think. All and all a good meal, although I didn't expect to spend an entire day cooking just to produce quesadillas, which are normally a 15 minute lunch. :)

Whole Wheat Tortillas

3 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
5 Tbsp chilled, solid coconut oil, plus extra for cooking
1 cup warm water, plus more as needed

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl.
2. Add the cold coconut oil in chunks on top of the flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut oil into dough until the mixture resembles coarse chunks.
3. Slowly add 1 cup warm water and mix with hands. Continue mixing the dough until a ball forms. If the dough is too dry, add warm water 1 tsp at a time. If it is too sticky (sticking to your finger when you touch it), add flour 1 tsp at a time.
4. Transfer the dough to a large cutting board. Use your hands to roll the dough into a large log and then cut it into 14 equal pieces. Roll each disk of dough in your hands into a small ball and then partially flatten onto the cutting board. Cover with plastic wrap or a dish towel to avoid drying them out.
5. Place a 10- or 12-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and let it heat up for several minutes. Ensure adequate ventilation.
6. Meanwhile, sprinkle a tiny bit of flour onto a work surface and set one of the dough pieces on top. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circular tortilla shape about 8 inches in diameter. As you're rolling out the dough, keep adding extra bits of flour as needed, but not too much because excess flour will burn in the pan. (I did not need to add extra flour to roll the dough.) 
7. Add a small dollop (about 1/2 tsp) of coconut oil to the center of the hot skillet and lay a tortilla on top. Cook until the bottom of the tortilla starts to brown, usually when the top is bubbling up. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer to a tortilla warmer (or a platter, covering the topmost tortilla with a towel) to keep them warm while you finish cooking the rest of the tortillas.
8. Serve warm or store in a plastic bag in the fridge for 3 to 4 months or the freezer for a few months.

Source: 100 Days of Real Food cookbook

Try #1 - April 12, 2015
Made a double batch of these this afternoon.  It took me at least an hour and a half, so this is not a quick project.  They came out pretty good, although a bit dry.  I used them to make quesadillas, so it's possible that the double cooking dried them out.  But overall not bad, especially for 100% whole wheat.

Fish Tacos with Slaw

1 cup (3 oz) finely shredded red cabbage
4 cups (12 oz) finely shredded green cabbage
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne
canola oil
1 lb firm white fish fillets such as cod, snapper, or mahi mahi
freshly ground pepper
12 corn tortillas

1. To make the slaw, in a large bowl, combine both cabbages, cilantro, green onion, lime juice, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, and cayenne and mix well. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes, then taste and adjust the seasoning. For the best flavor, cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour before serving.
2. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal or gas grill. Make sure the grill rack is clean, then oil it and let the oil burn off for 5 minutes.
3. Lightly brush the fish on both sides with the oil and then season on both sides with salt and pepper. Place on the grill rack and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides and opaque throughout, 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and divide into 12 equal pieces, discarding any errant bones.
4. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and place on top of the grill to warm while the fish is cooking, turning occasionally.
5. To assemble each taco, place a warm tortilla on a plate, top with a piece of fish, a squeeze of lime, a little slaw, a drizzle of sour cream, a cilantro sprig, and a few drops of salsa or hot sauce.

Source: Family Meals cookbook

Try #1 - January 14, 2012
This was good, and a nice change of pace from our usual dinners. We got a lovely piece of cod from Central Market, and used our stove-top grill for the first time - it worked great! Produced a nice, flaky fish. I could have made half the amount of slaw and been fine - we have a bunch left over. We used mango salsa in the tacos, which gave it a nice sweet edge.

Black Bean and Yam Quesadillas

1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra for spraying
2 cups finely chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tsp Mexican seasoning
8 tsp water
4 cups grated yam (about 2 medium yams)
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper
8 corn or wheat tortillas
1 1/3 cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Prepared salsa

1. Heat the oil in a medium, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes or until onion is soft. Add the seasoning and water and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Add the yams and beans, stir. Cover and cook for about 6 minutes until the yam is tender but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
2. Place tortilla in a skillet; spray with olive oil. Turn over and spray the other side. Add some of the mixture to half of the tortilla, top with some of the cheese and fold tortilla in half. Cook in skillet on each side for about 2 minutes, until cheese melts and the filling is warm. Repeat with other tortillas. Serve with prepared salsa.

Source: PCC website

Try #1 - January 8, 2011
Very good! This made more than enough for us - we used 4 tortillas and about half the filling. I wasn't expecting leftovers, but glad we'll have lunch for tomorrow!

Note: The yam/bean mixture freezes well.

Mexican Flour Tortillas

From "Extending the Table"

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup lukewarm water

Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender. When particles are fine, add water gradually. Toss with fork to make stiff dough. Form into ball and knead thoroughly on lightly floured board until smooth and flecked with air bubbles. To make dough easier to handle, grease surface, cover tightly, and refrigerate 4-24 hours before using. Let dough return to room temperature before rolling out.

Divide dough into 8 balls for large tortillas, 11 balls for 8-inch size. Roll as thin as possible on lightly floured board or between sheets of waxed paper. Drop onto very hot ungreased griddle. Bake until freckled on 1 side, about 20 seconds. Lift edge, turn, and bake on second side. Wrap in clean tea towel to keep warm. Refrigerate or freeze leftover tortillas in airtight wrap.

Black Bean Chicken

From Angela's blog

3-4 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can corn, drained
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind
6 ounces cream cheese (reduced fat is fine on this one)
sliced avacado or cilantro for topping

1. Take 3-4 boneless chicken breasts and put into crock pot. It's fine if they are still frozen.
2. Add the black beans, corn, and salsa.
3. Cover and cook on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. 4. Shred chicken with two forks and then add the cream cheese (just throw it on top!).
5. Turn the crock pot to low and let sit for about 1/2 hour.
6. Serve over a bed of spinach and cooked rice, wrapped up in tortillas, or in a bowl with tortilla chips for scooping.

Tortilla Pie

From allrecipes.com

1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian or Mexican diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas (I used corn tortillas)
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1.In a nonstick skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil; remove from the heat. In a bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese and 2 tablespoons cilantro.
2.Place on tortilla in a 9-in. round cake pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with half of the meat sauce, one tortilla, all of the ricotta mixture, another tortilla and the remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining tortilla; sprinkle with cheddar cheese and remaining cilantro. Cover and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Note: Several reviewers said they needed to significantly increase the spice content.

Try #1 - July 2010
Nathan liked this, but I wasn't a big fan... it tasted similar to enchiladas, but for some reason I just wasn't into it that much. I probably won't make it again.

Beef Fajitas

From allrecipes.com

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound beef flank steak, cut into thin strips
3 green onions, thinly sliced
4 (8 inch) flour tortillas
Salsa

1.In a bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, garlic, lemon peel, chili powder and pepper. Place half in a resealable plastic bag; cover and refrigerate remaining marinade. Add meat to bag. Seal and turn to coat; refrigerate for 4-8 hours.
2.Drain and discard marinade. In a skillet, heat reserved marinade. Add meat and green onions. Cook and stir until meat reaches desired doneness. Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with salsa if desired. Fold sides over meat mixture.

Slow-Cooker Pulled-Pork Tacos

From www.realsimple.com

2 cups store-bought salsa, plus more for serving
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
kosher salt
1 2 1/2-pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
18 corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 lime, cut into wedges

1.In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2.Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3.Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F.
4.Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
5.Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.

Homemade Flour Tortillas

From allrecipes.com

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons lard (can substitute butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening)
1 1/2 cups water

1. Whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a mixing bowl. Mix in the lard with your fingers until the flour resembles cornmeal. Add the water and mix until the dough comes together; place on a lightly floured surface and knead a few minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll each piece into a ball.
2. Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Use a well-floured rolling pin to roll a dough ball into a thin, round tortilla. Place into the hot skillet, and cook until bubbly; flip and continue cooking about 10 seconds more. Place the cooked tortilla on a plate (or a tortilla warmer, if you have one); continue rolling and cooking the remaining dough.

Try #1 - March 11, 2010
I meant to halve this recipe, but accidentally added the full amount of water, so I had to go back and add more of the other ingredients. The dough turned out fine anyway. I used butter and vegetable oil (about equal parts). Made 19 tortillas. It's fine to stack them up on a plate after taking them out of the skillet - I think it keeps them more pliable. Next time I really will halve the recipe - 10 tortillas is all I need for a meal (I'm making enchiladas tonight), and it's kind of a pain to roll out/cook the tortillas (smoky house!). It's easy enough to make the dough each time and just make what you need.

Also, I needed A LOT of extra flour to roll out the dough and keep it from sticking to my fingers, the rolling pin, and the rolling surface.

This little project reminded me of marathon tortilla making in Karaganda - good times! :)

Great use for extra tortillas: make your own tortilla chips!

Try #2 - June 17, 2010
Ran out of white flour, so ended up using about half whole wheat flour... turned out just fine! Still soft and delicious. Heat in between medium and medium-high works best - doesn't smoke up the house.

Try #3 - July 1, 2010
Used all whole wheat flour this time.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

From Angela's blog

½ rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
1 can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
2 cups pumpkin puree (or 1 15oz. can)
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 jalapeno chile, quartered (remove ribs and seeds for less heat, if desired)
1 tsp. chili powder
8 corn tortillas (6-inch) (I can usually get at least 10 tortillas filled)
1 ½ cup (6 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, beans and scallions. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. In a blender, puree the pumpkin, garlic, jalapeno, chili powder, 2 ½ cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper until smooth (hold the top firmly as the blender will be quite full).
3. Pour 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of an 8-inch square (or other shallow 2-quart) baking dish.
4. Lay the tortillas on a work surface; mound the chicken mixture on half of each tortillas, dividing evenly. Roll up each tortillas into a tight log; place seam side down over the sauce in the baking dish.
5. Pour the remaining sauce on top; sprinkle with the cheese. Place the dish on a baking sheet; bake until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling; 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Try #1 - November 7, 2010
This was pretty good. I made a few changes based on what I had - fresh pumpkin, regular onion instead of scallions (next time I would try to use scallions or else saute the onions a bit first - they didn't cook very much and were a bit too strong for my taste), 1/2 a green pepper instead of jalapeno, and 8 homemade flour tortillas. The pumpkin mixture was interesting - the spices changed it from sweet to savory. I did feel like something was missing though... I think the jalapeno (or diced green chiles) would definitely give it a good kick, and perhaps next time I would add cheese (or sour cream or yogurt) to the chicken filling.

Chicken Enchiladas

1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cooked small chicken breasts, shredded (or the equivalent amount from a whole roasted chicken) - I used 3 large chicken breasts
1 4oz. can diced green chilies - I used a 7 ounce can
1 cup chunky salsa, divided
4 oz. cream cheese
1 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup total Cheddar and Monteray Jack cheeses, divided
8-10 tortillas

1. Preheat oven to 350. Heat large skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add chicken, green chilies, 1/4 cup of the salsa, cream cheese, cilantro and cumin; mix well. Cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese; mix well.
2. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture on each tortillas; roll up. Place, seam-side down, in 13x 9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; top with remaining 3/4 cup salsa and remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Bake 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Source: Let's Eat!

Try #1 - March 11, 2010
YUMMY!!! I made my own tortillas, too, since I forgot to get them from the grocery store... so delicious! I will definitely be making this recipe again.

I shredded the chicken breasts this way: Boil chicken, let cool, cut breasts in half, then pull apart with your fingers.

Note: Black beans with cilantro would be good as a side to this dish.