Waiter, there's goat cheese in my burrito!

The first time I saw this recipe it didn't appeal to me at all. Goat cheese and burritos don't seem like they could go together. But the idea grew on me and we gave it a try. Loved it. The tangy cheese is brilliant with the beans and tomatos.

This is a very fast and low maintenance recipe. Other than cooking some rice there's only a bit of chopping and less than 10 minutes of cooking.

I altered the original recipe slightly - I'd say you could get 4-6 nice sized burritos out of this.

Goat Cheese Burritos

adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

1 tb oil

1 bunch of green onions, washed well and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3 tomatos, chopped

2 cups cooked rice

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

soft goats cheese (2 or more tb per burrito)

flour tortillas

sour cream

salsa

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onions, garlic and cumin to the pan and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in another medium pan, heat the black beans and a couple of tablespoons of water over medium heat until hot. Drain off the water. Add the tomatos to the onion mixture and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the rice.

Spread the goats cheese on the tortillas. Spoon the rice mixture on top of the cheese and top with beans. Add salsa and sour cream if desired. Roll up and dig in.

Waiter, there's goat cheese in my burrito!

The first time I saw this recipe it didn't appeal to me at all. Goat cheese and burritos don't seem like they could go together. But the idea grew on me and we gave it a try. Loved it. The tangy cheese is brilliant with the beans and tomatos.

This is a very fast and low maintenance recipe. Other than cooking some rice there's only a bit of chopping and less than 10 minutes of cooking.

I altered the original recipe slightly - I'd say you could get 4-6 nice sized burritos out of this.

Goat Cheese Burritos

adapted from Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

1 tb oil

1 bunch of green onions, washed well and finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 tsp ground cumin

3 tomatos, chopped

2 cups cooked rice

1 can black beans drained and rinsed

soft goats cheese (2 or more tb per burrito)

flour tortillas

sour cream

salsa

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the green onions, garlic and cumin to the pan and cook, stirring often for 5 minutes. Meanwhile in another medium pan, heat the black beans and a couple of tablespoons of water over medium heat until hot. Drain off the water. Add the tomatos to the onion mixture and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the rice.

Spread the goats cheese on the tortillas. Spoon the rice mixture on top of the cheese and top with beans. Add salsa and sour cream if desired. Roll up and dig in.

Cooking Book 5

I was planning on giving you an exhaustive list of all the recipes in my Book 5 - what I'm going to cook, what I've already cooked, what I'm skipping.

Meh. Do any of us care that much? No, I didn't think so.

I've still got quite a list of recipes to try. So far this has been fun and I'm glad I'm doing it.

Here we go:

Zucchini Tart with Bacon, adapted from The Best Recipes In The World

I don't know how much this differs from the original but hot damn this was good. This was GOOD.

Pizza dough (I use my new favorite from Canadian Living's Vegetarian Cookbook)

3-4 small zucchini, shredded

3-4 slices bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic

brie cheese (or other as desired)

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until cooked but not too well done. Saute the zucchini and garlic in the bacon fat until golden.

Prebake the pizza dough until firm but not done. Top with the zucchini and bacon and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake until the crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Red Beans with Cheese, Martha Stewart

This was a fast, tasty dinner. Versatile too; I spooned the beans over half a baked potato. Scott rolled his in a tortilla with lettuce and tomato. The baby smeared his into his hair. Recipe here.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos, Vegetarian Times

Another keeper. Recipe here.

This was a not very good sweet and sour chicken recipe.  Enough said.

Vegetable Linguine, Vegetarian Times

This was pretty gross.  Asparagus and zucchini sliced with a vegetable peeler and cut into "noodles".  Which is good!  The problem is the recipe tells you to cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes, which is at least 1 minute too long.  These were mushy and unappetizing.  We fed them to the baby.

Spiced Shredded Pork, Martha Stewart

I think one of the best things about this project is rediscovering Martha. I've made some pretty kick ass MS recipes from this book. This one was super good. Recipe here. This is a good make ahead one too, I cooked and shredded the pork, then refrigerated it with the butter and oil and salt and pepper mixed in. The next night all I had to do was broil the pork while I cut the veggies. So fast.

Cooking Book 5

I was planning on giving you an exhaustive list of all the recipes in my Book 5 - what I'm going to cook, what I've already cooked, what I'm skipping.

Meh. Do any of us care that much? No, I didn't think so.

I've still got quite a list of recipes to try. So far this has been fun and I'm glad I'm doing it.

Here we go:

Zucchini Tart with Bacon, adapted from The Best Recipes In The World

I don't know how much this differs from the original but hot damn this was good. This was GOOD.

Pizza dough (I use my new favorite from Canadian Living's Vegetarian Cookbook)

3-4 small zucchini, shredded

3-4 slices bacon, chopped

3 cloves garlic

brie cheese (or other as desired)

Fry the bacon in a pan over medium heat until cooked but not too well done. Saute the zucchini and garlic in the bacon fat until golden.

Prebake the pizza dough until firm but not done. Top with the zucchini and bacon and sprinkle lightly with cheese. Bake until the crust is brown and cheese is melted.

Red Beans with Cheese, Martha Stewart

This was a fast, tasty dinner. Versatile too; I spooned the beans over half a baked potato. Scott rolled his in a tortilla with lettuce and tomato. The baby smeared his into his hair. Recipe here.

Black Bean and Corn Tacos, Vegetarian Times

Another keeper. Recipe here.

This was a not very good sweet and sour chicken recipe.  Enough said.

Vegetable Linguine, Vegetarian Times

This was pretty gross.  Asparagus and zucchini sliced with a vegetable peeler and cut into "noodles".  Which is good!  The problem is the recipe tells you to cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes, which is at least 1 minute too long.  These were mushy and unappetizing.  We fed them to the baby.

Spiced Shredded Pork, Martha Stewart

I think one of the best things about this project is rediscovering Martha. I've made some pretty kick ass MS recipes from this book. This one was super good. Recipe here. This is a good make ahead one too, I cooked and shredded the pork, then refrigerated it with the butter and oil and salt and pepper mixed in. The next night all I had to do was broil the pork while I cut the veggies. So fast.

Can You Cook Rachael Ray Recipes in 30 Minutes? Recipe 6 - Beans and Rice

Here's our last recipe for this wee project - Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans.

Basically 4 steps to this - cook the rice. Puree some roasted peppers and such and stir into the rice. Cook the chorizo. Cook together the tomatos, beans, onions and garlic. Oh, step 5 - assemble.


I had some thinly sliced chorizo in the freezer, cut like pepperoni for pizza, so I cut it into fourths and used that.  I used probably a third of what the recipe calls for, but because it was cut thin, there was a lot of it.  I drained the tomatos for the beans as per the instructions, but I wished I hadn't.  I would have liked that sauce to be a little juicer.

How long did it take?


A respectable 26 minutes. 

Well, I am pretty happy with the results of this. Out of 6 recipes, only 2 took longer than 30 minutes, and all 6 were very good meals that I would make again.

Now if I could get some less fun projects cleared off my plate.....

Can You Cook Rachael Ray Recipes in 30 Minutes? Recipe 6 - Beans and Rice

Here's our last recipe for this wee project - Smoky Red Rice and Chorizo with Black Beans.

Basically 4 steps to this - cook the rice. Puree some roasted peppers and such and stir into the rice. Cook the chorizo. Cook together the tomatos, beans, onions and garlic. Oh, step 5 - assemble.


I had some thinly sliced chorizo in the freezer, cut like pepperoni for pizza, so I cut it into fourths and used that.  I used probably a third of what the recipe calls for, but because it was cut thin, there was a lot of it.  I drained the tomatos for the beans as per the instructions, but I wished I hadn't.  I would have liked that sauce to be a little juicer.

How long did it take?


A respectable 26 minutes. 

Well, I am pretty happy with the results of this. Out of 6 recipes, only 2 took longer than 30 minutes, and all 6 were very good meals that I would make again.

Now if I could get some less fun projects cleared off my plate.....

Can you cook Rachael Ray recipes in 30 minutes? Recipe 3 - Tostadas

Recipe number 3 in this project is Roasted Corn Tostadas.

Pretty straightforward. Corn roasted on the bbq, then cut off the cob. Tortillas toasted with beans and cheese, then topped with the corn and various other toppings. Delicious and fast, yes? Delicious, yes. Fast, surprisingly no!

I think it was our really really hot weather, but I was really rushing with this one. I chose to use the grill to cook the corn and warm the tortillas but I was warm and beginning to feel queasy. Even though the grill was super hot it took longer that the recipe stated to grill the corn. Then I grilled the tortillas, which I couldn't walk away from, so then they had to sit there and get congealed while I cut the corn, assembled, etc.


How long did it take?


A surprising 33 minutes. If I hadn't been rushing, I think it would have been in the 40's.

However, this was my favorite of the 3 recipes so far. If you replaced the grilled corn with some additional veggies or some sort of leftover, this would be a really quick dinner. I love tortillas and try to keep them on hand at all times. This would be something I would definitely make when I'm back at work.

HOWEVER, the chipolte cream was a disaster. The cream curdled and was so unappetizing looking I couldn't bear to put it on the tostadas. We went with salsa instead and I flushed the cream down the toilet.

2 out of 3 recipes have been made in 30 minutes or less. Tomorrow - chicken.

Can you cook Rachael Ray recipes in 30 minutes? Recipe 3 - Tostadas

Recipe number 3 in this project is Roasted Corn Tostadas.

Pretty straightforward. Corn roasted on the bbq, then cut off the cob. Tortillas toasted with beans and cheese, then topped with the corn and various other toppings. Delicious and fast, yes? Delicious, yes. Fast, surprisingly no!

I think it was our really really hot weather, but I was really rushing with this one. I chose to use the grill to cook the corn and warm the tortillas but I was warm and beginning to feel queasy. Even though the grill was super hot it took longer that the recipe stated to grill the corn. Then I grilled the tortillas, which I couldn't walk away from, so then they had to sit there and get congealed while I cut the corn, assembled, etc.


How long did it take?


A surprising 33 minutes. If I hadn't been rushing, I think it would have been in the 40's.

However, this was my favorite of the 3 recipes so far. If you replaced the grilled corn with some additional veggies or some sort of leftover, this would be a really quick dinner. I love tortillas and try to keep them on hand at all times. This would be something I would definitely make when I'm back at work.

HOWEVER, the chipolte cream was a disaster. The cream curdled and was so unappetizing looking I couldn't bear to put it on the tostadas. We went with salsa instead and I flushed the cream down the toilet.

2 out of 3 recipes have been made in 30 minutes or less. Tomorrow - chicken.

A soup kind of day

We have had an incredibly mild winter this year - very few cold days, hardly any snow.....quite frankly it's been a dream season for us and the baby. No worrying about having to take him out in freezing cold temperatures. No driving on snow and ice covered roads. No major snowstorms to shovel out of while pregnant or recovering from surgery. I'm sure we're in for a bad summer with such low snow levels and that sucks but still. It was good for us.
Which was why yesterday morning was such a shock when we got a 2 inch snow dump in just a few short hours. It was cold (well, below zero) and by the time I was done shoveling I was exhausted and my back was screaming in pain. Out of practice, I guess.

Early last year, or maybe even in 2008 we saw an episode of a Jamie Oliver show where he cooked a leek and chickpea soup. I made a note in one of my notebooks about it -

leek chickpea soup
jamie oliver

leek
dry cpeas
potato
broth
puree
parm

I'd recently stocked up on canned beans at a grocery store sale so I picked up a couple of fat leeks late last week. Yesterday was definitely a soup kind of day.

I didn't follow his recipe exactly; here's what I did:

Leek and Chickpea Soup

2 tb oil
2 large leeks
4 cloves garlic
1 medium or large potato
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup or more grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Cut the roots and the dark green ends off the leeks, and cut them down the middle lengthwise. Rinse very very well under running water to get rid of all the dirt. Shake off excess water and roughly chop. Add to the pot, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes, until the leeks are soft and just start to color. Chop the garlic and add to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Dice the potato and add to the pot along with the chickpeas, water and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the potatos are tender. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Stir in the cheese and let melt, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and more cheese if desired.

A soup kind of day

We have had an incredibly mild winter this year - very few cold days, hardly any snow.....quite frankly it's been a dream season for us and the baby. No worrying about having to take him out in freezing cold temperatures. No driving on snow and ice covered roads. No major snowstorms to shovel out of while pregnant or recovering from surgery. I'm sure we're in for a bad summer with such low snow levels and that sucks but still. It was good for us.
Which was why yesterday morning was such a shock when we got a 2 inch snow dump in just a few short hours. It was cold (well, below zero) and by the time I was done shoveling I was exhausted and my back was screaming in pain. Out of practice, I guess.

Early last year, or maybe even in 2008 we saw an episode of a Jamie Oliver show where he cooked a leek and chickpea soup. I made a note in one of my notebooks about it -

leek chickpea soup
jamie oliver

leek
dry cpeas
potato
broth
puree
parm

I'd recently stocked up on canned beans at a grocery store sale so I picked up a couple of fat leeks late last week. Yesterday was definitely a soup kind of day.

I didn't follow his recipe exactly; here's what I did:

Leek and Chickpea Soup

2 tb oil
2 large leeks
4 cloves garlic
1 medium or large potato
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup or more grated parmesan cheese

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Cut the roots and the dark green ends off the leeks, and cut them down the middle lengthwise. Rinse very very well under running water to get rid of all the dirt. Shake off excess water and roughly chop. Add to the pot, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes, until the leeks are soft and just start to color. Chop the garlic and add to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes. Dice the potato and add to the pot along with the chickpeas, water and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or so, until the potatos are tender. Puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender. Stir in the cheese and let melt, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and more cheese if desired.