black bean, sweet potato quesadillas

I cannot tell you how much I love these things. I saw this recipe on a blog about a week ago and immediately gave them a try that night. Incredible.

Ingredients

2 8-inch whole wheat tortillas

3/4 cup roasted sweet potatoes chunks (see below)

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/4 cup roasted/sautéed onion, optional

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions

2/3 cup shredded Colby jack cheese, or the combo of Monterey jack cheese and cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Place a tortilla on the baking sheet. Scatter the sweet potato chunks on the tortilla, and then fill the spaces between the sweet potato chunks with black beans. Top with roasted/sautéed onions, if using them. Sprinkle the green onions and cheese. Top with the other piece of tortilla and press it gently. Bake for 6-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and the top tortilla is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve with guacamole or salsa if desired.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch chunks

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons brown sugar (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Toss together those ingredients, single-layer them on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 F degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Oh, and for the super easy wheat tortilla recipe, click here. I'm not sure it can get any better than this.

Egg roll deliciousness

Im off work for the next two weeks and I have no organized plan on what to do with my days. For me this translates into a big list of things I'd like to do and really only accomplishing one or two of them. Kind of frustrating for my contorted type a personality. But I bear with myself. After getting a handle on my inboxes, I decided my first order of business would be to make sure nic and I have food for the week. Sounded like a good stay at home wife kind of thing to do. So I shopped, chopped, boiled, mixed, baked, and scrubbed. Made and prepped dinners for the week, which is no small task. One thing I made that I've always wanted to try is egg rolls. Random, I know. But I gave it a try. 

I searched pinterest and found the worlds best egg roll recipe and did some tweaking so I wouldn't be cutting carrots all day long:

Ingedients:

1 chicken breast cooked and sheredded - I boiled my frozen chicken for about 20 min, and then put the hot, cooked chicken in the kitchen aid with the flat mixer attachment. It was shredded shredded perfectly!

1 package cabbage with carrots (you know the coleslaw ready kind)

1 small napa cabbage chopped

1 package julinned carrots (since the cabbage package didn't have enough)

1 onion sliced

1/2 package or approx 4.4 oz of the smallest rice noodles I can find, cooked

2 eggs beaten

3/4 cup of bread crumbs

45-60 Packaged spring roll wrappers, the recipe called for lumpia wrappers, but I couldn't find them

1 tablespoon pepper

Approx. 4-5 oz of oyster sauce

Step 1: Combine all of the above and stir

Step 2: Fill the spring roll wrappers with a little less than 2 tablespoons of your veggie filling, you don't need much. The smaller and more compact the easier they are to cook. And then let the rolling begin, think chipotle burrito.

Step 3: Fill up a frying pan with 1/2 in of vegetable oil, heat, and fry both sides. I had some trouble with my oil heat. Either it was too hot and they were burning or I couldnt get them cooked enough. But that's just me and my lack of pan frying skills. I think I learned the more oil the better, it was best when the roll was half submerged in the oil.

Step 4: Let cool on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Step 5: Enjoy while hot or wrap in wax paper and refridgerate or freeze. We plan to reheat in the toaster oven.

Oh and an excellent sauce recipe is from my great uncle Gary. Simply combine equal portions of mustard and grape jelly in a bowl and heat in the microwave. It is a delicious sweet and sour sauce! Great for egg rolls or meatballs!

Despite being soggy or burnt, they were DELICIOUS. I ate four of them right away. Word to the wise while they were good, I'd recommend pacing yourself on consumption. 

Some other things on the list to do this week include:

1. Rid my ceilings of popcorn texture

2. Decide on a paint color for the living room and bedroom, and paint them.

3. Choreography recital dances at the studio

4. Spend time with people

5. Read, read, read. I want to take a day to simply read. Be content in silence. Rest under His wings. Prepare my heart for the news that on Sunday we will celebrate that the God of the universe broke into our world in order for us to one day meet His Father.