Steak Quesadillas, Pico de Gallo, Guacamole

I am usually not a big quesadilla fan but today I just had a taste for them. So here it is, my version of a steak quesadilla, along with a few other delicious items!

Ingredients:
2 pounds of beef tenderloin or your favorite type of beef steak
garlic salt and pepper to taste
1 package of 12 inch tortilla wraps (I used a spinach tortilla)
2 pounds shredded cheese (i.e. quesadilla cheese, chedder, monterey jack)

Pico de Gallo Ingredients:
6 tomatoes seeded and diced (I used red, orange, and yellow tomatoes to get more color)
1 medium green bell pepper diced
1/2 juiced lime
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 onion diced
salt to taste

Guacamole Ingredients:
3 ripe avacados
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 juiced lemon
salt to taste

Directions
1) For the Pico de Gallo dice tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, chop cilantro, and juice the lime put everything into a bowl, add red pepper flakes and salt mix together well. The longer you let it sit the more flavorful it becomes.

2) For the guacamole, slice the avacados in half length wise, remove pits (save one pit) and then scoop out the flesh from the shell. Mash with a potato masher or fork, it doesn't have to be completely smooth unless that's how you like it.

3)Mince garlic, dice onion, juice lemon, and then add to the avacado mash. Season with salt and mix well. The pit that you saved put it in your guacamole and that will help prevent it from turning brown and gross.

4)The beef, season with garlic salt and pepper. Heat a skillet and lightly oil, when pan is hot place meat in pan and cook until rare/medium rare. You don't want to over cook your meat because you are going to heat it again when you cook the quesadilla. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before you slice. Thinly slice meat after it has rested.

5)Assembling the quesadilla, preheat a flat iron pan or a skillet. Lightly butter one side of the tortilla, place tortilla butter side down in the pan and then layer with cheese, meat, pico de gallo, and cheese again, take another tortilla lightly butter one side and place this tortilla butter side up on top of the other.

6)When the tortilla is golden brown, flip and cook other side until golden brown. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and extra pico de gallo.

Creamy Coleslaw

This has been a family favorite for a long time!

Ingredients:
1 small head of shredded cabbage
1 shredded carrot
1 small shredded onion
pinch of salt and pepper

Dressing Ingredients:
2 cups of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sugar
4 teaspoons white vinegar

Directions:

1)If you have a food processor use the shredding attachment and shred all vegetables in that. If you don't, use a box grater it does the same thing. Once all the vegetables are shredded place in a large mixing bowl.

2)In a separate bowl mix together the mayo, sugar, and vinegar, until sugar dissolves.

3)Add the dressing to the vegetables and mix all ingredients until everything is well combined. I like to add a little sprinkle of salt and pepper but that is optional.

4)Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 mins.

Side Note: You can also use a bag of the premixed coleslaw versus shredding the veggies yourself. Mix 1 1/2 pounds of the coleslaw mix to the dressing.

Grilled Pork Chops with Balsamic Reduction

If you are looking for a simple dish to make that can also be elegant, this is a great option! The salt of the pork chops combines so well with the tangy sweetness of the balsamic reduction.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons parsley flakes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

Balsamic reduction Ingredients:
16 ounces Balsamic Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown sugar
1 tablespoon Honey

Balsamic Reduction Directions:

It's best to start the reduction before the pork, it takes a little while to make it.
1)In a small pot place all ingredients.

2)Bring to a slow boil and let the liquid reduce to half or until it reaches a syrup consistency.

3)Once reduced, take it off the heat. The liquid will thicken as it cools.

To store just refrigerate, it will become extremely thick! You can warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds or place in a bowl of hot water. That will return it to a syrupy consistency again.

Directions for Pork Chops:

1)Mix coriander, parsley, and garlic powder together and season both sides of the chops, also season both sides with salt and pepper. You can place the pork chops in the refrigerator while you prepare your grill.

2)Once your grill is ready place chops on grill. For a 1 inch thick chop it will take about 5-7 minutes per side. This also is dependent upon the distance from the heat and the temperature of your fire.

3)Once the pork chops are finished you can either drizzle the balsamic reduction over top or place in a bowl and let everyone help themselves.

Try this dish with my great grandmother's creamy coleslaw recipe.

Sauteed Spinach and Broccoli

This is a really tasty vegetable dish that I had at my mom's house just the other night. She found the recipe online and we made a few adjustments. We used frozen broccoli florets instead of fresh and spinach instead of rapini. I made this again at home for my family and the 2nd time, I used fresh broccoli florets and less butter than the original recipe called for, which was half pound of butter, it still came out delicious.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of broccoli florets (frozen or fresh)
1 1/2 pounds of spinach (we used fresh)
3 teaspoons of lemon zest
2 tablespoons of coarsely chopped shallots
4 ounces or 1 stick of butter
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) On medium high, heat a large saute pan & melt 2 ounces(1/2 stick of butter). Add 1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of shallots to the hot melted butter.

(If you don't have a zesting tool use a paring knife, a potato peeler, or a grater to take off the yellow part of the rind. Try not to get to much of the white of the rind. If you are using a knife or peeler to remove the zest, you will need to cut those pieces to a smaller size.)


2) Saute lemon zest and shallots until shallots start to lightly brown. Add broccoli and saute for 3 minutes and then add the water and cover pan with a lid. If you are using frozen broccoli remember, that it is already cooked and all you are doing is heating it through again, so don't over cook it. Once the broccoli is done remove it from the pan and put it in a bowl.

3) In the same saute pan put the remaining butter, melt, and then add remaining zest and shallots. Once the shallots start to lightly brown add the spinach. Cook the spinach until it wilts. You will probably not be able to fit all the spinach in your pan at once so, as the spinach wilts down, add more to the pan. If you have a pair of tongs this is the best utensil to use for this.

4) Once the spinach is done, add to broccoli, season with salt and pepper to your taste, toss everything together and eat it.


Side Note: This would also be great to do with asparagus, summer squash, peas, or zucchini.

Lemon Beurre Blanc (bear blawnk)

Ingredients

1 to 2 shallots, chopped fine
8 ounces white wine
2 ounces lemon juice
1 tablespoon heavy cream
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
Salt and white pepper(black will be fine if you don't have white), to taste

Directions

Combine the shallots, white wine, and lemon juice in a non-reactive saucepan(not an aluminum pan, stainless steel would be a good choice) over high heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons.

Add the cream to the reduction. Once the liquid bubbles, reduce the heat to low. Add the butter, one cube at a time, whisking first on the heat and then off the heat. Continue whisking butter into the reduction until the mixture is fully emulsified (fancy word for thickened) and has reached a rich sauce consistency. Season with salt and white pepper.

Viet Burgers

This is a fusion of a Vietnamese dish and the all mighty American burger. My husband and I had Vietnamese stuffed grape leaves at a restaurant in Virginia and when we returned home we made it ourselves. We had some left over filling and thought it might make a tasty burger and that's how it all began.

Ingredients:

3 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion
1T chopped Thai Basil (Thai Basil has a slightly different flavor than Italian Sweet Basil, if you can't find Thai Basil use Italian Basil)
3T finely minced lemongrass (if you can't find this in your store try an Asian market, if you can't find an Asian market, use 2T ground coriander)
2 eggs
1 tsp sesame seed oil
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1T + 2tsp garlic salt
2T fish sauce (this can be found in the ethnic section of your grocery store or at Asian markets)

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl place ground beef. Chop onion and basil and put in the bowl with the beef. When preparing lemongrass use only the bottom, pale part of the stalk. Slice off the top green part and root end and peel away the tough outer layers. The easiest way to get lemon grass nicely minced is to first, chop it up into small pieces and then put it in a coffee grinder and pulse it until it looks minced or use the fine grate of a box grater. Add the lemon grass and the rest of the ingredients to the meat.
Now its time to get your hands dirty, so remove your rings. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Form patties and throw on a hot grill or in a hot skillet, cook to desired done-ness. Place on a bun with sriracha-lime mayo, lettuce, tomato, and pickled veggies. We made home-made fries but store bought works just the same! Enjoy!

Sriracha Lime Mayo:

1c mayonnaise
1T Sriracha (it's a brand of hot chili sauce, you will be able to get this at the grocery store too)
3T lime juice
Combine all ingredients and mix well. If you want it spicier add more chili sauce

Pickled Carrots and Daikon root:

1/4 lb carrots -shredded in food processor or cut into thin match-like strips.
1/4 lb daikon radish – cut same as carrots.
2 cups warm water
2T vinegar
2T sugar
1T salt

Wash, peel, and cut carrots and daikon, place into a mixing bowl and sprinkle salt on the vegetables, mix well. The salt will draw out excess moisture from the veggies. In a pot, pour water, vinegar, and sugar. On the stove top, turn on a medium low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved, turn off heat. Get a mason jar ready or any glass jar you might have. Squeeze out any excess liquid from your vegetables and then place vegetables inside the jar. Pour vinegar liquid into a pitcher or liquid measuring cup for easier pouring and then pour into the glass jar. Fill the jar with the liquid and then place it in the refrigerator. Let this sit for at least an hour before you eat it. Of course the longer you let it sit the more pickled it gets. Its a good idea to make this ahead of time so that its ready for your burgers.

Side Note - When buying fresh lemongrass: Look for stalks that are fragrant, tightly formed, and of a lemony-green color on the lower stalk (near the bulb), then turning to a truer green at the end of the stalk.
Avoid purchasing stalks that are loose and coming apart as well as stalks that are brown and crusty or crumbling. These are old and probably not that fragrant or nutritious any longer. Lemongrass also freezes well.