happy friday!

it's finally friday. phew. it's been a long week. but time is slowly going by until moving day. but still got plenty of time to cook :) i think setting the oven on fire really did scare me away from baking! at least it's cool enough this week that i almost think about baking...almost.

this pasta dish was so simple to make. it comes from wholeliving which i think is a sub website of martha stewart. i upped the nutrients by using whole wheat pasta and used the grape tomatoes that i had gotten from costco (bulk produce really forces some creativity). i also did not put in dill weed or have white wine or the parmesan or fresh parsley. but this pasta sauce is so easy and delicious to make i wonder i ever used store-bought sauce. a nice kick with the red pepper flakes. i threw in the leftover smoked salmon at the last minute b/c i didn't want the sauce to taste super fishy.  

there were mushrooms hanging around in the fridge (i'm not particularly a fan of mushrooms but i wanted a side dish for the pasta and this just came to mind). i chopped the bottom part of the mushroom nice and tiny and mixed that in w/ the kale pesto then stuffed them real well and topped w/ slices of mozzarella. yum! baked in the mini convection at 350 for about 7 minutes (they cooked really fast in it).





in a totally different direction, i made tuna quesadillas last night. the avocados were getting rather ripe and the leftover mozzarella kept staring at me every time i opened the fridge...so even though i would have preferred using the pepperjack (can't wait to use that big hunk of cheese!) i figured i shouldn't waste perfectly delicious cheese. 


Tuna Quesadillas
(serves 4-5 depending on how much your feedees like to eat)
5 medium whole wheat tortilla wraps (I used Mission 95% fat free for the fiber and protein)
2 cans tuna, drained (or grab some beans or grilled chicken)
1/2 bell pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
big hunk of cheese, your choice (shredded is easier)
salt and pepper to taste (or any other spices)
pico de gallo/salsa (or a combination of both)
guacamole

Combine tuna, pepper, onion and salt and pepper. Heat a non stick skillet on medium high and warm tortilla (flip every 10 sec or so) then once both sides are warm (maybe even nicely bubbly) lay the cheese and tuna mixture. Cover the skillet with lid and bring heat to medium. Let the cheese melt then fold the tortilla in half and press down with a spatula or whatever is handy. Remove from the stove and cut in half. Serve with pico de gallo and guacamole!

have a great weekend!

s5 restaurant

it's restaurant week right now in my county (if you're in the hoco area check out all the participating restaurants at the tourist website here). everything looks amazing, but on a college budget, those prices are far out of my range, so instead, i get to play w/ M&D's money and cook us all a meal worthy of a restaurant :)

i've had kale hanging around in my freezer since i don't know when. i try to grab a handful and throw it into my smoothies in the morning, but sometimes i don't want to be green with envy. it's still hot (but thankfully the storms last night brought some relief, the mid-80s feel downright comfortable!) so actually cooking was not something i was interested in. so that brings us to kale pesto!

i grabbed the recipe from sprouted kitchen and also nabbed her idea for the salad. i didn't even blanch the kale. i just let it defrost in my fridge and then zapped it in the microwave for about 15 seconds. i'm just getting that lazy! i toasted my walnuts in the mini convection we have and toss and serve. yum! i may prefer kale pesto over basil pesto, but i'd have to try them side by side (maybe it's the toasted walnut thing).

i wasn't sure how D would like the kale pesto. in his own words, "i don't like sauces" so i needed to find something else for the meal. grabbed some smoked salmon from costco and toasted some sliced ciabatta to have little salmon bites. welcome to the family restaurant. happy eating!