What a great way to serve ‘hot dogs’ from the barbecue, except you are using Italian sausages.
- 4 Italian sausages (1 lb.)
- 4 large whole wheat tortillas (healthy, right?)
- 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Cut the sausages in half lengthwise BUT not all the way through. Open like a book.
On the barbecue, grill over a medium high heat, turning after 4 minutes and continue cooking until there is no pink inside.
Salsa
- 1/2 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans
- 1/3 cup diced red onion (optional?)
- 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper
- 1/3 cup canned whole kernals (or fresh if you have any on hand)
- 1/2 – 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 plum tomato, chopped
- pinch salt and pepper
In a bowl, mix together the ingredients, except the cheese, and set aside.
Tortillas
Grill the tortillas, turning halfway through until showing grill marks (1 minute). Place a sausage on each tortilla, divide the salsa and cheese over the sausages. Fold the sides of the tortillas and roll up from the bottom.
If you want this to be crisp on the outside, grill the filled tortilla on one side, carefully turning over after 2 minutes, and grilling until the outside is crisp.
In a word..YUM!
Chicken Tacos
Remember the chicken cutlets you prepared and froze? Well, here is another quick and easy dinner….tacos. It can’t be any easier, but when rushing to hockey practice or dance classes, this is THE winner.
- Chicken cutlets (as many as you require)
- Tortillas – toasted lightly (I prefer just warmed)
- 1-2 avocados, mashed
- Jar of Pico de gallo
- fresh cilantro leaves
Slice the chicken cutlets into strips and layer on the toasted tortillas, adding the mashed avocado, 1-2 tbsp. pico de gallo and cilantro leaves. Fold over and enjoy.
Pour a glass of milk (or juice or….) eat away and then you are off on your busy evening with the kids. What more could be any easier?
Yummy.
Shrimp Quesadillas
Another quickie lunch or appetizer to serve. It is easy and scrumptious so go for it…..
- 1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled, deveined
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp. melted butter
- 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup black bean puree
- 1 tomato, seeds and diced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 bag of shredded nacho cheese
- 3 tbsp. salsa verde
- 1/4 cup sour cream (not light)
- 1 lime, quartered
Thread the shrimp on wooden skewers (soak the skewers first).
Place on a platter, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with the garlic and turn to coat both sides.
Preheat the barbecue.
Grill the shrimp for 45 seconds. Spread with bean puree, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Add the diced tomato, avocado and onion, then arrange the shrimp pieces over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese and cover with another tortilla. Press lightly.
Place on the grill and reduce heat to medium. Cook about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and the cheese has melted. Cut in half and serve with the salsa verde and sour cream.
Yummy….
Tostadas
Friday night and what to have for supper? Well, you could order in but….nah! This will wake up the taste buds and give you a new lift on the day. Let’s go.
Sauce
- 1 ancho chili
- 1 lb. ripe roma tomatoes, halved
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed and halved
- 1 small onion, peeled and quartered
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
In a frypan. toast the chili for 2 minutes each side, pressing firmly with a wooden spatula as you cook until fragrant and softened. Place in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes. Remove the seeds, stem and drain.
Place the tomatoes, onion, pepper, and garlic on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 25 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool.
In a blender, puree the cooled baked vegetables, ancho pepper, salt and sugar to make the sauce. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Stuffing
- 4 chorizo sausages, casing removed
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 tbsp. canola oil
- 2 1/4 cups fresh corn kernals
- 19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 pkg. Monteray Jack Cheese
- 2-3 limes, quartered
In a frypan, cook the sausage meat for about 6 minutes, breaking up the lumps.
Brush the tortillas. brush both sides with oil and place on two parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 15 minutes until crisp. Remove from the oven.
Divide the corn, black beans and sausage meat equally among the tortillas, topping with a few spoonfuls of the sauce and a slice of cheese. Bake for 5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Serve warm with extra sauce on the side and a couple wedges of lime.
There….now you have already forgotten about the day….the week….pour a cold beer…..yum!
Mushroom Quesadillas
I love mushrooms so this is a favourite to use. Give it a try – I think you will be surprised just how delicious they are.
- 1 tbsp. butter
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
- 8 oz. portobello mushrooms, chopped
- fresh basil and fresh parsley
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 8 7-inch tortillas
- Grated Parmesan cheese (depends on how much you like cheese)
In a non-stick skillet, melt the butter and add the garlic and all the mushrooms. Cook until the liquid is gone, stirring often. Add seasonings.
Spread the mixture over each half of the tortillas, fold over and press to seal. Place in a hot frypan with a bit of butter and drill for about 2 minutes each side, until the cheese melts.
Transfer to a cutting board and let stand for a moment. Cut into wedges, big enough to hold but not so big they look like dinner. After all, this is only an appetizer.
Oh, I forgot, add some sour cream and a glass of wine. There, I’m done!
Pulled Pork Pizza
A couple of days ago, Don made Pulled Pork Sandwiches and we had some meat and sauce left over.
Sometimes for lunch we will have little pizzas. We make them with tortillas as the base. (1 each). We had run out of pepperoni so we thought we should try using the pork.
Soooooooooooooooo we loaded up the tortilla with pulled pork and topped with shredded cheese. Baked it off and then…and then…we drizzled the top with some of the extra sauce.
This was the best pizza we have ever tasted, I kid you not…I have had that now for 3 days (waste not, want not or something…..).
If you want to try the best, use his recipe for pulled pork and sauce and have at it.