Turkey and Goat Cheese Quesadilla

So I am supposed to writing my final paper of my graduate career right now, doesn't that sound fun? 20 or so pages on the Gluten Free Diet Fad, while the topic is very interesting, reading all the research makes me want to pull my hair out. So in my true procrastination fashion I have found everything else to do in the mean time. I mean its not due until tomorrow?! So you know how it works, I've done every other task that is not so fun just to avoid writing this paper ( ie luandry, clean the house, billing for the dance studio, cutting music for dance etc.) and lastly hung out in the kitchen to figure out what to make for lunch.  After a quick inspirational browse through pinterest I decided on a quesedilla.

I took this recipe and altered to what I had on hand and added some turkey for a little kick of protein.

http://pinterest.com/pin/111675265731498845/

The idea of the quesadilla is so simple, its basically like a panini but in a tortilla. So get creative and throw some of your favorite sandwich stuffers in the pan and try it! 

This is what I did:

In a skillet on medium heat place one whole wheat tortilla- 

Spread with about 1 oz of goat cheese. (Remember one ounce is about the size of a domino)

Add sliced avocado ( I used half of a small to medium sized)

Add chopped sun dried tomatoes ( I used 3-4)

let it start getting nice a warm( about 2 minutes)

On the other tortilla I added 3 slices of peppered turkey

Before I added the second tortilla to the skillet I added 2 handfuls of arugula ( side note, I think I would have liked it better had I topped it ( ie the Rocket) with the arugula at the end just for the added crunch but it still tasted good, it was just a little wilted.

Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper and top it with the second tortilla with turkey and cook in skillet until both sides are golden brown and crispy ( about 7-9 minutes total)

Slice with pizza cutter and see all the melty goodness inside!

 My little helper was pretty excited once she saw the turkey come out of the fridge.....

Sorry Gracie,  not sharing this one

I don't care how much you beg!

The best part about this meal is that there was very little clean up, just the cutting board and knife, and if you're careful your skillet will be pretty much spotless if you have a non stick skillet, no need to butter or spray the pan. 

 This lunch took about 15 minutes to prepare, and about 5 to devour!

Enjoy!

xoxo

Amy

Weekend Warriors+ Beef Barley Soup

Last weekend was Rifle Deer opening day, AND we were home for the first weekend in the last 7 AND it snowed, so out came my inner Suzy, Suzy homemaker that is. 

         

We were planning on getting the rest of our yard work done, you know, leaf pick up, cut plants down, mow, and blow out the sprinklers..... so much for that.

                      Then the husker game got a little boring..... so I headed to the kitchen......I made Whole Wheat Pumpkin  Bread. The recipe I used was really naughty....  a lot of sugar and oil..... working on a variation of it that's a bit healthier to share! Stay tuned.

Caught up on the "Favorite Things" edition of O magazine!

      Sunday: Before Kyle went out hunting again, it was time for some weekend warrior projects.....

We  Kyle hung some new shelves in our bathroom. I love the double sinks in our bathroom, but seriously cannot stand the lack of counter space.... If you're a girl who has a lot of stuff when it comes to hair and makeup, I would not recommend double vanity sinks for your bathroom.

Then it was time to fill an empty wall with a little collage, this wall had been the home 

of various icky art pieces in the past. Sorry Kyle the native/cowboy/horse art work is not my thing......This wall will probably be taken out in the next few months to open up our kitchen, so why not put a few holes in it in the mean time!?

 Kyle went back out to hunt for deer and I headed back to the kitchen to figure Sunday night dinner. 

 I decided on Beef Barley Soup, which is one of the soups my mom makes that I LOVE. I didn't have the recipe on hand so I threw what I could remember of it together and it went something like this. 

                                         Beef Barley Soup

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound hamburger

Salt + Pepper to taste

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 can of diced tomatoes

3 Carrots, cut coin style

1 package of diced mushrooms

1 medium yellow onion

2 teaspoons of minced Garlic

2 cups corn

1.5 cups of quick cooking Barley

1 can tomato paste

HOW TO:

Add 2 TBSP of Olive Oil, chopped onion and Garlic and saute in pot on medium until transparent

in same pot add beef, and brown with onion and garlic- Season meat with S+P and a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Add package of mushrooms and saute until tender

Add cut carrots (cut coin style) and saute for a few minutes

Add Can of Diced tomatoes

add 5-6 cups of water

add can of tomato paste

add about 1/4 cup or so of Worcestershire sauce ( I added it to taste)

Add S+P to taste

I used frozen corn again from our friends farm that we processed this summer

Add Barley to taste, I added about 1.5 cups

Bring to boil, then bring down to low and let simmer for about 30-45 minutes until ready to serve

Serving suggestions: I served it with hot whole wheat oat bread and sprinkled the soup with the asiago cheese blend, because everything is better with a sprinkle of cheese! 

The soup turned out great, Kyle said it was even better than my moms Beef Barley recipe.... Sorry Mom!

Tuesday Night Gourmet- Goat Cheese+Spinach Pasta

Hey Ya'll! 

Well I'm back! Instead of typing out what are my so called recipes I decided it might be easier to share with you all this way! 

For more pics of my daily cooking trials you can follow me on 

Twitter @aeargo or on Instagram as aeargo

I found this recipe on Pinterest the other day but when I actually looked at the recipe there is no goat cheese in it.... weird. 

http://pinlavie.com/pasta-with-spinach-goat-cheese/

So I based my recipe off of this and added a few other things I had around the house. 

Spinach+ sun dried tomatoes in creamy goat cheese pasta

Pasta- I used whole wheat shell because A. its what I had and B. I like the way the sauce and the veggies stick to the shells.

Ingredients
EVOO
Garlic
Fresh Spinach
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Light Sour Cream
Goat Cheese aka Chevre
Pasta- whatever you like or have around- use whole wheat as a way to up the fiber factor!
S+P
Parmesan+Romano+Asiago Cheese blend

Instructions:
Boil Pasta ( I used 4 servings worth or in this case about half the box so we could have leftovers for lunch)
1. Heat EVOO ( about 3 Tbsps) in a skillet
2. add 2 Tsps of minced garlic
3. Add spinach ( I added 3/4 of a bag- the more the merrier it wilts down to virtually nothing and it is full of goodness for you that don't be afraid to have a heavy hand went sauteing spinach.
4. Add S+P to taste ( I toss in a heavy pinch of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on top of the spinach)
5. Chop sun dried tomatoes or you could use fresh tomatoes and add them to the spinach mixture ( I love them so I used probably 10-12 tomatoes)
5. Add about 3/4 cup of the hot pasta water to the spinach mix once the pasta is done cooking
6.  Add about 1/2 cup -3/4 cup light sour cream and stir in the mixture
7.  Add creamy goat cheese to mixture, I used about 2 oz, or 2-3 tbsp worth ( sorry I eyeball everything)

Once all the sour cream and goat cheese is melted together with spinach and sun dried tomato blend  add the pasta and combine all together. I sprinkled the Parm/romano/asiago blend and some ground pepper to top it all off.

All together this took about 20-25 minutes to put together. 2 pans and a cutting board to wash at the end and a yummy satisfying meal for a cool fall night!

I'm off to enjoy leftovers for lunch
Happy Hump day Ya'll!


xoxo
Amy