Monterey Jack, Corn and Roasted Red Pepper Risotto

Source: Cooking Light, April 2001

1 3/4 cups water*
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans vegetable broth*
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup uncooked Arborio or other short-grain rice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup thinly sliced green onions
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeño peppers
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cups frozen whole-kernel corn
3/4 cup chopped bottled roasted red bell peppers

Combine water and broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep broth mixture warm over low heat.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add rice, cumin, coriander (if desired), and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup broth mixture; cook 2 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining broth mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion of liquid is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 minutes total). Stir in the onions, cheese, hot sauce, corn, and bell peppers; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)*

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 383(24% from fat); FAT 10.4g (sat 4.6g,mono 3.9g,poly 0.9g); PROTEIN 12g; CHOLESTEROL 17mg; CALCIUM 198mg; SODIUM 583mg; FIBER 3.8g; IRON 3.6mg; CARBOHYDRATE 63.3g

Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cooking Light, APRIL 2001

*My Notes: I ended up using approximately 1 can of vegetable broth and 1 can of water. This makes 4 large main dish servings and easily would serve 6 as a side dish.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Crispy Bacon and Corn Quesadillas with Avocado-Cherry Tomato Relish

Source: Bobby Flay's Boy Gets Grill

Serves 4.

Relish:
2 ripe Haas avocados, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
4 ounces tiny cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced (I used chives)
2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced
Juice of 1 lime
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quesadillas:
16 thick slices bacon
3 ears corn, husked
Canola oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
12 (6-inch) tortillas
2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup grated white Cheddar cheese
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
Cilantro leaves

Heat your grill to medium.

Grill the bacon, laying it across the grate of the grill, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy but not blackened. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels (leave grill on), let cool slightly, and crumble.

Brush the corn all over with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the corn on all sides until lightly charred, about 8 minutes total. Remove from the grill and set aside (leave the grill on). To remove the kernels, stand the corn on end in a large bowl and cut downward with a small, sharp knife.

Place 8 of the tortillas on a flat work surface. Divide the cheeses, scallions, crumbled bacon, and charred corn among the tortillas and season with salt and pepper.

Make 4 quesadillas by stacking the filled tortillas by twos, then placing one of the remaining plain tortillas on top. Press lightly to help the quesadilla hold together. Brush the tops of the quesadillas with oil and sprinkle with the ancho powder. Carefully place them oiled side down on the grill and cook until golden brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Carefully turn the quesadillas over with a large spatula, close the grill hood, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes, until cheese has melted and the tortillas are crisp.

Remove the quesadillas from the grill, cut into quarters, and top each quarter with a dollop of the avocado relish. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salsa Verde Turkey Burgers

Source: Rachael Ray

1 avocado, halved and pitted
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used 1/4 cup - that was plenty for 4 burgers!)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt
1 pound ground turkey thigh meat (I used a less-fat version)
1/2 cup salsa verde (My salsa verde - Wegmans brand - was a bit watery, so I drained it first)
4 slices (4 ounces) pepper-jack cheese (I used Monterey-jack that I had on hand)
4 Kaiser rolls, split
fresh cilantro
2 small green or red tomatoes, sliced

Scoop the avocado flesh into a small bowl. Add the mayonnaise and garlic and mash with a fork until well combined but chunky. Season with salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the ground turkey and salsa. Divide the mixture to form 4 patties.

(We did these on the grill after chilling them for a bit.) In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the patties for 4 minutes on one side. Flip and top each with a slice of cheese; cover and cook for 4 minutes more.

Spread the avocado aioli on the split side of each roll bottom and cover with 1/4 cup cilantro. Top with a patty and 2 tomato slices; set the roll tops into place.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Garlicky Mushroom Quesadillas with Tomatillo-Chile Salsa

Source: A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen by Jack Bishop

Serves 4.

Tomatillo-Chile Salsa
1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed
2-4 medium jalapeno chiles
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (we didn't have any on hand)
salt

Quesadillas
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces cremini or button mushrooms, trimmed and thickly sliced
salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
freshly ground black pepper
8 8-inch flour tortillas
5 ounces cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/4 cups)

For the salsa: Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450º. Place the whole tomatillos and chiles on a rimmed baking sheet and roast, turning the vegetables once, until lightly browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly and transfer tomatillos to a food processor. Cut off the stems of the chiles and add the chiles (seeds and all, for extra heat) to the food processor. Pulse just until combined and still chunky. Scrape the salsa into a bowl and stir in the cilantro and salt to taste.

For the quesadillas: Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned lightly, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and pepper to taste and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute. Set the mushroom mixture aside.

Lay 4 tortillas flat on a work surface. Sprinkle the cheese over the tortillas, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of each tortilla. Divide the mushroom mixture evenly among the tortillas. Top with the remaining tortillas.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the first quesadilla and cook, turning once, until the tortillas are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the quesadilla to a large plate (I keep my oven on 200º and keep the quesadillas in the oven on a baking sheet to keep them warm.) and repeat with the remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Spoon some salsa into the middle of each quesadilla. Serve immediately, passing the remaining salsa at the table.

Note: These could easily be prepared on The Griddler using the griddle plates. Place them on the bottom plate, put the top down and cook until golden brown.

I talked about this recipe HERE.