One of the only things I miss about eating meat is sinking my teeth into the chewy, juicy, cheesy layers of a good casserole. It's tough to find a vegetarian equivalent of that experience, I've found. However, Rachael Ray's quesadilla casserole comes pretty damn close. I am in love with this recipe. I would be happy to make it every week. It's a tad time-consuming to put together, but it isn't difficult. I made some slight changes, which are included in the recipe below.
- 2-3 Tbsp canola oil
- small onion, cut in half from end to stem and then sliced into thin half moons
- 2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained and 1/2 cup liquid reserved
- 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed (just rinse under warm water)
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 1 medium tomato, chopped
- a few dashes of hot sauce (optional)
- 3 10-inch flour tortillas (burrito size, I believe)
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 can enchilada sauce (I used mild red)
- Preheat the oven to 400 F. Spray a large, oven-proof skillet with non-stick spray and set aside.
- In another skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until nice and browned. (I think it took 8-10 minutes.) Remove from heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of the black beans and mash into a chunky paste; stir in the reserved liquid.
- In a bowl, combine the remaining black beans, corn, parsley, tomato, and hot sauce.
- Place a tortilla in the bottom of the oven-proof skillet and top with 1/3 of the onion mixture. Then top that with 1/3 of the corn mixture and 1/3 of the cheese.
- Layer another tortilla on top of that, press it down a bit, and repeat with 1/3 of the onion mixture, the corn mixture, and the cheese. Repeat this step once more.
- Pop the skillet in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. The cheese should be nice and melty melty (it's a technical term). If you can, slide it out of the skillet and onto a place so you can cut it into pie-like slices. Top each slice with a drizzle of enchilada sauce.
Looking for vegetarian-friendly restaurants in your area? Check out VegDining.com and HappyCow.com for local directories. Both sites include international directories, but I've linked to the guides for the U.S.
Today's issue of the Reading Eagle features an article on sustainable seafood, which is a topic I still don't know much about. I've been meaning to read Bottomfeeder for a year now but never got around to it. This article gives a local spin on an important issue, and I learned quite a bit from it. I still want to learn more about fish farming before I switch to farm-raised seafood, especially after learning from Food, Inc. that corn is the up-and-coming fish feed.
Whenever I start a new school year, I'm disappointed by how little I get to cook during the week. It's difficult to find the time. This is the time of year when I rely on easy, shortcut recipes like this, and I was especially happy with this particular recipe!
- 3/4 lb dried fettuccine
- 1/2 raw, unsalted walnuts
- A handful of fresh basil leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt
- Start the water boiling for the pasta. Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet and set aside to cool.
- Place the basil leaves and garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.
- Add the walnuts, parmesan, and a dash of salt and pepper. Pulse a few more times.
- Pour in the oil, half-and-half, and yogurt. Pulse a few more times until everything is mixed well. Taste to see if you need more salt and pepper.
- If your stove takes ages to boil, as ours does, use the remaining few minutes to clean up or throw a quick salad together.
- Cook pasta according to package directions; drain but do not rinse. Place fettuccine in serving bowl and pour sauce over top.
Sometimes I forget when things get crazy.
