Smart Ones Vs. Richa

I was watching tv when I saw a commercial for the Smart Ones Fiesta Quesadilla. I'm not completely against boxed entreés, but not a huge fan of them either. They're usually pretty crappy, with very little food that doesn't look anything like the picture on the cover and full of tons of sodium. But I do like the combinations they come up with. So I got inspired to do my own take on a "Fiesta Quesadilla" with what I had in my pantry. I wish I had more cheese, it would have helped keep the two layers together, but it was a tasty and filling dinner regardless.

Richa's Fiesta Quesadilla

Flour Tortillas
Grated cheese, I used Cheddar, but pepper jack, or any other melting cheese should do fine.

The Filling:
A can on white beans (cannelini)
A can of corn
Green bell pepper, diced
Red onion, diced
Jalapeno, diced (optional)
Juice of half a lime
Salt & Pepper


• Mix all the filling ingredients well
• You are now ready to assemble the quesadilla
• Oil a large non-stick frying pan. Place a tortilla and layer it with an even layer of the bean mix on half of the tortilla.
(note: I tried to do one giant one, and failed miserably. Mine refused to flip over. I lost most of the contents trying. For the next one, I tried puting stuff on half of the tortilla and doing a half-moon - it worked like a charm)


• Evenly distribute a portion of the cheese
• Flip over the other half of the tortilla to form a half moon
• Fry to a golden brown on each side.
• Slice and serve.

Manglorean Lamb Shank

My first experience with a lamb shank was in Chicago at a Indian-Latin fusion restaurant called "Vermillion". Although I wasn't the one who ordered the shank, I got to taste the falling-off-the-bone tender deliciousness. I've noticed it on a lot of menus and food network lately - and decided I must give it a shot. I looked it up Vermillion's menu which describes is as "Lamb Shank Gassi : mangalorean braised domestic lamb shank, mango panch puran rice" Whhosh! I don't even know what Manglorean means - so I just made it up. Here's my take on it -

Manglorean Braised Lamb Shank

Lamb shank
Sliced onions
mix the rest of the ingredients to make a slurry:
paprika
cumin powder
coriander powder
red chili powder
salt
chopped garlic
chopped ginger
dry mustard powder
fenugreek powder
garam masala
a can of tomato puree
a can of water

• Set the shank in a slow cooker
• Pour above mix
• Add onions
• Set on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
• Serve on a bed of Basmati rice.

Bon Appetite!

Pepsi Pork

My inspiration for today's dish came from a "Top Chef: Masters" episode. The one where the quick fire round involved vending machine finds only. Seemed like everyone ended up using Dr. Pepper as an ingredient, and I've been wanting to do that since. I figured pork was the best medium here, as it lends itself to a hot and sweet dish. I started out with some pork medallions and a half full bottle of Cherry Pepsi (Dr. Pepper was not on sale!) and basically ran with my idea of braised pork.

Cherry Pepsi braised Pork medallions

Pork medallions
Cherry Pepsi
Garlic
Ginger
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon (I almost regretted this ingredient later, feel free to leave it out)
Celery
Carrots

• Mix all except the pork and veggies in a mixing bowl.
• Place medallions in a slow cooker, add above concoction, add veggies. Let cook on medium for a few hours, until nice and tender.
• Pick out the medallions, and drain the veggies, reserving the cooking liquids.
• Add a bit of oil to a pan and sear the chops to get some color.
• Meanwhile, start reducing the cooking liquids in a small saucepan.
• As the sauce starts getting thicker and stickier, add a pat of butter and some thinly sliced scallions (optional) and take off the heat.
• Plate your braised pork with a spoonful of Cherry Pepsi reduction glaze and the veggies.

I served mine with an Orzo Salad and a simple Jicama Slaw:

Roasted Tomato and Spinach Orzo Salad

Orzo
Spinach
Grape tomatoes
Balsamic vinegar
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Fresh mozzarella

• Wash, pat dry tomatoes and dress with salt, pepper, garlic and a bit of oil.
• Place in a baking dish and roast the tomatoes at 400º for 45mins to and hour.
• Meanwhile, cook the orzo according to package instructions
• Chop the fresh spinach coarsely, and add to the pasta cooking water, just before take the pot off the heat.
• Run under cold water and drain.
• In a large enough mixing bowl add the orzo and spinach, diced fresh mozzarella, the roasted grape tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste and some balsamic vinegar.
• A dash of olive oil on top to seal the deal.
• Serve with your favorite entree, in this case Pepsi Pork. Works well as a summery salad as well.

Jicama Slaw

• Julianne jicama
• Add lemon juice and salt.
• Enjoy!