EASY TORTILLA PIZZA

Posted on August 21, 2013 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

tortilla pizza

This week I’m pulling out all the stops for my easy recipe.  My recipe for Tortilla Pizza is great tasting an super easy! No need to make pizza bread, just pick up a package of tortillas.   And as a bonus this meal has a fraction of the bread you would normally consume with a pizza.  You can make a variety of toppings and let your family make individual pizzas.  I chose to make a vegetarian and a smoked salmon tortilla pizza.

Ingredients:

Package of medium soft Tortillas

Package shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Refried beans (canned)

Enchilada sauce (canned)

Diced green chilis (canned)

Red onion – thinly sliced

Tomato – thinly sliced

Avocado – wedge sliced

Fresh cilantro – chopped

Chili powder

Dried ground cumin

Preparation:

Step 1:  BBQ tortilla shells – heat grill to medium high.  Place tortilla on grill for about a minute each side to get grill marks and firm the tortilla.

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Step 2:  Re-fried beans.  In large pot add the can of re-fried beans, 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, 1 Tbsp. water, 1 Tbsp diced green chilis, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp ground cumin.  Stir and heat on medium.  While heating beans smash larger beans to get a smoother puree.

Step 3:  Spread re-fried beans on the tortilla, cover beans with cheese, and tomato slices, red onion slices, (and if you want smoked salmon etc.) and BBQ, microwave, or use oven to melt cheese.

Step 4:  Plate the individual pizza and add avocado wedges and cilantro.

Step5:   Enjoy.

AND STUFF

I’m pretty excited to be doing my first book signing this Sunday August 25 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., at Apostrophe Books in lovely Belmont Shore (Long Beach, CA).  I was thrilled to be invited for a signing at one of the great indie SoCal book stores.  My novel GOLDPLAY was originally a screenplay that won an award.  But, getting a screenplay into production is another matter.  I love the story, so I opted to write the book while waiting on the screenplay development.

 

102096_Cover

Recently discharged, unofficial Army Ranger, Amber Reyes now residing in Los Angeles meets ex-FBI agent Jack Fields.  They merge their formidable skill sets to form 3-D Security.  London hires them to do a simple security review of a firm that stores gold for the wealthy.  Now all they have to do to grow their new plum client is live long enough to thwart an elaborate gold theft scheme.

 

 

If you are in the area drop by Apostrophe Books and say hi!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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EASY GRILLED CHEESE AND TURKEY SANDWICH

Posted on August 13, 2013 by easyrecipesandstuffc

DSCN0429EASY RECIPE

This week’s Grilled Gruyere Cheese and Turkey Sandwich recipe is super easy and great tasting!  You can get this meal on the plate in less than 15 minutes!  All you need to do is pick up a few ingredients on the way home from work and it’s show time!

easy grilled cheese and turkey

 

recipe serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb sliced deli pepper turkey

1/2 lb Gruyere cheese

Tuscan Pane Classic Italian Bread (sliced)

Savory Cranberry Cabernet Sauce (jar available at Whole Foods or WineCranberrySauce.com)

2 tomatoes (thinly sliced)

8 large fresh basil leafs

10 oz bag of shredded cabbage

5 Tbsp Light Champagne Vinairgrette Salad Dressing

unsalted butter

PREPARATION:

Place shredded cabbage in large bowl and stir in 5 Tbsp of Light Champagne Vinairgrette. Next stir in a dash of ground pepper and salt.

Butter 8 slices of Tuscan Pane bread.  Place 2 slices butter side down in fry pan.

On the bread in fry pan layer cheese, turkey, tomato slices, 2 basil leafs.

To remaining bread top slices add to side without butter a generous serving of Savory Cranberry Cabernet Sauce.  Place bread butter side up to complete sandwich in fry pan.

Heat fry pan on medium high.  The butter on bottom will melt and quite quickly the bread will become golden brown.  Carefully flip the sandwich and brown the the other side.

Repeat procedure for remaining two sandwiches.

Plate sandwiches with side of easy coleslaw and enjoy your super easy, fast, and tasty dinner!

AND STUFF

I’m not big on crowds and shopping.  But She Who Must Be Obeyed and number two son wanted to hit the massive discount shopping mall near Banning.  So I had no choice but to suck it up and enter the world of shoulder to shoulder bargain hunters.

And, just to make things interesting it was near 100 degrees, and oh yeah portions of the mall are being renovated so the throngs walk along narrow boarded off walkways.  I felt like a blood cell passing through a clogged artery.

But, I manned up (?), and shopped my way through the jammed mall.

I get bored easily.  So while Sue and son shopped I began to crowd watch.  I noticed large groups of Asian tourists.  Some with guides happily shopping the discounts.  And then the irony hit me.  I would bet almost all the merchandise on sale was made in Asia and shipped to the California desert for market.   And now tourists who had traveled from all corners of Asia were scooping up the discounted merchandise for the  triumphant return trip across the Pacific Ocean.

Absolutely wonderful example of the world market in operation.  I wonder if I could get a discounted Ford on an Asian holiday?

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Easy Southwestern Caesar Ahi Salad

Posted on August 7, 2013 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy recipe uses the Southwestern Caesar salad dressing from Enchantment Resort which I have modified slightly to make preparation easier.  If you’re not a fan of Ahi tuna you can substitute chicken strips.

Ahi Caesar Salad

recipe serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. sushi grade Ahi

2 head Romaine lettuce

1 Carrot – pealed into strips

2 Tomatoes – cut into wedges

2 Limes – juiced

1 C Mayonnaise (low fat)

1/4 C shredded Parmesan Cheese

2 tsp Red Wine Vinegar

2 oz can Anchovies Filets

1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Dash of Tabasco Sauce

salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION 

To a blender add the: mayonnaise, chili powder, Parmesan cheese, lime juice, anchovies, red wine vinegar, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper.  Blend until smooth.

Wash, dry, and tear up the Romaine lettuce.

Peel carrot into strips.

Cut tomatoes into wedges.

Pre-heat BBQ to high heat.

Coat both sides of the Ahi with canola oil and then apply generous amount of ground pepper to both sides.

Cook Ahi about one minute on each side.

Slice Ahi  into 1/3 of inch thick slices.

Plate the romaine lettuce, add Ahi, carrots, tomatoes, and Southwestern Caesar salad dressing.  And that’s all there is to making a great easy dinner for four!

AND STUFF

My dear friend Larry is recovering from a desiccated ascending aorta.  He is very lucky. I have been told the nickname for the condition is the silent killer because typically there are no advance warnings or symptoms and the fatality rate is extremely high.

According to Wikipedia: “Aortic dissection occurs when a tear in the inner wall of the aorta  causes blood to flow between the layers of the wall of the aorta, forcing the layers apart. …. Aortic dissection … can quickly lead to death, even with optimal treatment, as a result of decreased blood supply to other organs,  cariac failure,  and sometimes rupture of the aorta. … The diagnosis is made with medical imaging…” ( http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aortic_dissection.com)

So, this week instead of a fun story, my suggestion for table talk is to discuss this condition because many, if not most, people are unaware of it.  An then make a point at your next physical to talk with your doctor about doing the imaging so the danger can be ruled our or addressed before unset.

To your health and the speedy recovery of my friend!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

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Easy Linguine With Fresh Vegetables and Goat Cheese

Posted on July 23, 2013 by easyrecipesandstuffc

EASY RECIPE

This week’s easy recipe caught Sue’s eye as she read her August issue of Real Simple. Sue asked if I would make the dish for her, and after adding a few touches of my own, her dinner request was ready for testing.  Turned out to be a great meal full of fresh from the garden flavors including a wonderful zucchini and tomatoes grown by Sue’s co-worker.

linguine

recipe serves four

Ingredients

10 oz Linguine

1 fire roasted red pepper (from store bought jar) – cut into thin strips

1/4 C pine nuts

14 kalamata olives -halved

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 C fresh corn (sliced off ears)

2 cloves garlic – minced

2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes – halved

1 lb. zucchini – thinly cut into ribbons

2 Tbsp fresh oregano – chopped

5 oz goat cheese – crumbled.

salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation

Cook the linguine as directed on packaging. When done reserve 3/4 C of the water and then drain pasta, cover and set pasta aside.

Heat oil in large fry pan on medium heat.  Add the corn, pine nuts, garlic, and 1/4 tsp each of sea salt and pepper. Toss while cooking 2 minutes. Add the the zucchini slices and toss for a minute.  Add the olives, tomatoes, oregano and cook for 3 minutes.  Add the pasta water  and pasta.

Plate the pasta in a large serving bowl, and top with crumbled goat cheese.

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And that’s all there is to it.  You just made my take on a great summer Real Simple inspired pasta.

 

 

 

AND STUFF

102096_Cover

In my novel GOLDPLAY, recently discharged, unofficial Army Ranger, Amber Reyes, now residing in Los Angeles, meets ex-FBI agent Jack Fields.  They merge their formidable skill sets to form 3-D Security.  London hires them to do a simple security review of a firm that stores gold for the wealthy.  Now all they have to do to grow their new plum client is live long enough to thwart an elaborate gold theft scheme.

GOLDPLAY is now available in print form at:  Granada Books, and The Book Den in Santa Barbara; Bank of Books in Ventura; Vroman’s in Pasadena; Pages in Manhattan Beach; Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe; and Collected Works in Santa Fe.

For those not near the indie stores stocking GOLDPLAY it is available in electronic format through AmazonKindle, ibookstore, nook, Reader, kobo and others.

I’m currently scheduled for book signings at Apostrophe Books in Long Beach on August 25 from 2 to 4, and at The Bank of Books in Ventura on October 19 from 1 to 3.  Come on by and we can talk books and recipes!

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger

© Copyright 2013 – Reproduction of the contents of this website without permission, in whole or in part is strictly prohibited.

 

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