Pineapple Buffalo Tofu Quesadillas

(Serves 4 – 2 half quesadillas per serving)

Ingredients:

• Pam Cooking Spray
• 8 ounces Extra Firm Tofu, Pressed (see directoions below)
• 4 Whole Flour Tortillas
• Buffalo Sauce - I used Mexican Cholula Sauce (its a cross between hot and buffalo sauce - heat: medium)
• 5 Green Onions, Finely Chopped
• 2 medium Tomatoes, Finely Chopped
• 1 medium Yellow Onion, Sliced
• ½ Red Bell Pepper, Sliced
• 1 can (8 oz) Dole Crushed Pineapple with Juice - avoid the one with syrup
• ¼ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• ¼ Tsp Cumin
• ½ Tsp Salt
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese
• 4 Tbsp Low Fat Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Heat a Tbsp of Olive Oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the Onions to the pan. Sauté till they soften and then add the Pineapple with its juice. Cook till about 1/2 the juice has evaporated. 
2. Add in the Red Bell Pepper, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes and Salt. Once the juices are done cooking set the mixture aside. Let this cool to room temperature. 
3. In a separate bowl crumble the pre-pressed tofu. If you haven't pressed tofu yet or need directions on it, please read the notes section below. Add in the Buffalo sauce, as much as you need. I would start with a very small quantity. Fold in the Pineapple mixture and the remaining vegetables. 
4. Spray the inside of a skillet lightly with Pam Cooking Spray and heat the tortilla. Once it softens up, layer half the tortilla with the filling and some shredded cheese. Fold.
5. Cook evenly on both sides. Be careful when flipping over the YUMMY Quesadilla! It takes less than a minute to cook these so be very careful.

Serve warm with sour cream!

I find sautéing vegetables and then making quesadillas very easy. For a quick meal, I would make the vegetable filling on my day off and refrigerate it. This made for a healthy meal when you are pressed for time. This is ideal for college students too! 

Pressing Tofu:

1. Open the package and drain the water. 
2. Cut the tofu width wise. I typically cut them into 5-6 pieces. 
3. Place a single layer of these on a towel. I use paper towels, mainly because it makes for an easy and quick cleanup. 
4. Using my hand and another paper  towel I pat the pieces dry. Get as much moisture off by patting them. NOTE: The tofu (even if you by extra firm) is still tender at this point. 
5. Layer a new set of 2-4 paper towels and place a single layer of the tofu on cutting board.
6. Cover this layer with another 2-4 paper towels. Place a bowl or large plate and some heavy objects so the water gets out of the yummy tofu! 
7. I use a square serving platter and add some canned goods. Let it drain for about 30 minutes and your tofu is ready! 

PS: Amazon does sell equipment that presses Tofu but why pay when you can do it at home for a fraction of the cost. 

Spicy Desi (Indian) Potato Tian

Spicy Desi (Indian) Potato Tian

(Serves 2)

 Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Pam Cooking Spray
• 1 lb Red Potatoes, Sliced
• 1/2 cup Maggi Tomato Chatpat Sauce 
• 1 cup Pepperjack Cheese, Shredded
• 1/2 tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 tsp Chaat Masala (optional)
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. 
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the Olive Oil, Cumin, Red Pepper Flakes and Chaat Masala. Set aside. 
3. Spray the inside of a baking dish with the Pam Cooking Spray and place all the potatoes vertically as shown in the picture below. 
4. Drizzle the oil and spices mix over the potatoes. Bake for 60 minutes or until it is golden brown. 
5. Drizzle some Tomato Sauce and Cheese. 
6. Serve warm.

I usually serve this as a side. For those of you wondering what Tian means or where I got that word from, according to Google its a dish of finely chopped vegetables cooked in Olive Oil and then baked.

Vegetable Tian

Vegetable Tian

(serves 6)

Ingredients: 

• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Medium Onions - finely chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
• 1 Medium Zucchini - sliced
• 1 Medium Yellow Squash - sliced
• 1 Medium Potato - sliced
• 1 Medium Tomato - sliced
• 1/4 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• 1/2 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Heat a Tbsp of Olive Oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped Onions to the pan. Saute till they turn yellow and then add the Garlic. NOTE: Garlic cooks much faster than Onions so be mindful of that. Once the Onions and Garlic mix is done sauteing, layer it at the very bottom of your baking pan. Don't forget to spray the inside of your baking pan. 
3. Place all the vegetables vertically in an alternating pattern as shown in the picture. 
4. Sprinkle the cumin and pepper flakes over the vegetables and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. 
5. Remove the foil, sprinkle cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until it is golden brown

Serve warm. I usually serve this with some rice. For those of you wondering what Tian means or where I got that word from, according to Google its a dish of finely chopped vegetables cooked in Olive Oil and then baked. Doesn't that sound oh so fancy?!!

Hazelnut Crescent Rolls

Hazelnut Crescent Rolls

(makes 8 rolls)

Ingredients: 

• 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
• 8 Tbsp Nutella 
• 1/4 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• Pam Baking Spray

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a bowl combine the Nutella and the Vanilla Extract. 
3. Spray a cookie sheet with Pam Baking Spray. Unroll and separate the dinner rolls. Place a tablespoon of the Nutella-Vanilla mix at the bottom of the roll and roll them up!
4. Bake for 10 minutes or until it is golden brown (these bake very fast so watch them closely). 

Serve warm!