Spinach-Portobello Quesadilla and Cumin-Spring Onion Spiced Black Beans

I saw this quesadilla recipe on "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" along with a poblano pepper sauce.  Will have to try the poblano sauce soon, but here is my version of the quesadilla.  I tried to make a simple recipe.  The original recipe called for marinating the mushrooms etc, but I skipped those steps since the intention was to create a quick recipe for an easily packable lunch.

Spinach-Portobello mushroom quesadilla

4 small tortillas
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
1 portobello mushroom, sliced (baby bellas will also work)
3 cups baby spinach, (rough chop if using regular spinach)
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 jalapeno pepper (deseeded and finely chopped)
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
salt to taste
olive oil
grated Mozarella cheese or mexican blend

Filling:  Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a small skillet.  Once the oil warms up, add garlic, jalapeno pepper, sesame seeds and cumin powder and slightly saute for 30 seconds.  Add the onion and saute for a minute.  Add the mushrooms followed by vinegar, once the mushrooms have warmed through.  Stir well and add spinach.  Mix in salt and sugar and take off the heat after about a minute when the spinach wilts a little bit.

I use a non stick skillet to assemble my quesadillas. Place cheese, filling, cheese n half of the tortilla and fold over the other half.  I prefer mozarella because I find it holds a quesadilla better due to its stickiness.

Cumin-spring onion spiced black beans

Olive oil
1  jalapeno, deseeded and finely chopped
2 sping onions, finely chopped green and white parts
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 can of black beans, 16 oz
1-2 teaspoon lemon juice (as per taste)
salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

For me, a mixture of jalapeno, cumin powder, paprika and lemon juice is the essence of mexican cooking.  I may be completely wrong about this, but thats "mexican" in my kitchen!

Start wih a tablespoon of olive oil and add jalapenos, spring onions, cumin and paprika when the oil is warm.  Once the onions sizzle and the aroma fills your kitchen (less than a minute), add black beans, salt and sugar.  The canned beans are cooked, so it will only take a minute or two for them to warm up and soak all the flavors.  Finish with a squirt of lemon juice.

Now, thats a weekday lunch-box I am looking forward too!  I made 4 quesadillas and beans, enough for Salil and I for two lunches.

Tom Yum Soup

This one is one of my child hood favorites and it comes as a surprise that even before chinese, thai cuisine was a norm, Tom-Yum Soup has been available in plenty. This simple, thai soup is a comfort food for me and reminds me of “Nanking” – the first asian restaurant in my home town of Nagpur in central India.

The key to this simple soup is a good stock. We made a shrimp and chicken stock using peels from the shrimp, bones and skin from a rotisserie chicken breast and flavored with cilantro stems, lemon grass and ginger.

The next key ingredient is the thai red-curry paste. I used a store bought paste this time but making it at home is high on my to-do list. I believe in home-made stocks and feel like it is about time to take my spice blends equally seriously.

5 cups of shrimp stock
1.5 cups baby-bella mushrooms (quartered)
2 stalks of lemon grass (cut into finger long pieces)
4 kaffir lime leaves (optional)
0.5 inch piece of galangal (can substitute with ginger)
4 red chillis (I used “kashmiri” chillis – they have a nice deep red color but are not very hot, I also shook off most of the seeds to reduce the heat)
1.5 table spoon fish sauce
Juice of 1.5 limes
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 to 1.5 cups coconut milk (as per desired creaminess)
Cilantro and scallions for garnish.

Some of the recipes I researched used a tom-yum soup paste and a thai red chilli paste, but I went with the red curry paste since it is very easily available and multi-purpose.

Most recipes called for mixing in the ingredients and bringing the soup to a slow simmer and boil and then stirring in the coconut milk at last. I tried a different approach. I tempered the galangal/ ginger, kaffir lime leaves, red chillis and mushrooms in a teaspoon of hot vegetable oil. Next I added the red curry paste, lime juice and sugar and stirred for about a minute before adding the stock etc. As the soup came to a slow boil, I finished by adding the coconut juice and garnished with cilantro leaves and chopped scallions.

If you want to make the soup a little heartier, stir in peeled, de-veined shrimps and/or small asian flavored meatballs along with the coconut milk.