Keeper: Asparagus

So, this was super simple, but soooo good. It's also mostly from budget bytes.

Take the trimmed asparagus and put it in a skillet with some water (so it's like half covered). Put heat on high and leave it on there until the asparagus is soft and a happy bright green. Then drain off water and add a tiny pat of butter, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh

Vegetables: Vegetarian Southern Style Collard Greens

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/vegetarian-southern-style-collard-greens-recipe.html

I had tons of leftover collard greens from the African peanut stew this week, so I made this. It's delicious and easy. I didn't have an onion to spare, so I used dried onion flakes.

Keeper Recipe: Baked Acorn Squash

So, I started with this recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/baked-acorn-squash-with-brown-sugar-and-butter-recipe.html

But that wasn't going to do it for me and my desire to not get diabetes. So, I did a dash of salt, dash of pepper, maybe 1/3 tbsp of butter, and 1/2  tbsp of brown sugar and no maple syrup.  Next time, I'd give more butter and brown sugar for a much richer flavor, but it doesn't really matter.

Recipe:
- slice it open (and slice a little bit of the bottom if it won't stay upright)
-scoop out insides and throw in trash (unless you have creative powers and can use it)
- put some stuff on it, preferably brown sugar and butter-- add a bit of salt and pepper too
-put it in the oven at 400F for 1 hour and stab it with a fork to be sure it's good to go

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
delicious

Cost: Whatever the cost of acorn squash is, currently it's real cheap.
Convenience: Could hardly be easier to make, but it does take time to cook. 
Delicious: mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh
Freeze: Dunno. Doesn't sound like a great idea.
Uses: Side dish, quick healthy dinner, warming and filling, eat your veggies
Notes: -could be interesting to try some other toppings on it--lots of variety possible
-life is much better if you put it on aluminum foil so you can destroy the environment but not have to wash dishes.

Keeper: Quesadilla

I wanted something warm and satifying and comforting for snack and I was wandering around indecisively until I remembered that I had tortillas.

So, less than 5 minutes later, warm quesadilla in hand (pepperjack and brie!), I am so happy with life. 

I just did it dry, works fine and barely have to wash the pan, but I've also used just enough melted butter to coat the bottom before (internet tells me this is about 1/2 tsp. Could also use pam, or just read someone saying that they think it works better to put the butter on the tortilla with their fingers instead of hte pan)

Quesadilla ideas

 Peanut butter and banana (really delicious desert one)

cheese + tobasco

cheese + beans + hot sauce

grated sweet potatoes sauteed with onion and cilantro and layered with Jack cheese

caramelized onions and brie. 

Why am I even listing these? Just make delicious things.

Keeper Recipe: Microwave-Steamed Zucchini

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmh this is such a keeper. It could not be easier, healthier, or more delicious. I was just looking for a way to use up a zucchini that was going to go bad, but I will be doing this over and over.



http://www.food.com/recipe/microwave-steamed-zucchini-323310
"

DIRECTIONS

1. Slice zucchini lenth-wise, not cutting all the way to the bottom.
2. Open slightly and spray interior with butter.
3. Sprinkle interior with salt and pepper (and parmesan)
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in microwave. Microwave for 5 minutes on high power.
5. Let stand for two minutes, remove, and cut in wedges.
6. Voila."
7. 
   

Keeper Recipe 2: Summer Vegetable Tian

http://www.budgetbytes.com/2011/08/summer-vegetable-tian/

Cost: It's the cost of veggies and cheese pretty much. Not the cheapest ever, but definitely not expensive.
Convenience: This is super easy to make. It takes at least an hour to make, but most of that is unattended cooking. It's mostly lots of chopping and cramming for the work part. It is a little annoying that it uses up the dish to saute too-- so it might be nice to find other recipes to pair it with.
Delicious: So good. Soooo good. Mmmmmmh.
Freeze: Probably a no. Haven't tried yet.
Uses: We'll see how it holds up this week as one of my major meal options. It's not the most filling thing on the planet because it's mostly just watery veggies, but it was sooooo good. This makes a great side dish, a great snack food for my tastes. 
Notes: It came out watery in the bottom this time, I just drained it off and it wasn't a big deal, but there were some recommendations to take the seeds out of the tomato, salt the veggies first, or cook it for longer. ALSO, I used sweet potato instead of potato and cooked the potatoes for 3-4 mintues before I chopped them up, that seemed to work well. Also, the cheese was delicious melted, but not evenly distributed and not really toasted brown (I burned my hand, so I was over it)-- so that could be better next time too. Also, I basically doubled the recipe and used a larger pan because I didn't have an 8x8..There's definitely room for modification on this recipe to make it more stellar, but I'd eat it any day of the week.