Peanut Butter

2 cups roasted shelled peanuts
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if salted peanuts are used)

Using the metal blade, process ingredients in a food processor continuously for 2 to 3 minutes. The ground peanuts will form a ball which will slowly disappear. Continue to process until the desired consistency is obtained. If necessary, stop machine and scrape sides of container with a rubber spatula.

For crunchy peanut butter, stir in 1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts after the processing is completed.

Yields 1 cup creamy or 1-1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter.

Store in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator. Oil may rise to the top. If this occurs, stir before using.

Quesadilla Pie

Brush butter on the bottom of the pan to keep the tortillas from sticking, and to the top of the last tortilla for flavor and to help it brown. Hint: do not skip the butter.

Ingredients

Basic ingredients:

• 4 large flour tortillas (9-10 inches diameter)
• Butter
• 1/2 pound grated cheese, either mild or sharp cheddar, or Monterey Jack

Potential filling ingredients:

• Beans, cooked (black beans, pinto beans)
• Tomatoes, chopped
• Summer squash, chopped
• Onions (green onions, red onions, onion greens)
• Mushrooms (if using a lot, sauté first, to remove moisture)
• Cooked shredded chicken, pork, or beef
• Chiles, either from cooked green chiles, chopped pickled jalapenos, or salsa
• Cumin and/or chili powder for extra heat

Garnishes:

• Chopped avocado
• Chopped cilantro
• Thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed with vinegar and salt
• Sour cream
• Salsa

Method

1 Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter the bottoms and sides of a pie dish, approximately the same size as your tortillas (I used a 10-inch pyrex pie dish for 10-inch wide tortillas).

2 Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish. Sprinkle some shredded cheese over the tortilla. At this point, you will begin to add your chosen filling ingredients, and layering the tortillas. Just make sure each layer has a generous sprinkling of cheese. In the pictured example, I used cheese, black beans, and onion greens on the first layer. Then I added another tortilla on top of that and put chopped zucchini, chopped tomato, chopped pickled jalapenos, and more shredded cheese. I also sprinkled a little cumin and chili powder on this layer. I added another tortilla and put more shredded cheese, more black beans, tomatoes and onions. Top off your layers with one last flour tortilla. Spread a little butter over the surface of this tortilla.

3 Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Put in oven for 30 minutes on 350°F. Then remove the foil and increase the heat to 400°F. Cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly. Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Cut into quarters.

Serve with chopped avocados, shredded lettuce, cilantro, salsa, and/or sour cream.

Serves 4.

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/quesadilla_pie/

Hummus

• 2 cups drained well-cooked or canned chickpeas, liquid reserved
• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame paste), optional, with some of its oil
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus oil for drizzling
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled, or to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin or paprika, or to taste, plus a sprinkling for garnish
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus more as needed
• Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Preparation

1. Put everything except the parsley in a food processor and begin to process; add the chickpea liquid or water as needed to allow the machine to produce a smooth puree.

2. Taste and adjust the seasoning (I often find I like to add much more lemon juice). Serve, drizzled with the olive oil and sprinkled with a bit more cumin or paprika and some parsley.