Quesadillas

Recently our most frequent standby, quesadillas are adaptable to many different diets.

Ingredients
tortillas, corn or flour
shredded or sliced monterey jack cheese (or other mild white, like mozarella or provolone)
oil for frying
salsa, for serving

Directions
Slice cheese if necessary. (2 minutes hands-on prep)
Heat oil to medium high heat (corn tortillas) or medium heat (flour tortillas).
Place as many tortillas in the oil as will fit in your pan. (1 minute hands-on prep)
Place a thin layer of cheese on each tortilla and top with another tortilla. Press each top tortilla down with the back of a spatula. (1 minute hands-on prep)
Fry until crispy on one side, about 4 minutes (corn tortillas) or 2 minutes (flour tortillas).
Flip to the other side. (1 minute hands-on prep)
Fry for a few minutes until crispy on this side, too.

We like to serve with salsa, sour cream, and/or guacamole & a small side salad of finely chopped lettuce, peppers & onions.

Variations
Add veggies or meat along with the cheese. Try summer squash, green peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, chicken, turkey, shrimp or beef. Breakfast quesadillas with eggs & cheddar cheese (with or without more meat & veggies) are also very good.

If you use corn tortillas, sprinkle with salt when they are fresh out of the frying pan.

Salmon Croquettes / Tuna Burgers

Thanks to Lara for this one. I've had these at her house & they are very yummy. The biggest plus? They even please the under 5 crowd.

Anna Mae's Salmon Croquettes (my granny)

Ingredients
1 packet of salmon (or use canned, but plan for time to debone)
1/2 c mashed potatoes (leftovers or use bread crumbs as a binder)
Chopped or Grated onion
Chopped or Grated carrot
Salt and pepper to taste (can also add garlic powder, oregano, parsley, red
pepper flakes - experiment with flavors)
1 egg
Cracker crumbs or bread crumbs (optional)
Olive oil

Directions
Debone salmon if you are using a can. (adds 4 minutes hands-on prep)

Combine first six ingredients and mix well (using your hands works well to catch any stray bones). (3 minutes hands-on prep)

Preheat some olive oil in skillet on medium-low heat. (1 minute hands-on prep)

Pat out croquettes to desired size. Roll in crumbs (optional). Place in olive oil. On medium-low heat, you can begin fixing sides, if desired, & tend to the patties very little. Once browned on one side, flip over to brown other side. (5 minutes hands-on prep)

I usually serve with green beans and potatoes or rice.

Variations to make them Super Easy

Rather than pat into croquettes, roll into balls, then dip each ball in olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet & bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until you just begin to smell them.

Tuna Burger Variation

Ingredients
2 cans tuna
3-4 Tbls. mayonnaise or 2 eggs
2-3 Tbls. dill pickle relish
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
salt
olive oil or cooking oil

Mince onion in a food processor. (2 minutes hands-on prep)
Mix all ingredients together except salt and oil. (2 mintues hands-on prep)
Make patties & saute in oil on medium-low heat until browned on both sides. (3 minutes hands-on prep)
or
Dip patties in oil & place on cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until you begin to smell them (15-20 minutes).
Sprinkle with salt & serve.