Spinach and Bean Empanadas

Empanadas are delicious, but they are never vegetarian at restaurants for some reason. Why is that when these are so easy and obvious?

1 10oz pack of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1 large onion diced

5 cloves garlic

1 can beans rinsed and drained

1 egg, hard boiled and chopped

queso fresco (or any cheese) to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1 package GOYA "tapas para empanadas" - (lazy, i know)

Saute onion and garlic, then mix with remaining ingredients in large bowl.

Place one tablespoon of filling in center of each dough disc. Lightly wet the edges with water using finger tips. Fold in half and seal edges by pressing together with a fork. Bake for around 10 mins at 350 or until golden brown. You can also fry them if you're in that kind of mood.

Serve with your choice of yummy sauces. Tomatillo chipotle salsa and mexican crema shown here.

Vegetarian Passover Dishes

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat chometz all seven
days of Passover. "Chometz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye.) The way around that when you want something starchy? Quinoa! It seems like a grain, but it is actually a member of the beet family.

Enter Greens and Quinoa Pie!

1 c. Quinoa rinsed and drained

1 10 oz. pack of frozen spinach (thawed but not drained)

1 large onion chopped and sauteed.

1/2 c. fresh herbs chopped

1/4 c. goat cheese

1/2 c. plain greek yogurt

3 eggs beaten

salt and pepper to taste

Oil a deep pie plate with olive oil. Mix all ingredients in large mixing bowl and transfer to oiled pie plate and bake at 350 for 30-40 mins. Easy!

Serve with Tunisian Carrot Salad:

1 lb. baby carrots chopped

20 kalamata olives chopped

sunflower shoots

olive oil

roasted garlic

paprika

cayenne pepper

lemon juice

chopped parsley

Mix it all together and serve either chilled or at room temperature.

Oh, and since I'm not Jewish, I also had a big slice of whole wheat bread with white bean spread on it. Bean spread recipe to follow.