Recipe for Pinto Bean Enchilladas

• 15 medium-sized corn tortillas
• 1 small onion
• 1 small bell pepper
• 1 cup frozen corn kernals
• 2 1/4 cups cooked pinto (Canned beans work, too.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Quarter onions and bell peppers. Chop well in mini food processor. Mine were almost creamed, and that works well, adding significantly more flavor than the usual dicing technique.

Place tortillas on wet paper towel in a tortilla warmer and microwave 1:30 minutes. You should be able to achieve the same effect in a large microwaveable bowl covered with a wet paper towel. Heat one minute and warm additionally if tortillas are not pliable.

Layer one spoonful each of beans, onion and bell pepper mixture, corn, and cheese into tortillas. Roll tightly and lay in Pyrex dish.

Top with canned enchilada sauce or make your own. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Top with shredded lettuce, salsa, and sour cream if you wish.

Quinoa a la Florentine

• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup onion, sliced
• 1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed
• 1/8 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely shredded
• 1/3 cup pine nuts, chopped and toasted
• 2 Campari Tomatoes, quartered

Sautee onions until soft in 1 teaspoon olive oil then add garlic to cook briefly. (Don't let the garlic brown.) Add the broth and allow to heat up. Add spinach and cook until just wilted. Serve spinach over quinoa topped with pine nuts and parmesan. Garnish on four sides with tomatoes.

Lentil and Rice Stew

• 2 cups cooked rice, I used a mixture of brown and red
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 1 cup lentils, uncooked
• 1 cup onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons McKay's Chicken-style (vegetarian) Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups water

In soup pot, warm olive oil and add onions. If the onions are frozen, they cook faster, so add the celery and carrots pretty quickly after the onions are coated in oil and warmed. Add the water mixed with the McKay's, then the lentils. Bring all to a boil, turn down to medium and simmer about 30 minutes. That's what it took for me, and they were still a little crunchy. Add the rice and warm through. Add less rice or more water for stew.

The sides are not gluten-free. Worthington Skallops are from a can and pan-fried in just a touch of oil to keep them from sticking. The biscuit recipe came from Smitten Kitten and tasted so good dipped in the broth.

Recipe for Veggie Fajitas

• 2 Large/Burrito Size Flour Tortillas
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 large onion, diced or sliced
• 1/4 bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup vegetarian turkey, cubed or sliced
• 1/2 cup zucchini, cubed
• 1 T Oil, olive or other preferred sauteing

Note: Proportions of veggies and veggie-meat were what I had on hand. The beauty of such a recipe is that you can always add or take away or exchange. There is no wrong as long as you like what you are putting in the dish!

Place a medium to large skillet on medium-high heat. Pour in oil and add onions. Stir until onions soften. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and turkey. Stir to coat with oil. Let sit occasionally to brown sides of veggies and stir again. Veggie-meats do not have a minimum cook time. You only need the food to be cooked through (and the veggies tender, of course). Place tortillas on microwaveable plate. Spread vegetables evenly in center of wrap. Sprinkle with cheese and roll. Microwave 30 seconds to melt cheese OR while the veggies are cooking, place the tortillas on top of the skillet so they catch the heat from the cooking. Turn often to make sure all sides are warmed. Then, you don't have to microwave the finished product.

Recipe for Mexican Pizza

• 2 Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
• 1/8 onion, sliced
• 1/4 small bell pepper, sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/3 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
• 1/3 can Refried Beans
• 1/2 cup (more or less) cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place one flour tortilla in the center of a jelly roll pan (I like a pan with edges so juices don't run). Spread refried beans over the tortilla. Lay the onions, bell peppers, and black olives around over the beans and top with one layer of cheese (optional). Place second tortilla over the toppings (like a quesadilla), and top with the tomatoes and additional cheese. Bake in oven 7 minutes or until edges are brown and cheese is bubbling.

Red Lentil Soup by Lisa Hardinge

Saute on Medium Heat

• 2 large onions, chopped
• 6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 8 tablespoons olive oil (or less)

Add

• 3 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 3 tablespoons McKay's chicken- style seasoning
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon basil
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 1 large can tomato sauce, 14.5 oz.
• 10 cups water

Heat to boil. Simmer on medium heat up to 45 minutes, stirring regularly.

NOTE: Can substitute 2 tbsp. dill weed and 3 cubes vegetable bullion for seasoning.