Ortegas at 141 University Ave. San Diego, CA

                                               Chile Rellenos and Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Table-side Guacamole

We found the best spot in San Diego for the tastiest Mexican Food with a Margarita that is by far the best in the West!  Couple that with the tableside Guacamole.  Stop by Ortegas at 141 University Ave.  You can't be disappointed!

This is a wonderful salad from Heidi Swanson's cookbook Super Natural Every Day. Click on photo to enlarge.

Shaved Fennel Salad

If you're using a knife to prep here, 

do your best to slice things very, very 

thinly - not quite see through thin, 

but close.

 2 small fennel bulbs, 
    trimmed and shaved paper-thin
2/3 cup loosely 
    chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, 
    plus more if needed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, 
    plus more if needed
fine grain sea salt
4 or 5 generous handfuls arugula
Honey, if needed
1/2 cup pine nuts, 
    toasted (I used almonds)
1/3 cup feta cheese, 
crumbled

***

Directions:

Combine the zucchini, fennel and dill in a 

bowl and toss with the lemon juice, olive 

oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside and 

marinate for 20 minutes, or up to an hour.

When you are ready to serve the salad, 

put the arugula in a large bowl. Scoop 

all of the zucchini and fennel onto the 

arugula, and pour most of the lemon 

juice dressing on top of that. Toss 

gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust

 with more of the dressing, olive oil, 

lemon juice, or salt if needed. 

If the lemons were particularly tart, you 

may need to counter the pucker-factor 

by adding a tiny drizzle of honey into the 

salad at this point. Let your taste buds 

guide you. Serve topped with pine nuts 

and feta.                     Serves 4 to 6.

Prep time: 10 minutes.   

What To Do With Leftover Easter Candy

1. Donate it to homeless shelters. Wrap up candy in treat bags and donate it to children who probably didn’t get any Easter candy.

2. Use your Peeps creatively. Turn leftover Peeps into vodka-soaked Peeptinis and Peep Waldorf Salad.

3. Create jelly bean art. Kids can draw pictures, trace the lines with frosting or blue, and decorate with brightly colored jelly beans.

4. Chop up chocolate bunnies and chicks that won’t get eaten, freeze the pieces and pull out to use like chocolate chips in cookies and other goodies.

5. Any candy that is heat-resistant can be added to shoeboxes along with other needed items for our troops as part of Operation Shoe Box. If the kids are off from school this week, this might be a great project for them to choose all the nonmelting candy in their stash, shop for the rest of the items and box it up and send it off before school starts again.

6. Fondue. Make bunny fondue and dip lots of fresh fruit in it.

7. Use Peeps in a flower arrangement. If you’re doing some spring entertaining, this is a cute idea. Peeps are pressed against the inside of a short glass vase, and a smaller glass is place inside for the water and flowers.

Black Bean-Quinoa Burgers

Black Bean-Quinoa Burgers

Tonight I made these burgers for a granddaughter who is vegetarian. They were recommended by our daughter Barbara.  Serves 8

Here's a delicious veggie burger you can whip up from scratch. Any steak seasoning (which is just a combination of herbs and spices) will work to give the patties a rich, hearty flavor. Stash a few in the freezer for busy weeknight meals. For super-easy cookouts, bake the patties ahead, then reheat them on the grill. Serve with your favorite burger fixings.

*

Ingredients:

½ cup quinoa
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (¼ cup)
1 ½ cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried steak seasoning
8 whole-grain hamburger buns

*

Directions:
1. Stir together quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in small saucepan, and season with salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to sauté the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 11/2 cups water. Simmer 9 to 11 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor, add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup black beans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (1/2 cup each), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown. Serve on buns.Tonight I made these burgers for a granddaughter who is vegetarian. They were recommended by our daughter Barbara.  Serves 8

Here's a delicious veggie burger you can whip up from scratch. Any steak seasoning (which is just a combination of herbs and spices) will work to give the patties a rich, hearty flavor. Stash a few in the freezer for busy weeknight meals. For super-easy cookouts, bake the patties ahead, then reheat them on the grill. Serve with your favorite burger fixings.

½ cup quinoa
1 small onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely chopped (¼ cup)
1 ½ cups cooked black beans, or 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
2 tsp. dried steak seasoning
8 whole-grain hamburger buns


1. Stir together quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water in small saucepan, and season with salt, if desired. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed. (You should have 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa.)

2. Meanwhile, place onion and sun-dried tomatoes in medium nonstick skillet, and cook over medium heat. (The oil left on the tomatoes should be enough to sauté the onion.) Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion has softened. Stir in 3/4 cup black beans, garlic, steak seasoning, and 11/2 cups water. Simmer 9 to 11 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

3. Transfer bean-onion mixture to food processor, add 3/4 cup cooked quinoa, and process until smooth. Transfer to bowl, and stir in remaining 3/4 cup quinoa and remaining 3/4 cup black beans. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and cool.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F, and generously coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Shape bean mixture into 8 patties (1/2 cup each), and place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until patties are crisp on top. Flip patties with spatula, and bake 10 minutes more, or until both sides are crisp and brown. Serve on buns.