February's Bulk Cooking Adventure

My friend and I normally bulk cook the first Monday of the month, but last Monday was too crazy! Here is what is on the menu...

Santa Fe Quinoa
Thai Green Curry
White Roasted Veggie Pizza
Black Bean Picante Sauce over Pasta
Caramelized Onion and Garlic Tart

Here are the recipes:

Santa Fe Style Quinoa
(Cook 1/2 C quinoa in 1 C water until fluffy (see package for instructions). This will give you 2 C quinoa.)
2 C cooked quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 C tomatoes, chopped
1 can corn, drained (or 2/3 C fresh or frozen)
3 T oil
1/2 C chunky tomato salsa
1 1/2 t Spike seasoning
2 t Mexican spice blend
1/2 t onion powder
1 t cumin powder
1 C Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Pour oil into a large skillet. I use a big cast-iron one. Add the peppers, onion and garlic. When they begin to become tender, add the zucchini. As it becomes tender, add the tomatoes and corn.Stir in the beans, quinoa, salsa, and seasonings and anything I forgot to mention individually. When it is hot throughout, you can either serve as is, or top with cheese and put in the oven until the cheese melts (just a few minutes). Or you can refrigerate this and serve it cold. By the way, Spike is a vegetarian seasoning mix. I find it in the natural health food section of the grocery store.

Thai Green Curry
We are going to loosely follow the recipe on the back of a jar of Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste.
1 can coconut milk
I T. green curry paste
2 skinned, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 T. fish sauce
2 T. brown sugar
Steamed veggies that we will add: carrots, peas, zucchini
In a large saucepan simmer the coconut milk and paste. Add the chicken, fish sauce and brown sugar. Simmer 10 minutes. Add the steamed veggies. This will be put in Ziploc bags and then on serving day it will be served over brown rice.

White Roasted Veggie Pizza
This recipe we just came up with on our own. This is basically what we will do.
Make the white sauce which is basically alfredo sauce: sauteed chopped onion and some pressed garlic, add whipping cream and simmer til thick. Finally add Parmesan cheese to taste. If the sauce doesn't thicken you can add a bit of flour. Freeze in small containers.
Veggies that we will roast and put in Ziplocs: bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, artichokes, tomatoes, zucchini.
Day of serving: Use your favorite pizza dough recipe. Roll out dough on pizza stone. Cover dough with the alfredo sauce. Add the roasted veggies to the top. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake.

Black Bean Picante Sauce over Pasta
1 med. onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 T oil
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
2 (16 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup picante sauce
1 t chili powder
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t. dried oregano
4 cups hot cooked pasta (serving day)
1/3 cup shredded Jack cheese (serving day)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (serving day)
Saute onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Stir in all the other ingredients (minus the serving day ones). Simmer for 15 min. Put in Ziplocs. On serving day, cook pasta. Serve sauce over pasta. Top with cheese and cilantro.

Caramelized Onion and Garlic Tart
1 package refrigerated crescent rolls
2 T butter
2 packed cups thinly sliced onions
4 to 5 garlic cloves, pressed
1 T sugar
1 T fresh thyme
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Open the crescent rolls and separate into 8 triangles. Arrange the triangles in a pie pan with the long points toward the center so that the bottom and side of the pan are covered with dough. Press the edges of the dough triangles firmly together to seal. Bake the crust until is is lightly browned, 8 min.
Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and garlic. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook, stirring until the onions begin to brown and take on a deep color, 8 min. Add the sugar and the thyme. Remove the crust from the oven. Press down the crust with the back of a spoon. Arrange the onion mixture on top of the crust. Crack the eggs in a small bowl, add the cream and Parmesan. Whisk to combine. Bake the tart until the custard has set, about 20 min. Cool. Wrap and freeze.