I Picked a Peck of Non-Pickled Peppers

Really, I just went to the store and walked my happy self over to the veggie section and went to town. 

Here are a few recipes I made recently.  The first one I got from a friend of mine so it is by no means my own creation.  No surprise there.  Most of what I blog about have come from another source to which I always give credit.

Veggie Fold-Over Quesadilla
WW Pts. + Value: 10 (very filling by the way)

Ingredients:
- 1 Flat Out Brand tortilla
- 1/2 c. sliced Vidalia (sweet) onion
- 1/2 c. chopped peppers (I used green and yellow)
- 1/2 c. of sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 c. shredded cheese
- 1 tsp. olive oil



Steps:
1. Cut all the vegetables and put them in a frying pan with the olive oil.
2. Once they've finished cooking (onions are soft or clear), put them in a bowl off to the side.  Leave the heat on b/c you're jumping right into step 3.
3. Place the Flat Out halfway in the frying pan (like in the first picture).
4. Sprinkle 1/2 the cheese (1/8 c.) on the Flat Out.
5. Put the veggies on top of the Flat Out in the pan.
6. Top the veggies with the remaining cheese (another 1/8 c.).
7. Fold over the top of the Flat Out that was on the outside of the pan.
8. Let it cook for a few minutes until the Flat Out begins to brown and becomes a bit crispy.
9. Flip the quesadilla.  (Tricky, but doable with some practice.)
10. Let the other side brown a bit then slide it off onto a plate to serve.



And here's the other recipe I made recently that was a nice change up from my normal menu.  This one was quite random and occurred when I was rummaging through my pantry and fridge to figure out what to eat.  It really happened with this mindset: "Hmm...I have some veggies.  Throw all this stuff together in some barley or rice and edamame that needs to get used up?  Sounds good!" 

Barley with Vegetables and Edamame

Makes 3 servings
WW Pts + Value: 8

Ingredients:
- 1 c. uncooked barley (serving size - 1/3 c.)
- 1 c. sliced Vidalia (sweet) onion
- 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped
- 1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1/4 c. shredded carrot
- 6 oz. (1/2 bag) of shelled edamame
- 6 tsp. of sesame seeds (or 2 tsp. per serving)
- 1 tbsp. garlic salt
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. butter (I use Brummel & Brown with Yogurt)
- 3 tbsp. of Sweet Vidalia Onion dressing (1 tbsp. per serving)


Steps:
1. Begin by cooking barley according to the directions on the box.  Make sure to watch the time as you cook the rest of the meal.
2. Then cook the edamame according to the package directions.   (I microwaved them.)
3. Put oil and butter to frying pan and when it's heated (butter melted), add vegetables.
4. Sprinkle with garlic salt as the vegetables are cooking.  Stir occasionally.
5. Once the onions are clear, you'll know the vegetables are cooked thoroughly.  Turn off the heat.
6. Put 1/3 c. of barley on a plate and top with the veggies, edamame, sesame seeds, and dressing.


I also put a salad together as a starter, but found out the barley and veggies were quite filling and couldn't even finish the whole dish!  For the homemade vinaigrette for the salad, I used the recipe from my Vitamix cookbook.  You can view the recipe on their website here.