Looking for a delicious, easy and quick recipe with ingredients that you may actually already have? Look no further, I’ve got you! I love these Black Bean and Manchego Empanadas, that are made with minimal prep time because the 7-ingredient filling is folded into puffed pastry, which only takes a little plan ahead time to defrost. The vibrant chimichurri sauce takes these tasty pockets to the next level, and leftovers top off grilled steak, fish or chicken in your next meal. Truth: my family and I just dip crusty baguette slices into the chimichurri as a snack!. As I said, you may already have the puff pastry in the freezer, a can of beans in the cabinet, and a bunch of herbs ready in the fridge. You could also fill these empanadas ahead of time, and store them in a plastic freezer bag before baking to have a go-to appetizer or snack. The chimichurri can be frozen for up to three months as well! Cook along with me in the YouTube video below, and I’d be so grateful if you subscribe to my Kids Cook Along with Chef Diane channel!

Black Bean and Manchego Cheese Empanadas with Chimichurri Sauce

makes 12 empanadas

• 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green onions, finely sliced (whites and greens)
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/2 cup shredded manchego or shredded mozzarella
• Optional ½ pound ground beef, chorizo or ground turkey, cooked and cooled
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted but still cold
• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 cup parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro or mint leaves
• 1 whole garlic clove 
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a bowl, combine the beans, green onions, paprika, cumin, grated garlic and cheese. Season with a few pinches of salt and pepper. Add the ground meat, if using. Cut the dough into 12 squares. Fill each square with about 2 tablespoons of the bean mixture and fold into a triangle. Use a fork to seal the edges and brush the tops with the egg wash. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

While the empanadas bake, combine the parsley, mint or cilantro, garlic clove, red chili flakes, vinegar and olive oil in a food processor and pulse until it is a chunky mixture (don’t process until smooth). Season well with salt and pepper. Serve the empanadas warm with the sauce for dipping.

Summer is here and we are eating up all the sweet cherry tomatoes coming from our backyard and the farm. Amazing fresh, I also love turning them into flavor bombs with a good oven roasting. They serve to add deeper flavor to marinara and romesco sauces, bring a concentrated burst of unami to rice pilaf, or a zing to a classic dish like sole “en papillote.” This sole, cooked in parchment paper, ticks off all the family table boxes: quick, seasonal, fresh, gorgeous and utterly delicious.

Parchment Wrapped Sole with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pesto

Ingredients

            For the tomatoes:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes

Olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper

            For the sole and basil:

1 bunch of basil leaves

1/4 cup of nuts (pine nuts, pistachios, almonds, walnuts all do well here!)

1-2 garlic cloves

2-3 tablespoons of good quality olive oil

1 pound of sole filets

1 lemon

Method

Heat your oven to 350 degrees and place the cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the tomatoes with enough olive oil to coat them, and season them with salt and pepper. Place in the oven and roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, turning with a spatula halfway through, until tomatoes have a slight char and burst. (These can be done a day in advance)

In a small food processor or blender, combine the basil, nuts, garlic and olive oil, and blend until combined but still a little chunky. It should look like a paste, if it’s too dense, add a little more olive oil, and process more. Taste for seasoning and add pepper and salt as needed. 

Line a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper twice the width of the pan. Center the parchment on the baking sheet so both sides evenly drape over the sides. Place the sole filets in the center and season with salt and pepper. Evenly distribute the pesto over each filet. Cut half of the lemon into round slices, and then squeeze the remaining half over the sole. Distribute the tomatoes over the sole, add the lemon rounds on top, and pull the sides of the parchment paper together over the sole. Roll the parchment together, tightly to seal, then fold in the sides, again tightly, to seal.

Bake the sole in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Carefully unwrap the parchment paper, there will be a lot of steam that could cause a burn. Check the sole for doneness, it should be opaque in color and firm to the touch. Serve right away.  

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Here’s another family favorite; a creamy, bright, zesty salsa that pairs perfectly with what’s on the summer grill, or just chips! We like to pile it on tacos or grain bowls, or drape it over grilled zucchini or chicken thighs. I love how the avocado keeps it’s pretty green color when it’s blended with the limey tomatillos. So quick and effortless, you’ll only need a sheet pan and blender, food processor or bullet to bring it all together.

Roasted Tomatillo & Avocado Salsa

Ingredients:

1 pound of tomatillos, papery skins removed, rinsed and cut into quarters

1 large onion, skin removed, cut into quarters

4 cloves of garlic

1 jalapeno, (remove seeds if you’d like the salsa mild)

Avocado oil, salt and ground black pepper

1 ripe avocado

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, stems removed

1 to 2 limes

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Pile the tomatillos, onions, garlic cloves, and jalapeno on a baking sheet, drizzle generously with avocado oil, salt and freshly ground pepper. Place the baking sheet into the heated oven and roast the vegetables until they are charred and soft, about 20 minutes, turning with a spatula about half way through.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool for a few minutes, the place the roasted vegetables in the bowl of a food processor, blender or bullet. Scoop the avocado from the skin and add it to the vegetable mixture, as well as the cilantro and the juice of one lime. Process the mixture until smooth, then taste for seasoning. Add more lime, salt or pepper if you like. You can serve this salsa right away or store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Salmon is on the weekly rotation at our family table for good reason: it’s a healthy lean protein, packed with omega fatty acids, quick to whip up, and endlessly versatile. We all love it, but have our own favorite way to eat it. My daughter loves it plainly roasted, I like to pile on veggies to give it more flair, and my husband douses it with lots of lemon. A trick that I’ve learned to make everyone happy, but not make separate meals for everyone, is to create a delicious sauce that can be served on the side. My daughter will gobble it up, and sometimes be a little adventurous trying a bit of the topping, while my husband and I can feel like our gourmet sensibilities are satisfied. Here are some of my favorite spring flavors that come together in a quick saute to dress up roasted salmon, or even grilled chicken or pork.

Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Lemon & Caper Relish and Herb Quinoa

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 fennel bulb, stems and fronds removed (save for stock) and the bulb diced

1 shallot, chopped

1 garlic clove, grated

1/4 cup of white wine

1 tablespoon of capers

zest and juice of one lemon

2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Olive oil, salt & pepper

4 6-ounce salmon filets (I used wild steelhead salmon)

Method:

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the salmon filets on the paper. Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper and set aside.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the shallots and fennel, season with a few pinches of salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables soften and brown slightly, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute, making sure the garlic browns but doesn’t burn. Add the wine and stir, then allow the wine to reduce by half, until syrupy. This will take about 3 minutes. Next, add the capers, lemon juice and parsley, giving one final stir. Turn off the heat and taste the relish for seasoning, it should be lemony with a slight licorice taste. Add more lemon, salt and pepper if you need it.

Put the salmon filets in the heated oven and roast for about 10-12 minutes. Remove them from the oven when the salmon is pink and firm. Top the salmon with the fennel mixture, drizzle with a little more olive oil if desired, and serve.

Herb Quinoa

This super-simple side dish is another staple at our family table. Usually I double up on it so I can make quick grain bowls through the week. Two keys to terrific quinoa are thoroughly rinsing the quinoa with cold water in a mesh strainer to rinse off the bitter coating, saponin, that’s on the outside. I think quinoa gets a bad rap because people have cooked it without taking this step! The next must-do is to toast it up in olive oil with either chopped onions (green ones are great too!), shallots or garlic before you put cooking liquid in. Water or stock is your choice, and in this recipe, any herbs you choose are fair game.

Herb Quinoa

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 chopped shallot (or 3 green onions or a quarter of one onion, chopped)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup rinsed and drained quinoa (the multi-colored quinoa makes a beautiful presentation!)

2 cups water (or stock, whatever you prefer)

salt & pepper

1/2 cup of chopped fresh herbs, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, dill, thyme, chives

Method:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil, enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the shallots, garlic and quinoa, stirring frequently to combine and toast, and cook for about 1 minute. Add a generous pinch of salt and stir everything together. Cover the pan with a lid and heat to a boil and then reduce to a simmer, and cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 12-15 minutes. When the quinoa is finished, the the germ ring will show around the outside of the grain.

Let the quinoa rest for about 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork. Fold in the herbs, season with a bit more salt and pepper, then taste for additional seasoning. Serve right away or cool and store in the fridge for 3 days or freezer for 3 months.