Susan Mallery's Fool's Gold Cookbook: A Love Story Told Through 150 Recipes (Fool's Gold #12.1)

1. In a small bowl, combine steak slices, Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Let marinate 15 minutes.

2. Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onions and peppers, season with salt and cook 10 minutes, until softened and golden, stirring often. Drain liquid from meat; add meat to the skillet and cook 5 minutes, until browned, stirring. Remove to a plate.

3. Warm half of remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add a tortilla; top with half of meat mixture. Sprinkle with half of cheese. Top with tortilla; cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Carefully flip; cook the other side until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned. Slide the quesadilla off the skillet; sprinkle with salt and cover with foil to keep warm.

4. Place the skillet back over medium heat; add remaining olive oil. Repeat steps with remaining tortillas. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

TIP: Get 2 skillets going at once and the quesadilla cooking will be done in half the time.

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California BLT

Ingredient amounts given here are just guidelines—the exact amounts you’ll need depend on the size of the bread slices.

Serves 2

4–6 strips bacon

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped

4 slices challah or brioche bread, toasted

½ cup baby spinach or spring-green lettuce leaves

1 medium tomato, thinly sliced

1 avocado, sliced

1. In a large heavy skillet over medium-low heat, cook bacon until crisp. Transfer to a paper towel–lined plate.

2. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise and dill; spread on two slices of bread. Layer spinach, tomato, bacon and avocado. Top with remaining bread.

TIP: Challah is a soft, rich bread that complements the sandwich. However, any mild bread works well.

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Quick and Easy Nachos

Garnish this family favorite with your choice of toppings—salsa, chopped lettuce, jalapeño, onions, sour cream…

Serves 4

5 cups whole tortilla chips (about 6 ounces)

1 can (about 15 ounces) black beans, drained and blotted dry

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

3 scallions, sliced

1 tomato, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

Toppings, as desired

1. Spread chips on a large platter; top evenly with beans and cheese. Microwave just until cheese is melted. Top with scallions, tomatoes and avocados. Serve immediately with desired garnishes.

TIP: Keep the chips crispy by micro-waving them for the shortest amount of time possible.

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Steak Stir-fry with Snow Peas

Serve this quick stir-fry with rice.

Serves 4

3 tablespoons peanut oil or vegetable oil, divided

1½ pounds flank steak, cut into thin slices (see TIP)

¾ pound snow peas, trimmed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger

⅓ cup hoisin sauce

¼ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

Garnishes

2 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup roasted unsalted cashews, chopped

1. Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat until very hot. Add half the steak and cook 1 minute, without stirring. Stir-fry 30 seconds, until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat the process with the remaining beef.

2. Warm another 1 tablespoon oil over high heat. Add snow peas and stir-fry 1 minute, until bright green. Push peas to the edges of the pan; add garlic, ginger, and remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in steak.

3. In a bowl, whisk hoisin and soy sauce with pepper flakes. Stir sauce into the mixture in pan; cook 1 minute. Garnish servings with scallions and cashews.

TIP: Freezing the raw beef for 15 minutes makes for easy slicing.

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Coconut Popcorn Shrimp with Mango-Lime Salsa

Don’t be daunted by the long ingredients list—everything comes together in minutes.

Serves 4

Shrimp

¾ cup canola oil

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup plain seltzer or club soda

Salt and black pepper

¾ cup panko crumbs or bread crumbs

¾ cup shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

1 red pepper, diced

½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

2 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Salt and black pepper

For shrimp:

1. Warm oil in a large, heavy skillet with at least 2-inch-high sides. In a bowl, whisk flour, seltzer, salt and pepper. In a shallow bowl, combine panko and coconut.

2. Dredge shrimp in the flour mixture, then the panko mixture. Transfer to a wire rack to dry slightly. Fry shrimp in the oil in two batches, about 2 minutes per side, until cooked through. Drain on paper towels.

For salsa:

1. While the shrimp cooks, make the salsa. In a medium serving bowl, toss mangoes, red and jalapeño peppers, scallions, oil, lime juice and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with shrimp.

TIP: Panko crumbs make for a crisper crust. Find them in the Asian food section of your supermarket.

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