Quesadillas

6 Mar

To me quesadillas are a comfort food, and something you can make so easily at home that you’ll never want to order another one at a restaurant!

Ingredients:

Large tortillas of your choice

1 Green, Red, Yellow or Orange Pepper, cleaned, sliced and cooked (I’d use one onion and one pepper for every 2 people)

1 White Onion, cleaned and sliced

12-16 oz bag of cheddar or Mexican Blend cheese

1-2 Tbsp butter/olive oil/vegetable oil

With 2 peppers and 2 onions, you should be able to turn out enough quesadillas to fill 4 people. The amount of ingredients you use to make each quesadilla is completely up to you. I’d say you will produce between 6-10 quesadillas.

Adding a meat of your choice can also fill you up and complete the meal. I prefer my quesadillas with no meat. I like to enjoy my cheese and whatever toppings or sides are served with it.

I’d recommend cooking your veggies first. Try preparing them the way I did in my Cuminamon rub recipe. If you want to spice things up, feel free to add your favorite Mexican seasoning, or simply sprinkle on some fajita seasoning. I like mine simple, so I usually grill them with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I add my seasoning with my salsa and sides.

1. Put a 1/4 Tbsp of butter in your pan – or olive oil, your decision. Make sure it is evenly distributed in your pan.

2. Put one tortilla down, and sprinkle it with the amount of cheese you desire. Add whatever meat or vegetables you’d like as well. Put another tortilla shell on top.

3. Cover your pan and leave it on low heat (around 3 – remember every stove is different, so watch them closely). You want your cheese to melt and your quesadillas to avoid browning.

4. About 3-5 minutes in, I uncover and flip mine. Yes, this sounds scary, but it’s not as hard as it sounds. Using a large spatula and your left hand to guide it, it’s quite easy. In order to do it successfully, you need the cheese to have begun melting. You can pick up the corner of your quesadilla to check this. If it’s hasn’t begun melting, give it another minute or two. Or you can just skip this step altogether. But remember, Julia Child would say “When you flip anything, you really… you just have to have the courage of your convictions.”

5. After cooking the other side on low heat for 3-5 minutes, check it and see how things look. If your quesadilla is fully melted on the sides, it will be in the middle. Remove and slice like a pie. Serve with my makeshift guacamole or one of the many suggestions below!

Makshift guacamole (with no lemons/limes or jalapeños in sight, you can still make a wanna-be guacamole):

2 Avocados

1 Tomato

Red onion

Cilantro

Rice wine vinegar

Other recommended sides:

Sour cream

Low-fat cottage cheese

Hot sauce/tabasco

A mango or roasted pepper salsa is always nice too!

Don’t forget, this is one of those foods that could be easily turned into a breakfast item. Throw some scrambled eggs in your quesadilla, or serve the quesadilla with a friend egg on top!