So basically, my boyfriend and I make rockin’ quesadillas

11Mar09

No, really. Over the past year or so we’ve been dating, we’ve done a lot of cooking. He enjoys eating well, and I enjoy cooking things more complicated than tinned soup and grilled cheese (which isn’t a bad meal, but at some point you need to get more nutrients than what’s supplied in such a meal). So we make all sorts of deliciousness. Some things don’t come out well (honey-lime tilapia) while others come out AMAZING (garlic shrimp with rosemary pasta).

But we have mastered the art of quesadilla making. These are absolutely delicious. We normally make them with either chicken or beef, but if you’re a veggie I’m sure sauteed veggies, tofu, or just the plain ole’ cheese would be great, too. I also think shrimp or fish would be excellent in these. We normally serve our quesadillas with sour cream, guacamole and taco sauce/salsa. I prefer sauce because it’s more spreadable, but really, you can use whatever you like! This entry will include the recipe for the quesadillas AND the guac… if you make your own salsa, have at it, but I don’t bother ;) PS, this makes three fully-loaded quesadillas.

Quesadillas
Ingredients

• 1 fresh, boneless chicken breast, cubed
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• 1 bag taco/mexican blend cheese
• 3 flour tortillas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Cooking spray
• 1/8th tsp. of the following: salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a medium frying pan. Toss in chicken and spices. Sauté until fully cooked. Set aside.
2. Take a tortilla and fold in half. Open and spread a hefty amount of cheese over one half. Practically the entire bag should be used after the third quesadilla, so lay it on thick. Make sure you put enough for the filling to stick to.
3. Evenly spread a third of the chicken over the cheese. Top with tomatoes. I also like adding cilantro.
4. Sprinkle a light layer of cheese on top; close the quesadilla.
5. Spray a large frying pan with cooking spray. You can also use oil, but I prefer spray because I feel like it spreads more evenly and I use less; I typically use canola spray. Let the spray warm, then put the quesadilla on the hot pan.
6. Check the quesadilla periodically. When the bottom is golden brown, spray the pan again and flip the quesadilla. When the other half is browned, remove from heat.
7. Repeat for next two tortillas.

And this is where my lovely boyfriend comes in, because he makes the most nommable guacamole ever. Beware, though, there really aren’t any measurements; just add the ingredients one by one, bit by bit, until you get what’s right for you. It probably serves about 4 as a dip. We save what’s left from our quesadillas and eat it the next day with tortilla chips as a snack. Be sure to pick ripe avocados; if you can’t find any ripe ones, stick them in a bag in a cabinet for a day or two and check. They should be firm but give slightly with pressure. You pretty much can’t make guac with hard avocados — we’ve tried. By the way, putting them in a blender DOESN’T work.

Ingredients

• 2 avocados
• Finely minced onion.. shy of about an eighth of a cup
• Lime juice
• Cilantro
• Garlic Salt

Directions

1. Slice avocados long-ways. Remove the pit and scrape the “meat” from the peel into a small mixing bowl.
2. Use a fork to mash the avocado into a paste. Don’t try to get it creamy… it’s supposed to be kinda lumpy.
3. Add lime juice to taste. Add a little, taste, add a little, taste… once you can taste a hint of lime, add another squirt from the bottle and mix. Make sure you add the lime immediately after mashing the avocado; it will prevent it from browning.
4. Add the onion. You should just be able to taste it when you chew. You don’t want to overdo it… adjust to taste.
5. Add garlic salt and cilantro to taste. Fresh cilantro is preferred, but dried works just as well.

And viola! A simple but VERY tasty dinner. Pictures below the cut!

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Filed under: Recipes   |  3 Comments