Quesadilla Rut

I live in a quesadilla rut. Bottom tortilla, shredded chicken, mexican cheese, green onions and top tortilla. I’ve made them this way for decades for a quick lunch for me or the family with very little variation. Maybe I’ll spice up the chicken. Maybe I’ll add some jalapeños if the kids are not eating them. It is pretty rare that I have ventured beyond that basic recipe.

I’m not sure why. The tortilla is such a versatile platform to build upon and there are so many good ingredients out there. Performing a quick search on quesadilla rut, you encounter a link where for $2 you can order a booklet of quesadilla ideas from the Tortilla Industry Association (TIA). Who knew there was such a thing?

The TIA is an industry group that promotes the use of…..um…tortillas. According to their site, the tortilla is the most widely used “ethnic” bread in the United States, surpassing the ever-present breakfast staple, the bagel. They cite that in the year 2000 approximately 85 billion tortillas were sold. Wow. That is a bunch of anything!

Saving my $2, I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

A great dish and not an unusual combination of ingredients for a southwestern dish. In fact, I make a southwestern salad with virtually the same ingredients.

I decided to add some spiced shredded chicken to the dish. I guess I can’t get completely out of the rut.

This is one loaded tortilla.

I generally make my quesadillas on a griddle and top them with a second tortilla, flipping part of the way through cooking. This one, however, uses a single tortilla.

On the cutting board.

A hearty southwestern dish.

Santa Fe Veggie Quesadillas

Prep Time: 5 min | Cook Time: 5 min | Makes: 16 (Scaled)

Ingredients:

• 4 (12 inch) flour tortilla
• 3 cup shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 2 cup whole kernel corn, drained
• 2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 2 cup black beans, drained
• 4 chopped green onion
• 1 can of shredded chicken (optional)

Directions:

1. Prepare a lightly oiled large skillet over medium heat. Place the tortilla in the skillet and flip it once to ensure an even coating of oil on both sides.

2. Allow the tortilla to heat on one side for 1 minute. Beginning at the center of the tortilla, evenly spread the cheese blend until the tortilla’s entire surface is covered. Top the cheese with corn, red bell pepper, black beans and green onion. When the cheese is completely melted, carefully slide the tortilla from the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into 8 wedges and serve warm.

Nutritional Info:

NutritionAmount Per Serving (4 total) Calories 207 cal 10% Fat 7.7 g 12% Carbs 26 g 8% Protein 9.4 g 19% Cholesterol 14 mg 5% Sodium 508 mg 20% See More Based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Source: http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/20865/santa-fe-veggie-quesadillas