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Quesadillas
By: Chef
Dan |
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Quesadillas are a great way to use up some left over
meat, and a delicious, healthy meal that doesn't take a lot of time to
prepare.
All you need is any kind meat, some refried beans, cheese, and
a few veggies, and you're good to go.
We started with left over bbq
chicken from last night, and just chopped it up into chunks.
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At the same time, we heat up our refried beans on a
medium low heat.
We've added a small amount of low-fat milk just to thin
down the beans, and make them a bit creamier.
It also helps to keep the
beans from burning so easily, if you happen to get side-tracked. |
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Speaking of getting side-tracked, you can see in this
picture, that there's some tequila there in the background. We enjoy a bit of
tequila with our mexican food ocassionally, and on a lazy Saturday afternoon, a
full belly, with a couple of shots of tequila is a perfect combination for
inducing a siesta.
You can also see here, that I've laid out my tortilla
so that about 1/3 of it hangs over the edge of the pan. This is just so that
when I broil it, I can easily flip it over without burning my fingers... you'll
see what I mean in a minute. I also cover my pan with aluminum foil just to
make cleanup easier. |
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| While the beans are getting hot, chop up your veggies.
We just use some fresh tomato, lettuce, and avocado. |
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When you prepare an avocado, you first slice it in
half by sticking the blade of your knife into the little guy, and rolling it
around the blade, so that you have two halves. Then, you stick the blade into
the seed with a GENTLE chopping motion to get the blade to stick into the seed.
then twist the seed with the blade of the knife, and it will pop out
easily.
Then, use your knife to slice the avocado while it is still in
it's skin. |
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| Then, just use a spoon to scoop out your slices of
avocado. |
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| Ok, with the veggies all prepped, and the refried
beans nice and hot, I'll start putting my quesadilla together, by putting a
layer of beans, some slices of chicken, and some cheese... we use mild
cheddar. |
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Put that bad boy under the broiler to get the cheese
melted, and to kind of crisp up the tortilla.
This is a great opportunity to help yourself to another shot of
tequila by the way... don't forget the
fresh lemon, and some sea salt. |
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| With the cheese melted, and the tortilla a little
crispy, pull the quesadilla from the oven, and add your freshly chopped
tomatoes, and lettuce. |
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| Then fold it in half, and add some more cheese to the
top... |
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| and put it back in the oven for a few
minutes. |
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| Watch it pretty close, because you want the cheese to
melt, and the edges to get a little crispy, but you don't want it to burn, and
you also don't want to leave it in too long, because your lettuce will start to
wilt... the lettuce is much better when it is still a little crispy... it adds
a nice texture to the quesasilla. |
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| Well, there it is. This one is for my wife, because
she likes the edges a bit crispier than I do, and she also likes sour
cream. |
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| By the way, this isn't one of those quesadillas that
you can really slice into cute little wedges, and eat like a piece of pizza...
no, this one requires a fork... enjoy! |
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Tips about this meal...
- This is a great way to use left over meat.
- Make some
fresh
salsa to go with it for optimal nutrients.
- Buy the large flour tortillas so you have lots of room on the inside
for the goodies.
- If you want to serve your quesadillas with a side dish, mexican rice
is quite complementary.
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Search the web for
more nutrition information
and healthy recipes:
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