Quesadilla with Mushrooms and Onions

By violeta | Published March 7, 2011
Tasty quesadillas

Tasty quesadillas

This is an idea for a filling, healthy breakfast. Melting cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms, fresh parsley and a little garlic, gathered together between two crisp tortillas will make your morning awesome and will give you energy for a few good hours.

Take one onion, chop it and saute it with a bit of olive oil and salt.

Chopped onion

Chopped onion

Saute the onions over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until they start to caramelize.

Caramelized onions for mushroom quesadilla

Caramelized onions for mushroom quesadilla

Get 5-6 white mushrooms, clean them, chop them, then add them into the pan and saute them together with the onions. Add a little bit of salt and ground black pepper.

Mushrooms and onions for quesadilla

Mushrooms and onions for quesadillas

In about 15-20 minutes,mushrooms will be cooked, onions will be soft, so it’s time to add 3-4 garlic cloves, minced. Cook them for 1-2 minutes, then add about two tablespoons of beef broth to deglaze the pan. Keep on cooking until the broth evaporates. Remove from heat and add minced parsley (I added two tablespoons of fresh parsley).

Mushrooms, onions, garlic and parsley = quesadilla filling

Mushrooms, onions, garlic and parsley = quesadilla filling

While the mushrooms are cooking, grate some cheese. You’ll need about 1 cup of grated cheese for one quesadilla.

Grated cheese

Grated cheese

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a pan. Add one of the tortillas, rub it a little to coat it in oil and let it heat for 1 minute.

Tortilla number 1 heating

Tortilla number 1 heating

Flip it on the other side and heat it for 1 minute.

Flipping the tortilla in the pan

Flipping the tortilla in the pan

Set the first tortilla aside. Repeat the procedure with the second tortilla, then add half of the grated cheese on top of it.

Mounting quesadillas - first cheese layer

Mounting quesadillas - first cheese layer

Add the onion-mushrooms mixture, spreading it evenly onto the surface.

Mounting quesadillas - mushrooms and onions layer

Mounting quesadillas - mushrooms and onions layer

Spread the rest of the cheese on top, then cover with the other tortilla.

Mounting quesadillas - second cheese layer

Mounting quesadillas - second cheese layer

Cook it over low heat for about 2 minutes, then flip it and cook it for 2 more minutes or until the cheese melts.

Flipped quesadilla - cooking on the second side

Flipped quesadilla - cooking on the second side

Take care when you flip it, because the filling will want to come out and spread all over your kitchen floor. The easiest way to do it is to cover the pan with a plate, then with both hands, reverse the pan, so the quesadilla lands on the plate. Then let it slide from the plate into the pan.

When ready, cut the quesadilla in quarters and serve it with salsa topping.

Quesadilla recipe with mushrooms and onions. Bon Appetit!

Quesadilla recipe with mushrooms and onions. Bon Appetit!

Ingredients for this quesadilla recipe:

  • 2 small tortillas
  • 1 medium size onion
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 5-6 white mushrooms (small-medium size)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons beef broth (can be replaced with dry white wine)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 cup grated cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
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Goat Cheese Quesadilla

By violeta | Published February 24, 2011

Goat cheese melts very well, therefore it’s a great choice for quesadillas. You can combine it with various fillings such as asparagus, mango, chicken, spinach or even bananas. Quesadillas are perfect as appetizers, breakfast or even dessert, they are easy to prepare and relatively inexpensive. Here’s my favorite goat cheese quesadilla recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 4 flour tortillas (6” diameter)
  • 4 oz soft goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
  • 4 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic, cilantro, green onion, salt and pepper and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Set the food aside. Place the tortillas one at a time in the pan and heat them for 2 minutes on each side. It’s nice to do this because heat makes the tortillas crisp, preventing them from becoming soggy when you add the goat cheese.

Assemble the quesadillas as follows: one tortilla, crumbled goat cheese evenly spread on top of it, then the garlic and green onion mixture, then some fresh cilantro. Spread another layer of goat cheese, then cover with the second tortilla.

Heat the grill pan. Cook the assembled quesadilla for about 2-3 minutes, flip it over carefully, then cook it for about 30 seconds on the second side. Repeat with the second one.

Cut in wedges and serve with fresh cilantro and sour cream spread on top.

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Chicken and Taco Sauce Quesadilla Recipe

By violeta | Published February 23, 2011

The beauty of almost any quesadilla recipe is that it can help you “clean the fridge”, meaning that you can turn food leftovers into delicious meals. Chicken quesadillas are great to be cooked just after you’ve prepared chicken roast, as there’s usually a lot of meat that nobody want to eat two days after. This recipe is based on chicken breast, as that’s the part of the roast chicken I like less. Quesadilla makes it much better, as you’ll see in a moment.

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken breast, cooked, shredded
  • 1 cup Jack Monterey cheese, grated
  • 1 onion, peeled, chopped
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 2 flour tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, chopped
  • 1/2 chili pepper
  • 1 green pepper, seeded, diced
  • 4 tablespoons Taco sauce
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Directions:
Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook the onion, garlic, chili pepper and green pepper for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the taco sauce. Stir and cook for 1 minute, then add the shredded chicken. Mix it well to make sure it’s covered in sauce, then add the cheese. Cover the pan and simmer for 7-8 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Take another skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in it, then put a tortilla in the pan. Warm it for 2-3 minutes on each side, then place it on a plate and fill half of it with the chicken mixture. Fold it. Top it with sour cream and finely chopped fresh parsley.

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Shrimp Quesadilla

By violeta | Published February 20, 2011

This is a quesadilla recipe perfect for a light lunch. You can use fresh shrimps, if you can find them. If not, frozen shrimps are still fine.

Ingredients:

  • 2 large tortillas
  • 1cup frozen cooked shrimps, peeled
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon red hot chili flakes (if you like very spicy food, you can use as much chili as you wish)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
  • Juice from one lime
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
  • 2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a stick-free pan. Add the green onion, garlic, chili flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat, stirring a few times. Add the shrimps, lime juice and parsley. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.

Heat the tortillas in a pan for about 30 seconds on each side. After you finish heating the second tortilla, leave it in the pan and add shredded cheese on top of it. Then add the shrimp mix on top of the cheese and cover with the other tortilla. When the cheese starts melting, flip the quesadilla over. You can do that with the help of a plate or of a second pan, or you can just use two spatulas, if you’re handy enough.

Cut the quesadilla in 6-8 wedges and serve it hot.

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Beef and Veggies Quesadilla

By violeta | Published February 12, 2011

Ingredients:

  • 4 whole wheat tortillas
  • 1/2 pound lean beef, ground
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, mozarella, goat cheese, Swiss cheese or whatever else you prefer)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup baked beans
  • 1/2 cup celery root, diced
  • 1/4 cup carrot, sliced
  • 1 red hot chili pepper, finely chopped (if it’s really hot, you can discard the seeds, then chop it)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Saute the onion over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef. Cook it stirring often, until it changes color from pink to light brown. This should take about 5-6 minutes. If the pan becomes too watery, drain it a little. Add the celery root, carrot, baked beans, parsley and red chili pepper. Salt and pepper according to your taste, then cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring well in order to mix the vegetables with the meat.

When you’re almost ready, oil a baking tray and put the tortillas on it. Spread the meat and vegetables mixture over half of each tortilla. Add a layer of shredded cheese, then fold the tortillas. Bake them at 400F for 5 minutes, then flip them over and bake them for 5 more minutes. Slice them into wedges and serve them with salsa or sour cream on top.

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Vegetarian Quesadilla Recipe

By violeta | Published February 6, 2011

Ingredients:

  • 2 flour tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheese mix of your choice (it can be Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Swiss cheese, Italian cheese or whatever your favorite types of cheese)
  • 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup corn, whole kernel (drain it before use)
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 1/2 cup black beans (from can, drained before use)
  • 1 teaspoon chili peppers, very finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil

Preparation:
Mix the green and red bell pepper with chopped onions, corn, black beans and chopped chili peppers.

Oil a skillet, heat it and place one of the tortillas inside. Heat it for one minute, then turn it upside down and heat it one more minute. Repeat with the second tortilla.

Spread half of the cheese amount evenly over the surface of the tortilla, top it with the mix of corn, black beans, onion, red and green bell peppers and chili peppers, then spread the other half of cheese on top. Cover with the second tortilla. Let it heat for about two minutes or until you start smelling the cheese melting.

Flip over the quesadilla and heat it for 2 minutes more.

Transfer it onto a chopping board and cut it into 8 wedges.

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Peanut Butter Quesadilla Recipe

By violeta | Published February 2, 2011

Quesadillas are the Mexican equivalent of sandwiches, so there’s no wonder I’ve got so many inquiries from my friends to publish a peanut butter quesadilla recipe. Here’s a simple one, but remember that anything you’d put inside a sandwich is perfect for a quesadilla as well. The difference is that you’ll put those goodies inside tortillas instead of bread slices or rolls.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large tortilla (10 inch)
  • 2 tablespoons peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons quince jelly
  • 1 teaspoon butter

Directions:
Melt the butter in a pan over low to medium heat. Spread the peanut butter on the tortilla (on one side only). Fold the tortilla so that the peanut butter is inside. Put the folded tortilla in the pan and brown it for about 2 minutes on each side. Beware not to burn it, so don’t exceed 2 minutes and make sure the heat is set to medium.

Slice the browned tortilla into wedges. Serve it with quince jelly. Your kids will love it!

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