179 Days of Dinner - Day 4 - Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas

Tonight's explosion of flavor was inspired by 100 Days of Real Food. 

This evening's culinary experiment was Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas.  I should warn anyone who wants to try this out that it is a bit of a process.  The longest part, by far, is the tortilla-making.  I made the tortillas last night and refrigerated them in preparation for this evenings dinner.

Here are the step-by-step photos of the tortilla making:

Dough!

Into the frying pan.

A plate full of whole-wheat goodness.

But if you want to try these out, you'll probably want to follow some better instructions with better pictures than mine ;) - this is the place for you:  Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas.

Now for the main event - Quesadilla Making!

Pick out 2 cups of any veggies you like - I chose corn, grated sweet potato, zucchini and yellow squash.

3-4 minutes in the frying pan.

Add lime juice and chili powder (I don't like spicy food either - just trust me - do it).

Shred 2 cups of your favorite kind of cheese (I chose Monterey Jack) and mix in the veggies.

Spread the mixture onto one tortilla and top with a 2nd tortilla.

Oh my goodness - that looks tasty!

A whole stack of awesome.

I *devoured* this quesadilla.  I was worried that I wouldn't like the whole-wheat-ness of the tortillas and I wasn't too sure about adding chili powder to my food, but everything worked so well together I wouldn't change a thing about either recipe!

Vegetable Quesadillas on Whole-Wheat Tortillas

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 cups mixed veggies, diced or shredded (grated sweet potato is an excellent addition to this recipe, and you can also use bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, & fresh or frozen corn)
• ¾ teaspoon chili powder
• Juice from one small lime
• Salt, to taste
• 2 cups cheese, grated (we prefer Monterey Jack and recommend grating it yourself to avoid the powdery anti-caking agent in pre-shredded cheeses)
• 6 whole-wheat tortillas
• Butter for cooking
• Optional toppings: sour cream, avocado, cilantro, hot peppers, salsa

Directions

1. Heat oil in a medium sized sauté pan over medium heat.
2. Throw in the diced onions and veggies and cook for 4 or 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add the chili powder, lime juice and salt (to taste) to the veggie mix.
4. Heat griddle to 375 degrees or you can cook the quesadillas in one or two pans on the stove over medium heat.
5. In a large bowl mix together the veggies and grated cheese. Spread a thin layer of the mixture on three of the tortillas and then top them with the other three.
6. Melt a little butter on the griddle or in the pan(s). Cook the quesadillas for several minutes until the bottom starts to brown. While I am waiting I like to add a little dab of butter on the top (for when I flip it over).
7. Once it browns flip and repeat on the other side until lightly browned.
8. Let the quesadilla cool for a few minutes before cutting for the best results. I like to use a pizza cutter to make perfect triangles.
9. Serve with your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Yield: 4 – 5 servings