recipeworld

Quesadillas are some of my favorite foods for clearing out the fridge. You can basically toss anything in a tortilla and add some cheese, and it becomes a delicious meal. I change it up: anything from leftover chicken and cheese to onions, mushrooms, leftover steak… anything is game if it’s hiding in the fridge. You don’t even have to use Mexican flavors: you can make a breakfast quesadilla with scrambled eggs and beans, or even a pizza-ish quesadilla with tomatoes, tomato paste, cheese and basil.

I like to make my quesadillas for one, which means that I only use one tortilla. This doesn’t mean that I skimp on the fillings, however: you can probably tell from the picture that I stuff them about as full as a regular burrito.

This quesadilla gets its protein from chicken and portabello mushrooms, with onions and cheese as well. I like to put a lot of hot sauce and sour cream on top, but serving options are up to you: guacamole, black beans, salsa or even just plain. The possibilities are endless.

Chicken Portabello Quesadilla

3 oz. cooked chicken, sliced

1 portabello mushroom cap, sliced

1/2 onion, diced

2 oz. shredded Mexican blend cheese

1 whole wheat tortilla

2 tsp. olive oil, separated

Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms. Season with salt and sauté until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and cooked through and the onions are translucent and slightly browned. Add the chicken for a minute or two, until just heated through. Remove mixture from skillet to a plate.

Add the other teaspoon of oil to the skillet. Heat and spread evenly around the skillet. Add the tortilla, and then place the reserved filling on one half of the tortilla. Add the cheese on top, and fold the other side of the tortilla over, like an omelette. Press down to help the filling stick. Heat for one minute, and then flip to the other side. Cook until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and slice into two triangles. Serve with sour cream and hot sauce, or your choice of toppings.

Sorry the picture here is so screwy, but I had to share this recipe for Mexican eggs.

Two things that I always have in my fridge are eggs and potatoes. Both are cheap bases upon which to start a meal: they are like blank canvases to draw on, using different combinations of flavors to make them distinct each time.

I often make a big omelette for dinner by combining eggs, fromage frais (similar to crème fraiche, sour cream or strained yogurt) and a little bit of milk to form the base, and then adding different toppings, like a pizza or a frittata. This time, however, I had some frozen spinach and some shredded cheese and salsa from our Mexican party the night before. It was immediately apparent that the omelette wasn’t going to hold together, so I just scrambled everything. With some sweet cooked onions and some Mexican seasonings, this made a delicious breakfast.

Mexican Eggs (serves two)

1 tsp. canola oil

1/2 red onion, chopped

4 eggs

3/4 cup store-bought salsa

1/4 cup fromage frais

1/2 cup frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella… whatever you have)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp hot red pepper

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions. Cook until softened and sweet. Turn the heat down to low. Crack the eggs into the skillet and add the fromage frais, salsa, shredded cheese and spinach. Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula, until the eggs are cooked through but still loose. Add the seasonings and fold in. Serve with extra fromage frais or sour cream and hot sauce.