Baked Mushroom and Zucchini Quesadillas with Cool Cilantro Lime Pesto

There is hardly a bad time for quesadillas.  They can be the all-so-necessary in-between daytime snack, or a satisfying dinner.   Typically, you’re only option is cheese.   This is where the record starts skipping.   Sure it’s simple, but you can only enjoy processed cheese for so long.  If you are lucky, maybe you will also get some chicken thrown in there too.   But do not fret!  As the greenery in the produce section diversifies and multiplies, now is the time to add vegetables to everything – even your quesadillas.  Turn the record over; we’ve got a new song to play.

For this particular batch of quesadillas I chose portabella mushrooms for their meaty taste.  Zucchini was more of a frugally driven choice.  Besides corn, it’s one of the cheapest items in produce during the summer.   Carrots or bell peppers have potential as well.  

What really sets these quesadillas apart is the cilantro lime pesto.  I know I have been on a pesto kick recently, but for good reason.  No hassle, great taste.  It’s like buying quality products for half price!  This pesto – which I served cold – gave great contrast to the taste and texture.  So if you find yourself stalling out on plain old cheese quesadillas, there is hope.  Just add pesto, and presto!  You have yourself an old tune with a new twist. 

Cilantro Lime Pesto

Ingredients:

1 cup cilantro, chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped

Zest of one lime

Juice of one lime

Salt

Enough olive oil to reach desired texture

Instructions:

1.       In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients.  Blend until you have reached desired consistency. 

Makes about ¾ cup.

Mushroom and Zucchini Quesadillas

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini, sliced

2 cups portabella mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 ½ cups Monterey, Cheddar, or Mexican blend cheese, shredded

4-6 whole wheat tortillas (depending on how you portion)

Optional: Sour cream or salsa

Instructions:

1.       Heat a frying pan over medium heat, until you can feel heat.  Add 2 T olive oil.

2.       Add in zucchini and mushrooms (may have to add mushrooms first, then zucchini if space does not allow both – just don’t crowd the vegetables!) Sautee for about 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender but not soft.  Remove from pan.  Keep pan warm if you wish to fry your quesadilla and not bake it.

3.       Spread pesto on tortilla (or if you want to keep the pesto cold, skip this). 

4.       Layer vegetables and cheese on tortilla.  Either fry or bake your quesadilla (I did mine in the toaster oven).

5.       If you have not added the pesto, add it now.  Slice the tortilla in quarters.  Serve with sour cream salsa, more cheese, etc.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Hash with Toasted Pecans and Scallions

 Toasting nuts is easy – there is really nuttin’ to it!  Have a stovetop? Have a frying pan?  You are golden.   Simply heat a frying pan over medium high heat until hot, and then add the nuts into the pan.  No oil, no water – this is dry fry.  Stir them around periodically to avoid burning.  Ideally, they should turn golden brown.  As long as they are not black, you should be okay.  Always keep an eye on your nuts, especially when toasting.  

By now, hearing me describe how I ate an entrée sized portion of a side dish should come as no surprise.  My theory is that if you can eat enough of a side to satisfy a meal, it’s going to be one hell of a side dish.  (My other theory is that meat is expensive, so I’m saving my money for that Friday night rib-eye.)  Goat cheese is a lavish splurge, I know.  But cream cheese will give you a similarly luscious mouth-feel for half the price.  Like creamy velvet, the cream cheese generously coats the sweet potatoes without smothering them.  Sprinkling in green onions added a perky, spring-green bite.  Toasted nuts developed the texture of each fork-full, as well as adding to the overall richness.  

I could eat sweet potatoes three nights a week.  Some weeks I do.  This recipe is for those of us who love sweet potatoes and are “in-nut to win-nut”.  

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Hash with Toasted Pecans and Scallions

Ingredients:
¼ cup pecans, chopped
2 T canola oil
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼ inch cubes
1 garlic clove, finely diced
½ to 1 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups fresh spinach
2-3 oz goat cheese, cream cheese, or both
3 T scallions or green onions, sliced  

Instructions:

1.    Heat an 8 inch frying pan over medium high heat until hot.  Add pecans and toast for about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from pan; set aside.
2.    Turn heat down to medium low, add oil.  (Make sure the oil is not smoking – may need to remove pan from heat source for about 30 seconds.)
3.    Add sweet potatoes, sauté for about 8-9 minutes.
4.    Add garlic, sauté for another 2 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.
5.    Add ½ cup of water to the pan and cover.  Let potatoes simmer for about 5 more minutes (may need to add more water as they are cooking).  
6.    Once sweet potatoes are fork tender, add in spinach.  Cover pan again and wilt spinach for about 2-3 minutes.
7.    Add in goat or cream cheese; gently stir to help melt the cheese.  
8.    Garnish plate with toasted pecans and green onions.  
Makes about 2-3 cups.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

 As my German friend told me, “Your classic sweet potato casserole or pie with the billowing marshmallows hovering on top is hard not to love”.   Being a traditional American dish, it’s seldom swapped out and changed up.  For good reason– it’s cheap, sweet, and filling.  Can we say, perfect family potluck dish?  But I find limiting sweet potatoes to this application alone stifles its potential to go beyond that one-dimensional starchy, sweet fluff.  

 When it comes to food, I tend to consider myself a bit of a radical.  You can catch me flipping flavors, creating savory from sweet, or mixing together polarizing tastes.  Although I love twice baked potatoes, loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese and sour cream, it only recently dawned on me to do the same with sweet potatoes.  I kept the texture progression (crunchy, smooth, savory), but switched out the traditional toppings in favor of panko and pecans, goat cheese, green onions and cracked black pepper.

 Before you cry blasphemy, imagine the soft peaks of sweet potato, contrasted with the crackle of toasted panko and pecans alongside a juicy steak or roast chicken.  Each bite like a pillow of creaminess accented by slivers of green onion and cracked black pepper.  The pecans bring back hints of sweetness and the panko adds the crunch needed to snap back into reality.  It feels bright and playful, but seductively satisfying.  It’s definitely a side dish fit for dinner.  Might the loaded (with fat) baked potato be teetering on the edge of extinction?  

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes                    

Adapted from Martha Steward

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

2 large sweet potatoes

4 oz goat cheese

3 T butter, salted and divided

¼ cup green onion tips, finely sliced (only the green part midway up the stalk)

1/8 tsp black pepper

¼ cup pecans, chopped

¼ cup plain panko

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 375˚F. 

2.       Cut sweet potatoes in half, place on greased cookie sheet or large baking dish.

3.       Bake for 1 hour, or until fork tender.

4.       Take potatoes out of oven.  Once cooled slightly, scoop out sweet potato into medium sized  bowl, leaving the skins intact.  (May need to peel off hard layer of cooked potato on top first)

5.       With electric beaters, whip together the potato, 2 T butter and 4 oz goat cheese until very smooth.

6.       Stir in green onions and black pepper. 

7.       Melt remaining 1 T butter.  In a small dish, combine pecans, panko, and butter. 

8.       Spoon mix back into potato skins and top with panko mixture.  (May end up not being able to refill all potato skins, I started with 4 and ended up with only enough for 3.  Keep it in mind.)

9.       Return potatoes to oven and cook for 10 minutes longer. 

10.   Season with salt and pepper – enjoy the deliciousness!