Mushroom Poblano Quesadillas

Last night Ellie Krieger fell into my bathtub.  (Well, maybe not Ellie herself, exactly, but her book So Easy).  She came out dripping wet and I knew that her well worn pages would warp as they dried, but the page I had marked was no worse for the wear and as always, she provided me with a delightful foundation on which to build tonight's dinner.

My husband is a meat guy.  Except for rare occasions, dinner without meat is really not dinner in his eyes, and quesadillas are definitely not a meal.  Trying to pull off a meatless version of Ellie's Quesadilla for a quick dinner was going to be a tough one, but with most of the ingredients on hand I thought I'd give it a go.  And low and behold... it worked.

Whole wheat tortillas filled with hearty (meat-like) mushrooms served as the base for my quesadilla filling and seemed to beautifully absorb the southwestern spices sprinkled over them as they cooked.  Onions, cilantro and poblanos rounded out the filling portion of the recipe and combined perfectly with the melted cheeses wrapped in the tortilla.  Fresh pico-de-gallo spooned over a dollop of sour cream with a sprinkle of cilantro finished off the plate as I put the finishing touches on the meal.

Adding a wedge of avocado for garnish, I held my breath as I placed the quesadilla with a salad in front of my husband.  Sparking a little conversation about the day, he dug into his meal and after a few bites he put down his quesadilla, reaching for water.  Still holding my breath I finally exhaled as he commented, "This is really good."  And then moved on to the next topic of conversation.

He didn't say another word about the meal, and definitely never commented that the quesadilla didn't contain any meat.  Leaving the table he even picked up a small remaining slice from the cutting board - a sure sign of something that he likes.  Smiling he rolled up his sleeves and actually started on the dishes as we cleaned up for the night.

Thanks Ellie.  You've done it again.

Grilled Quesadillas

I adore my grill!!  When we did our backyard, my husband put in a large, high power, gas grill, complete with a large tiled prep area.  He pictured himself as King of the Grill, spending his evenings out there sipping a beer, grilling up all sorts of meals.  That scenario occurred a few times and he was happy.  However... he soon went away on a trip (being an airline pilot he does that with frequency!) and I needed some chicken grilled.   There was no doubt about it... I had to step in for the King.  

It was intimidating.  The flame kicked to life with a noisy "pooof", the chicken sizzled as I later placed it on the hot grates and the heat visibly radiated off of the gleaming cover.  Was it too hot?  Would the chicken be overdone?  Did I do it right??  Not only was the chicken not overdone, it was perfect!!  Amazing if I might say so, and I had grilled it myself.  

Grilled Quesadilla ingredients on bar prep area

This was the beginning of a long standing love story between me and my grill.   My husband has been dethroned, and the grill is mine.  He now looks at it with a touch of intimidation as I approach to grill my pizza, or chicken, or quesadillas.  He tentatively asks, "Are you really going to put pizza dough directly on the grill?  Is that really a good idea?"  Yes!  It's a perfect idea!   I've cooked most every meal possible on my grill, even baking a small loaf of bread (not our best result... that one will definitely take more patience and practice). 

Today had the kitchen area busy with boys and their geometry books, so I headed to my friend, the grill, for our quesadillas.  The prep area being larger than I have inside is a pleasure, and made an easy job of cutting up the vegetables for our meal.  Corn, poblanos, onions, and zucchini were today's choice, along with a tender organic breast of chicken for my meat loving husband.  

My favorite quesadilla cheeses!

With the vegies and chicken nicely cooked, I turned to grating some of our favorite cheeses, jalapeño jack for a bit of spice and tangy yet creamy, perfectly melting Manchego.  Layered on a tortilla, the ingredients easily transferred to the glorious grill for a quick meeting with the high temps.  Just long enough to crisp the tortilla and thoroughly melt the cheeses to hold everything together.  Topped with my favorite diced heirloom tomatoes and sliced avocado we had a meal fit for a King!  Well... a dethroned King and the Grill General.

Grilled Vegie or Chicken Quesadillas

Tortillas
Grilled vegies of your choice - corn, peppers, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.
Chicken, if desired
Cheese - may use store purchased shredded cheeses or you may shred your favorites, cheddar, jalapeño jack, manchego, etc.
Toppings of your choice, sour cream, salsa, diced tomatoes, avocado, guacamole, etc.  

Grill vegetables.

Grill chicken (if using).

Shred cheeses.

Place a layer of cheese on one tortilla, or alternatively on 1/2 of a tortilla.  On top of the cheese, place a layer of vegies, cilantro and chicken.  Top with another layer of cheese.  Carefully, transfer filled quesadilla to grill over the lowest heat setting.  Cover.  Watch carefully and flip when cheeses are "melty".  Cover for another minute or so and remove to a cutting board.  Cut into triangles and serve with your favorite toppings!   

Note:  Sometimes I add a touch of hot sauce or grilled jalapeños for a bit of heat.  My husband loves to add some Pulled Pork if we have it on hand!