What's For Dinner? (This is a little long, sorry)

One of our new favorites found in the "Kid Friendly" section of The America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook is Chicken Quesadillas  (Seriously, if you don't have one of their cookbooks yet--Get One!  It would also make a great gift.)


This does require a little preparation, but once prepped they go together fairly quickly.  I wish that I had better pictures, but just the fact that I remembered to take them is pretty good!  Unfortunately we didn't have any cilantro the night I made these--so you won't see it pictured here.


O.k. enough chit-chat--here's the info:


Ingredients:


2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small red onion (when it comes to onion I always use about half of what the recipe calls for)
1 large red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped fine
3 ounces white mushrooms, brushed clean, trimmed and chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 cup shredded cooked chicken breast (if needed you could used canned chicken here)
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
4 (8in) whole wheat flour tortillas (We use our favorite Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas from Costco--they're not whole wheat but I'm not too worried about it).
1 cup shredded 50 percent light cheddar cheese (about 4 oz)--(We just use our favorite Tillamook Cheddar Cheese, not light--but again I'm not too worried about it).
Lime wedges for serving
**Optional Substitute 1 cup canned black beans, mashed, for the cooked chicken--or just use both like we do!

Here's all the ingredients prepped and ready to go.  If you want to save prep time--buy cheese pre-shredded and look for chopped onions and peppers in the grocery store.  Or, if you have a food processor you could chop the veggies in a matter of seconds.  If I know I need cooked chicken for a recipe, then I try to plan a dinner with baked chicken breasts earlier in the week and just bake extra chicken for meals like this.

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and cook until softened and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. (If you have one you could also add a jalapeno pepper here, seeded and chopped fine). Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

While the peppers are cooking I start cooking our tortillas--Are you hungry yet?

2. Stir in the cooked chicken and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the cilantro and lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

This is when we add the black beans too.  Stir to combine and heat through. Then if you don't have a separate grill for assembling the tortillas, transfer the filling to a separate bowl.

If you follow the recipe the next steps are:

3. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels, return to medium heat and heat until hot, about 2 minutes. Lay the tortillas in the skillet, one at a time, and cook until softened and lightly toasted on both sides, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with a clean towel to keep warm.

4. To assemble the quesadillas spread 2/3 cup of the filling over half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese over the filling, fold into a half-moon shape, and press lightly to flatten. (Obviously I stray from the recipe at this point--with 6 people in our family and a big griddle I make 2 full quesadillas at a time. I usually sprinkle a little cheese on the tortilla; Cover with the filling and then sprinkle a little more cheese on top of the filling. Then top with another tortilla).

Back to the Original Recipe

5. Working with two quesadillas at a time, brush one side of each with 1/2 teaspoon more oil, and arrange in the skillet, oiled-side down. Cook over medium heat until crisp and well browned on the first side, 1 to 2 minutes.

6. Brush the top of each quesadilla with 1/2 teaspoon more oil, flip them over, and continue to cook until crisp and well browned on the second side, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Transfer the quesadillas to a cutting board and repeat with the remaining two quesadillas and 2 teaspoons oil. Serve with lime wedges.

YUM!

Nutrition Info (if you follow the original recipe) Per Quesadilla: Cal 360; Fat 16 g; Sat. Fat 3.5g; Chol 40 mg; Carb 29g; Protein 23g; Fiber 3g; Sodium 230mg

Enjoy!