Overloaded Quesadillas
Prep Time
25 minutes
Prep Notes
<![endif]-->Quesadillasare a staple of Mexican cuisine and generally aren’t considered a health food. They’vetaken on hundreds of forms since their conception in colonial days. In the Southwest US, they’re often madesimilar to a grilled cheese sandwich where they’re fried in butter or oil, thusmaking them even less healthy. Not allquesadillas are unhealthy, though, and this version loads them up with veggies,spices and healthy proteins to maximize their nutritional content. The peppers and spinach load them up withantioxidants and vitamin C; beans and onions boost the fibre content; and thechicken and hummus boost the flavour profile while providing a lean source ofprotein.
Serve with sweet potato fries and a Mexican chopped salad for a complete,balanced meal.
Yields
8 quesadillas
Ingredients
8 20cm tortilla wraps (preferably whole grain, but use whatyou like)
400g shredded cheese of your choice (I like pepper jack, mywife prefers a cheddar, mozzarella, and gouda combo)
150g chicken breast
1/3 cup chipotle hummussauce (see below)
1 ½ cup diced jalapeno or habanero peppers
½ each onion and red and yellow peppers; sliced
1 tomato; quartered and thinly sliced
1 14oz can black beans
1 ½ cup spinach; wilted
1tsp taco seasoning
Chipotle Hummus Sauce:
1/3 cup chipotle hummus (or regular hummus plus ½ tsp ground chipotle pepper)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 ½ tbl olive or avocado oil
Directions
For the Chipotle Hummus Sauce:
- Put all ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork or a whisk until combined. If the sauce is too thick for your taste, you can add more oil in small increments until it reaches your desired consistency. It should be thick enough to spread. Not too watery.
For the Quesadillas:
- Season the chicken breast with ½ tsp taco seasoning, toss with a tiny bit of olive or avocado oil, put in the air fryer and cook at 180*C (355*F) until the inside temperature reaches 75*C (165*F). This could be 12 –15 minutes depending on your air fryer.
- Whilst the chicken is cooking, sauté the peppers and onion, and wilt the spinach. To sauté the onions and pepper, heat a large splash of olive oil in a medium fry pan. Toss the vegetables in the pan with the remaining taco seasoning and cook for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring until they become soft and the onions translucent. Try not to burn them, but it won’t ruin the dish if you do.
- If you’re not using frozen spinach, you can wilt the spinach yourself now as well. Add a small splash of oil into another fry pan. Heat over medium heat, toss in the spinach and stir constantly until wilted (about 1 - 2 minutes). Alternatively, you could boil the spinach for one minute if you prefer to use less oil and want to retain more of the spinach’s vitamins.
- When the chicken is done, you can shred it using two forks to pull all the fibers apart.
- Once everything is prepared put all ingredients in separate bowls or plates next to your cooking area for easy access.
- Preheat your oven to the lowest setting possible; It’s there just to keep the cooked quesadillas warm as you make the rest.
- Heat a large fry pan over medium low heat.
- Call over your family and friends and ask them what they want in their quesadillas!
- Put a tortilla wrap in the pan and toast until it bubbles up and turns a light brown on the underside.
- Flip the tortilla, pop the bubbles and spread a thin layer of chipotle hummus sauce over the whole surface.
- Add a thin layer of cheese on half the tortilla.
- Distribute the remaining ingredients evenly in a thick layer over the layer of cheese.
- Add another thin layer of cheese to the top, then fold the other side of the tortilla wrap over to close the quesadilla.
- Press flat and toast each side for about 30 seconds to melt the cheese and firm the shell.
- Transfer to an oven proof plate and put in the oven to keep warn whilst repeating steps 9-14 for the remaining quesadillas.
- Take the tortillas out of the oven, cut them whichever way you like and serve them warm.