ArcaMax

What is it with summer and Mexican food? Seems like every cooking website has several Mexican recipes featured during summer. I checked out a few recently and every one of them featured a grilled taco of some kind. Most folks love tacos so I guess that makes sense.

My real theory is it has more to do with the climate in Mexico...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Low Carb Foldover Quesadilla

These 10” foldover quesadillas are plenty big for lunch or a lighter dinner. I’m writing this up like you are choosing your items from a buffet. I have done these with a crowd at a party and laid out all the ingredients. Each person took a plate, a tortilla and went around placing their ingredients on the tortilla. Then they brought them to me to grill. I could do a few at a time. It made a fun time to sip a drink while each person’s quesadilla cooked. I have given instructions here for how to bake them too.

Hint: if you place some cheese on the tortilla before you choose your ingredients and then put more cheese on top before you close up your quesadilla the cheese will melt and act like a glue to make them easier to flip on the grill. In the oven, no flipping necessary.

Ingredients

1 package of LOW CARB 10-inch tortillas
3 cups of cooked protein: shredded chicken or pork, chopped steak or shrimp or go vegetarian.
5 Tbl of cheese: Monterrey jack, cheddar or any Mexican blend (You can even go wild and include blue cheese crumbles. They just won’t be traditional Mexican.)

Choose your veggies:

chopped bell peppers (any color)
sliced jalapenos
chopped onion
chopped tomato
cooked corn kernels
green onion
minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

Other fillings or side elements:

beans (Pinto or black beans might be fun.)
guacamole
sour cream
salsa
pico de gallo
hot sauce
shredded lettuce is a tradition too.

Optional seasonings (You might set out a set of spices that people can dust on their filling):

cumin
smoked paprika
cayenne

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Put your 10-inch tortilla on a plate. Place some shredded cheese on one half of the tortilla. A couple tablespoons will do it. Then top with whatever else you want in your quesadilla. Shoot for maybe a half cup at the most of protein and veggie mixture and/or beans, etc. Dust with your seasonings and add a couple more tablespoons of grated cheese (you can even do two different cheeses!) Fold over the other side of the tortilla to sort of seal it. Squish down with the palm of your hand or a spatula.

Spray the cookie sheet with olive oil. Lay on the folded over quesadillas. Remember whose is whose. Even make a note on a piece of paper if you need to.

Spray the tops of the quesadillas with more oil. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until they are as brown as you like them. I like mine almost a mahogany brown, so mine are definitely in the oven a long time. I like crispy. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and remove the quesadillas with a spatula to the plate. Or cut them into wedges to serve.

Garnish as you desire with items from above.

Enjoy!

Cheers,
Zola