Zucchini Quesadillas

A strong case of seasonal nostalgia sits in these warmer days and long, sun-lingering evenings. Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about summers growing up at my childhood home. There are, of course, lots of paths I could take down memory lane, but one thing that strikes me most right now, is that we always had people over. 

Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It’s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It’s a pita sandwich! It’s a quesadilla! It’s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

Pesto Shrimp Quesadillas

So, you know that no-fish-and-cheese rule? The one that says not to mix fish and cheese? Well, it’s a thing. And sometimes I agree with it. I mean, fish is so fresh and light and…fishy. And from the sea. Well, from water. And cheese is heavy and creamy and rich, and from the land. From a cow. There are plenty of times where I would say absolutely no seafood and cheese together.

But I mean, rules are made to be broken. Right? Right. Case in point: smoked salmon and cream cheese. Classic combo. And how about clams on pizza? I’ve had that plenty of times, and ps. it’s awesome. Also, the good old fashioned tuna melt…ammiright!? These reasons, and many more, are why I’m perfectly comfortable sharing shrimp quesadillas with you.

Pesto shrimp quesadillas. Yep. Sweet little shrimpies, super herby homemade pesto, melty mozzarella, and salty crumbled cotija. Inside a crispy tortilla. If you ever doubted the shrimp + cheese combo, this will change your mind.

Also, did you know that you can throw pretty much anything in pesto? It’s not just basil and pine nuts anymore, my friends.  Parsley? Yes, please. Pumpkin Seeds? Do it. Garlic scapes? Yessiree. Carrot tops? Yep, throw those green carrot tops in there! Chocolate cake? Ok, now maybe we’ve gone too far. But maybe… ok, maybe not.

Pesto Shrimp Quesadillas

Tortillas

Peeled and deveined shrimp, cooked

Fresh mozzarella, grated

Fresh cotija, crumbled

Parsley & carrot top pesto (recipe below)

Oil for cooking

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil, and place the tortilla in the skillet. Flip a few times until the tortilla is warm (but not crispy) on both sides. Spread a thick layer of pesto all over the inside of the tortilla, sprinkle mozzarella on one side, top with shrimp, and top with cotija. Fold tortilla over, and cook on both sides until tortilla is crispy and cheese is melty.

Parsley & Carrot Top Pesto

Adapted loosely from this recipe

A little variety gives the pesto a fresh, less over-bearing flavor. And using garlic scapes definitely mellows out the garlic taste. If you can’t get your hands on scapes, I would recommend just starting out with one clove of garlic, see how you like it. Then add more if you really have some vampires to scare off.

3/4 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds, shelled and lightly toasted)

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1 bunch)

2 cups carrot tops (from one large bunch of carrots)

4-5 large basil leaves

4-5 garlic scapes, chopped

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more to thin if necessary

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Juice from 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Additional salt and pepper, to taste

Blend pepitas in a food processor until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil, salt, and pepper, as needed.

A Dilla a Day

Oh man. I love quesadillas. That tasty lil’ ham and cheese number I told you about awhile back, that was just the tip of the tortilla, my friends. There was a time in my life—college, to be exact—when I had the genius idea of starting a quesadilla café. My little eatery would have everything you could ever dream of putting between two tortillas.

Of course I’d serve up the classic, with oozy melty jack and cheddar, guac, sour cream, and salsa. Then I’d have the deli-dillas (yes, I thought about the menu-section names a lot). Deli-dillas would be your average deli counter creations between crispy, golden tortillas. These would be your ham and cheese, chicken Caesar, roast beef, turkey club, BLT, etc. Then there would be diner-dillas—things like meatloaf dilla, mashed potato, maybe a few bacon-and-eggs or corned beef hash type breakfast options. Next on the list: destination-dillas—filled with everything from Hawaiian spam and pineapple, pepperoni pizza toppings, and Caribbean coconut rice with pigeon peas, to down south pulled pork and slaw, Northwest smoked salmon, and crab cakes from Maryland. I’d also have a few dessert-dillas on the menu, for good measure.

I recently made three extra delicious dillas that would definitely need to be on the menu: the tuna-dilla, smoky asparagus dilla, and the Philly cheese-steak dilla. Get out there and buy yourself some tortillas, because these gems are just dying to get eaten.

Dilla Numero Uno: The Tuna Dilla

Tuna-dilla may sound a little creepy, but trust me…this isn’t your grandma’s tuna surprise. In college, my roommates and I ate a lot of quesadillas… hence my café idea. We all had our specialties… Kristy rocked the super cheesy, fully stuffed corn and black bean salsa dilla, I usually stuck to simple dillas with chili or split pea soup, and Bree… her claim to fame was the one and only tuna-dilla. I was a little freaked out at first. My family did not partake in hot tuna. No tuna melts, no tuna casseroles, and definitely no tuna surprise. Bree’s tuna dilla, however, changed everything. Fresh, flakey tuna between crispy tortillas with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese… epic. I’ve updated the tuna-dilla to include sweet piquillo peppers and nutty Swiss cheese. It’s a little weird, super simple, and insanely satisfying. Simply mix 1 can of drained chunk light tuna with a little salt, pepper, and a small splash of olive oil, layer with Swiss cheese and piquillo peppers between two flour tortillas, and grill until golden and melty.

Dilla Dos: Philly Cheese-steak Dilla

A cheese-steak between tortillas, what more do you need to know!? One night, Amanda mentioned that she’d be making me Phillies later in the week, then she flip flopped to taco salads. Excited about the prospect of cheese-steaks, I mentioned them to Evan, and it was all downhill from there. Amanda ended up flip flopping back to cheese-steaks, but Evan was already sold. So, to avoid having the same thing two nights in a row, I decided to jazz up Evan and my cheese-steaks by making them quesadillas instead. So easy for a rushed weeknight. Sautéed onions, red bell pepper, and pepperoncinis; Swiss cheese, and thin sliced deli roast beef. Aside from the amazing sandwiches at New York Sub Shop in Hood River, Oregon, I’d say these are the best cheese-steaks I’ve had.

Dilla Number Three: Smoky Asparagus Dilla

Smoky asparagus dillas were actually inspired by Mel’s zucchini and onion quesadillas, which are fantastic (and will for sure show up on here at some point). Mel’s killer zucchini quesadillas have sautéed onions, zucchini, cumin, and lots of ooey, gooey, melty cheese, so I decided to make it even better with a few tweaks and the addition of my favorite spring veggie- asparagus. The smoky cheese and asparagus really make it a full on meal, and a delish one at that. Just ask Brit and Amanda, they witnessed this little creation one night when I went a little asparagus crazy, making three separate, completely unrelated asparagus dishes for dinner.

Smoky Asparagus Dilla for 2-4 people
1/2 onion-sliced
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
6-8 asparagus stalks- halved and then sliced lengthwise
2-3 garlic cloves- diced
.5 teaspoons cumin seeds
.5 teaspoons ground cumin
Generous salt and pepper
1-2 cup shredded cheese (a mix of jack and something smoked-gouda or smoked cheddar)
4 flour tortillas (8 inch for optimal filling/dilla, but smaller or bigger would work)
EVOO for brushing
1-2 tablespoon EVOO for cooking
Pinch red pepper flakes

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet, and add cumin seeds, onions, and asparagus. Cook until fragrant and slightly tender. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking until tender and slightly saucy. Assemble on a cookie sheet: 1 tortilla, handful of cheese (desired amt), half of mixture, handful of cheese, 2nd tortilla (x2). Brush top of tortilla w/EVOO, and bake for 5-10 min, until golden, flip, brush w/EVOO, repeat. Enjoy with sour cream and cilantro.

Tummy Ache

Ugh. I woke up sick to my stomach this morning. And... I loathe the term ‘tummy ache’ when used by anyone over the age of five. It gives me said ache. When I was 17, too cool for school, and on a flight to Arizona with Mel and Amanda, I was terribly nauseated. Mel, loving mother that she is, asked the 20-something male flight attendant for extra crackers, because I had a ‘tummy ache.’ I. was. mortified. I’ve spent my teenage and adult life trying to convince people that I am, in fact, over the age of 12… a ‘tummy’ reference from my ‘mommy’ when I was a teenager totally derailed the train. Ever since then I cringe when I hear ‘tummy ache’. (Sorry Mel).

Which is too bad, because I have them regularly, and ‘tummy ache’ sounds way cuter and more charming and appropriate than ‘morning sickness.’ I’ve always been prone to morning sickness, long before that kind of morning sickness was even an option. Waking up nauseous has always been a standard occurrence in my world, often times for no particular reason at all. You probably wouldn’t peg a food lover such as myself for someone with a weak stomach, but I was always the kid that threw up at birthday parties from too much cake and sugar. My stomach is a wreck on vacations, I get nauseous and faint if I don’t eat regular meals, and sometimes I just get stomach aches from the silliest things, like taking vitamins.

This morning was one of those mornings. I was planning on telling you all about the delicious mussels and chicken sausage in tomato, basil, and garlic broth that I made for dinner last night, but after this morning, I don’t really want to think about shellfish for awhile. And don’t worry, it was by no means the seafood that made me sick… I can tell when it’s ‘just one of those mornings.’ Needless to say, I ended up working from home today, which gave me an opportunity to make one of my all-time favorite comforting childhood lunches. Ham and cheese quesadillas—easy on the stomach, quick, and delicious.

Quesadillas, whether simple or complex, are one of my favorite things ever. In college, I lived off of quesadillas—either with bbq sauce and black bean salsa or with a bowl of chili and sour cream. In high school, Amanda and I microwaved tortillas and American cheese for afterschool snacks. In elementary school on snow days, sick days, no-school days, and weekend days, Mel would pull out a cast iron skillet and make quesadillas on the stove top. We always got excited for the blackened charred bubbles on the tortillas, and the crispy edges where the cheese sizzled when it met the hot skillet…these were the ones that only Mel could make. And, when we were really good, we would get the special treat of ham and cheese ‘dillas.

And even now, there’s really nothing better than crisp but chewy tortillas, melted gooey cheddar cheese, and sweet, salty thin sliced deli ham… a sure fire cure for whatever ails ya… even tummy aches.

Ham and Cheese ‘Dillas
I don't think these 'dillas really require a recipe, but just in case...

2 flour tortillas (if you don’t have homemade, I like Guerrero brand)
5-6 slices cheddar cheese (maybe more, depending)
2 thin slices deli ham
Oil or cooking spray

Heat skillet to medium, and lightly coat with oil or spray. Lay one tortilla in skillet, and cover with a single layer of cheddar cheese and both slices of ham. Take remaining one or two slices of cheese, and break into small pieces and layer on top of ham—I don’t like it too cheesy, so this is essentially the glue that holds the ham to the second tortilla. Cook for a few minutes on each side (I like to brush the top half with oil or spray before flipping) until cheese is melted and tortilla is charred and bubbly, but not burnt.