Quesadillas!

I am sure it's clear by now that I like anything and everything Mexican. Maybe it's because my first job was at Taco Bell - I don't know. Quesadillas were the first thing I made on my panini grill when we got it. Yes, even before making paninis I made quesadillas AND I would have to say it's still the number 1 thing I make on my grill. Not that I don't love a good panini...it just takes more work... talking about panini really makes me want to make one again....okay, let's put an end to this OT ramble track. I used to be pretty boring with my quesadillas because I didn't know what would taste good and I live with a person who believes veggies will burn his insides... or something along those lines. However, I have over time found ways to sneak variety in, through such things as chunky salsa... that's right kids, in salsa is veggies and for some reason when they are masked in this spicy sauce the bf eats it. I don' t know - it just works and I'll take it. As much as I love Mexican, I also love my chourico sausage (talked about and cooked with in previous blogs). The chourico I love and grew up on is Portuguese but there are Mexican and Spanish chorizo - same idea but I have never had it so I can't vouch for it. I can vouch for the smoky spicy goodness in chourico though, and it adds so much flavour to a dish. Sooooo without further adieu, here are my Chicken & Chourico Quesadillas! Ingredients: 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed 1 cured smoked chourico sausage, cut lengthwise & sliced into 1/4" pieces (this shouldn't be the raw kind where you remove casing and cook the insides - it's dried, you just cut it into thin pieces) 1 cup of thawed frozen corn 3 large flour tortillas 1/4-1/2 cup of salsa 1/4-1/2 cup of sour cream 1/4 red onion, finely chopped 1-2 stalk of green onion, finely chopped 1 cup of shredded marble cheese (mozzarella/cheddar) 1 tsp chili powder 2 tsp garlic powder 1/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp paprika 2 tbsp of olive oil pinch of cayenne OR red chili pepper flakes optional: minced jalapeños salt and pepper to taste ALSO you can use taco seasoning or tex-mex seasoning to avoid measuring all together which frankly is the way to go in my book. Directions: Heat up a large skillet with olive oil to medium heat Add chicken and chourico. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne/pepper flakes and cook until chicken is cooked through and the chourico has browned, approx 8-10 minutes. Turn the heat off and add the corn and mix well.

Raquel Teixeira

Chicken, Chourico & Corn filling for Quesadillas!

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Lay out the flour tortillas and apply 1/3 of the sour cream to one side of the tortilla. Add 1/3 of the salsa and mix into the sour cream on the one side. Add the chicken & courico mixture to that one side. Sprinkle with the onions, cheese and minced jalapeños. Fold over the tortilla and repeat with the other 2.

Raquel Teixeira

An open quesadilla

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Heat up a panini grill and place one tortilla at a time into the grill, closing it and cooking for 2-3 minutes until the cheese has melted and nice light brown grill lines appear. Remove and repeat with the others. Cut each into 3 triangles and serve with salsa and sour cream.

Raquel Teixeira

Chicken & Chourico Quesadillas!

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FOOTNOTE: If you do not have a panini grill, turn the oven on broil and put on the middle to upper rack for about 3-5 minutes. One of my favourite regular cycle dishes. :)