Zucchini Quesadillas

Katie:  I wanted to take advantage of the abundance of zucchinis in season, but I knew I would have to make something attractive enough to convince Flori to eat them too.  I decided to make zucchini quesadillas, based on this recipe and this recipe.  Here’s how I made them:

Zucchini Quesadillas

• 1 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1-2 large garlic cloves
• Zucchini – I used 3 small ones
• Salt and Pepper
• Shredded Cheese
• Kidney Beans
• Tortillas

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet and sauté the zucchini and garlic with the chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

Remove the zucchini from the pan and clean it. Add a tortilla and top it with cheese, zucchini and beans, and top it with a second tortilla. Cook it until the cheese begins to melt.  Flip it and continue cooking until the tortillas are light brown and crispy.

I served the quesadillas with Roasted Corn and Garlic Salsa, Refried Beans, and plain yogurt.  They were really good!  The salsa was little too garlicy, so next time I would use less.  I made 2 quesadillas and used the rest of the fillings to make burritos.

Roasted Pepper Pesto-Tomato Pizza

Katie:  Since Flori was at his parents’ house last week, I wanted to make something special to welcome him home.  Pizza is always a good bet, but I didn’t want to make something I’d already made before.  I felt like trying something with roasted peppers and found this recipe for Roasted Pepper Pesto-Tomato Pizza from Cooking Light.  I used this recipe for Whole Wheat Pizza Dough, which makes 2 pizza crusts.  I doubled the sauce recipe and topped the pizza with tomatoes, yellow and red bell pepper strips, and cheese.  The pizza turned out great!  I had never tried making pesto before, but the sauce was pretty easy to make and tasted delicious.  I used our immersion blender to make it, and Flori didn’t even notice that it included 2 cups of basil leaves.  I would definitely try this sauce again, maybe next time with a different crust or other toppings, such as shrimp.

Bean, Corn, Carrot, and Zucchini Enchiladas

Katie:  With flowers blooming and the snow gone, I decided to make something to celebrate spring.  I saw some zucchinis on sale at our grocery store and decided to take a risk.  I found this recipe for Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas from Cooking Light.  I couldn’t find any black beans, so I decided to use kidney beans.  I cut the amount of beans in half and added a couple of carrots, sliced, along with the zucchini to add some crunchiness.  They tasted really good!  Although it’s Mexican cuisine, they weren’t very spicy.  Flori liked them a lot too, despite the zucchini, so I’ll definitely have to make this recipe again!