Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Corn Quesadillas w/ Summer Veg

Cheezy Tortillas

This post is probably just as much a confession as it is a recipe idea or reminder for quick summer food. This might sound a bit odd until you are made privy of the guilt I have over eating so much non-organic corn product. And you now might be confused at what issue one could possibly have over typically grown corn. However, if you've seen the movie Food Inc. or read any of the many books on this topic, you know exactly why I want to kick myself over my addiction to cheap corn tortillas.

Yes, Dearies, corn tortillas are so inexpensive, often vegan, and just plain practical. So if you know of a company that makes organic corn tortillas, please do let me know. I'd be interested despite a sneaking suspicion that they might be pricey.

Back to the food. These are corn tortillas stuffed with Galaxy Vegan Cheese, grated zucchini, red bell pepper and garlic. I obviously make up for the tortilla by stuffing these with organic vegetables and vegan cheese made with organic soy. The result is a delicious snack or meal when paired with salad or soup. Making them also does not involve firing up the oven or letting a soup roar for an hour. Nope, just a quick sear in earth balance or butter on both sides and you're done. No hot, steamy house to exacerbate the existing heat of summer!

Summer Veg Corn Quesadillas for 2

8 Corn Tortillas
3/4 Cup shredded Zucchini (arugula is great too)
1/3 Cup diced Red Pepper
1-2 Tbsp. minced garlic
8 Slices Galaxy Vegan Cheese (or your favorite cheese)
Earth Balance Buttery Spread
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Black Pepper
Garnish-fresh cilantro, scallions, lime, salsa, hot chilis, etc...

Place about 3/4 Tbsp. of Earth Balance in a pan and bring it to medium heat.

Once the heat is at medium, place a tortilla in the pan. Place a cheese slice, an even distribution of the veg, some garlic, salt and pepper. Put the top on and watch for the bottom piece to become a bit golden (1-2 min). Turn carefully and give the other side 1-2 min. Continue this till you are done. Turn your heat down if your pan starts to smoke. This happens usually on electric stoves, but can happen on any stove that does not maintain constant temperature.

Note: *Do not place tortilla in butter that is not fully heated. *Add more earth balance or oil in small amounts or as needed while making these!

Enjoy!

60 comments:

  1. Stellina, my frugal friend...I see that you're on the path not only to save us a few pennies but also leading us to eat nutritionally as well as scrumptiously.
    So glad to see that cheese is in the middle of it all;0)
    Let's pop a cork from a beautifully chilled Rosé and we'll call this the main course ;o)
    I'll bring the dessert (gluten-free) of course!
    Thanks for the flavourful recipe.
    Ciao for now, Claudia

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  2. I used to make very very very greasy, cheesy quesadillas all the time, back when I didn't care much about health. :P These look wonderful. Have you tried them with a squeeze of lime? I used to sprinkle lime juice over the insides of the quesadilla before I closed it. :)

    And do you have Food for Life products in your area? Their most-known products seem to be their Ezekiel 4:9 sprouted grain breads. Anyway, they sell organic corn tortillas, and better yet (I assume) the corn is sprouted before it's ground. :)
    http://www.azurestandard.com/product.php?id=FG443

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  3. Hi Stella, I haven't seen the movie food inc. I need to get it. Your quesadillas looks delicious. Have a nice week.

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  4. Oh Stella, these look so good! I LOVE quesadillas! I have a couple different vegan cheeses at home that I haven't tried out yet... looks like it's about time ;)

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  5. I love quesadillas!This looks great. You should hear how some of my friends pronounce this when they order it in restos (not many of my friends are familiar with mex dishes aside from tacos and nachos), it's quite a laugh. What is the vegan cheese you use made out of? I tasted one at this food show, but I really didn't like it, so I'm hoping to look for other ones.

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  6. I could easily live on garlic, cheese and tortillas. This would be perfect for a beach party.

    My computer is still gone but visiting beautiful food posts like this just puts me in a good mood again. :D Thanks, Stella.

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  7. Oh gosh Stella, why do I have a feeling that you burned your mouth eat THESE beauties? I really hope it's healed by now my dear so that you can truly enjoy all your scrumptious summer eats.

    When I first heard corn tortillas, for some reason I was imagining tortillas stuffed with corn. Then I realised you were talking about tortillas made from corn...silly me. These sound like a really satisfying healthy snack. I love anything with ooey gooey melted cheese. This is the perfect snack for me and my kiddies. Love that you used shredded zucchini too! I'll definitely let you know if I find a company that makes organic corn tortillas.

    Hope you and cauldron boy are having a great week and are enjoying some beautiful summertime weather.

    PS
    Those cake pops WERE really tedious!

    Hope

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  8. I love quesadillas. I practically grew up on them! I love adding tomato and chili powder.

    Why not get a bag of organic masa flour and make your own torillas fresh when you need them? That's what we've been doing lately and its so much easier than flour tortillas.

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  9. These look great! I've never made quesadillas before with corn tortilla, always flour. I must try next time with corn. I don't know if you have a Whole Foods near you, but that's where I buy my corn tortilla. They make it fresh everyday and it's usually around the bakery. I think it's around $1.99 for 12 or so.

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  10. So very healthy they look great and this is diffinitely right up my sons alley these days with the turkey bacon and low carb...will have to get this over to him asap!! looks wonderful!

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  11. Hi again! Yup tapioca is a starch taken from cassava! You should give it a try, you'd love it :)

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  12. Yum, this is something I would really enjoy, the thing is I never think of preparing tortillas, I don't know why...Lovely stuffing too! thanks Stella for reminding to buy some next time I am doing my grocery shopping!

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  13. These look so yummy with zucchini! A terrific summer lunch or a light dinner!

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  14. I love the smell of freshly toasted corn tortillas! I've never found organic corn tortillas. I make my own from masa that can be found at Whole Foods. I must try this quesadilla, it looks so comforting!

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  15. Wow that is vegan cheese? It looks so melty!!! I must try it!

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  16. Wow! That looks fantastic! I have just about everything on hand too so I might make these tomorrow. Thanks so much for the recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out!

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  17. These quesadillas look delicious! Love all the fresh summer vegs!

    Just so you know, the corn in things like tortillas and cornmeal isn't the same as the corn they talk about in Food Inc. The corn from food inc. is corn that was made specifically to be turned into high fructose corn syrup and other preservative products. The two are entirely different species so I think you can eat these tortillas guilt FREE.

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  18. Hey Joanne, I was wondering about that exact thing. Thanks! I still feel a tad guilty about non-organic, but this info makes me feel so much better. I'm trying to vote with my pocket book as they say, so....

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  19. these look delicious! veggie quesadillas are by far one of my favorites and these look terrific!

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  20. Stella, I feel the same way about non-organic corn. Food, Inc. was bad enough, but reading The Omnivore's Dilemma really convinced me to stop eating non-organic corn! Luckily, I'm not addicted to corn tortillas! In fact, I don't eat them very often at all so I'm afraid I can't help you with where to find the organic type. I'll keep my eyes out, though! Corn or not, these quesadillas sound amazing!

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  21. oh..come sono belle e pure molto gustose !! ciao grazie per questa ricetta

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  22. Hey Stella, it's absolutely gorgeous cheese quesadillas! I've seen the Food Inc movie. It definitely changed my food view. However, it didnt last with me very long haha. Go organic isn't cheap and less convenient for me to grocery shopping :(

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  23. I'm mad for these quesadillas, Stella!! Love your stuffing....and all that yummy, melted cheese! Don't know what to say about organic corn tortillas, but you've tweaked my interest so I'm going to look into it!

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  24. Hey, Stella, just wanted to let you know I passed on a few blog awards to you. :) http://recipesbymo.blogspot.com/2010/06/long-overdue-blog-awards.html

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  25. This looks so good and healthy Stella! I can go for one now. And tomorrow.

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  26. Yum. Stella, you've done it again. And I'm going to second the recommendation for the Food for Life tortillas. They're generally what we've been buying, and they have great flavor (in addition to being organic and great for you). I think you'd approve!

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  27. This is just the kind of tortillas I would devour! however until I can locate some in Beirut, I may use that filling on polenta, which is widely available.

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  28. Stella! My mouth is watering looking at those pictures. I can't believe you have deliciously veganized yet another recipe. And I love how budget-friendly this recipe is too. Looks amazing!!

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  29. Oh Stella, these look so delicious. I have some vegan cheese that we opened that needs to be eaten soon...wonder what I can do with that!!

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  30. Hi, Stella. This is a good reminder of easy summer meals or any time, when one is pressed. I hope all is well down in FLA! Thanks, Dan

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  31. I found it Stella!!! I just went to Whole Foods (not sure if you have ones in your area). They carry organic corn tortillas! :)

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  32. HI Stella, your vegetarian quesadillas looks awesome. Thank you for the idea, we prefer no meat in them.

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  33. OMG I love your quesadillas look very tatsy and georgeous!! Im hungry Stella! gloria

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  34. What a great reminder of an awesome food!

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  35. I certainly will not scold you. Not for one second. I LOVE corn tortillas! The recipe looks fantastic!

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  36. Oh, the perils of factory farmed corn. It's so hard to avoid! Anyway, confession is good for the soul, so go and sin no more...the quesadillas look wonderful. The zucchini/cheese combination reminds me of the ayote pupusas we get at a little Salvadorian restaurant here.

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  37. I haven't seen the Galaxy cheese around here. I'll have to do some hunting. It's nice to find a vegan cheese that melts up nicely. We eat a lot of quesdillas at our house. Thanks for another yummy recipe idea. ;)

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  38. I think of trying that with Greek Pita breads. Love that way that looks!

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  39. I love quesadillas Stella, any time of the day! Of course, I will have to try your vegan version! It looks scrumptious :)

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  40. Good for you Stella! WHole FOods has their own brand in the dairy section and they are not too expensive. Did you know they are easy to make and the press to do it is very inexpensive and kind of cool looking? Takes like 4 minutes to do and you could have them whenever you want!!
    Great recipe and love the photos..you make a tortilla look gorgeous!!

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  41. Argh! I am way too hungry to be looking at this. You are killing me! Yum :) Happy Friday!

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  42. Dear Stella I saw your question about stuffed potatoes, I answer in the comments, anything you have doubts ask me dear, not problem I hope with my answer you find more clair the recipe. Sometimes I write so rapid you know and forget something.
    Thanks by ask! gloria

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  43. Stella,

    Love these quesadillas. Could you please be kind enough to make these around July 30th. That would be great. I love what you've done with one of my all time favorite dishes.

    Awesome pics as well. Great job.

    Bad job though feeding into this crazy cat's ever expanding ego. I had to remind him that there is only one Alpha Male in my house.

    Be well...

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  44. Hi Stella,
    You and I are on the same wavelength, I've been thinking about cheesy corn tortillas among other ideas for recipes that are on my mind,your recipe is a tad healthier then the one I was thinking about but that's a good thing and you've shown me a delicious way to bring cheesy goodness to life in a wholesome recipe, that's just one of the reasons I love the Witchy Kitchen:-)

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  45. Those are great looking photos, Stella!

    Tortillas are overpriced over here and they don't even taste close to what we have back home. I'll take non-organic, cheap tortillas anytime as long as they taste the way tortillas should. Corn tortilla is just asking for too much.

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  46. I love quesadillas. I make mine with whole wheat tortillas since they have more fiber. These look great.

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  47. This looks so yummy! I feel sure that Whole Foods has organic corn tortillas, but honestly their brand is not that good - they taste stale and dry. Why not get a tortilla press and make your own? That's something I've been meaning to do forever! I bet it would be fun.

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  48. guilty, guilty (raising hand) we honestly buy corn tortillas by the boat loads, glad to read joanne's comment, here I buy them freshly made by hand so I do use them alot, we love quesadillas, great way to use up any leftovers, yesterday we made some with leftover sauteed cabbage and beans. great pics,
    sweetlife
    ps have a great weekend!!

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  49. Stella,
    Love the snap! Gorgeous! Your Quesadillas look delish. The recipe sounds wonderful and healthy to boot. What's not to like? And yes, make your own, it's easy I hear. However it's nice to just open the frig and pull out a decent ready made product. Especially in this heat.
    Pam

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  50. Hi Stella
    as usual another great recipe that just happens to be vegan.....I swear with you cooking for me I could be a vegan.....shhhhhh......don't tell anyone, can't lose my carnivore status!
    Seriously I love quesadilla's and I prefer corn to flour tortilla's too....my grandmother use to make the best cheese and onion enchilada's for me....sigh.......
    thanks again for sharing...and by the way great images!!!

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  51. I also use the Ezekiel sprouted corn tortillas - or if you had a Trader Joe's nearby, you could get some there...These look so gooey and yummy!

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  52. I love the ingredients you have chosen for the filling!!I love quesadillas!

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  53. Hi Stella. So glad to have found you thanks to you finding me and my blog hipparis.com which you commented on today. I am excited to try some of your recipes. They look delicious and healthy. I am very concerned about what I eat so it is a pleasure to see someone who cares, creating dishes for other concerned human beings! I hope you will enjoy our blog as well! A bientot - Erica

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  54. Luckily I don't have these quesadillas next to me, because I could eat hundreds, with a cold beer!!!!
    Would you come to Paris and make them for me AND we could taaallllk...
    Great job, Stellita !!

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  55. Stella, you have me crave for some cheesy quesadillas now! These look too good to miss!

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  56. Looks yummy! I will give this a go with some almond flour tortiallas. yum!

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  57. This looks gorgeous and summery!!! How can you beat cheese with anything?? :)
    You know, I haven't watched Food, Inc. yet. I have a hard time watching documentaries about food. I feel guilty about some of my food choices already, and knowing even more I think would make me feel worse. I know it's a horrible ostrich mentality. But one day I will get around when I have some more courage. Food, though good, is so bad sometimes :(

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  58. I luuuuuuuuv quesadillas, and be able to make them more summery is awesome. It looks great, beautiful picture.

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Please do comment, Dearies!