Queen of Quesadillas

Anonymous
OK, here's another thread about getting dinner on the table.

I cook dinner 4 times per week, on average. This means cooking from basic ingredients, i.e. meat, veggies, etc., not from prepared or packaged stuff. I also work full-time, as does my husband. Sometimes we will also cook a nicer meal on the weekend instead of going out.

In order to do this, my weekly meal plan generally falls into the broad categories of one pasta-based meal, one meat + veggie meal (this can vary between grilled, roasted, or pan fried, but it is generally pretty simply prepared), one slow cooker meal, and one quesadilla meal (which always falls at the end of the cycle). Salads and bread added as needed.

I find the quesadilla to be a really versatile way to use up whatever is left over from the previous three days of cooking. For example, last week's quesadillas ended up being chicken, mushrooms, and sauteed red onions with Herbs de Provence. Plus, my 3.5 year old son will eat anything in quesadilla form, no questions asked!

Do you have any strategies to share?



Anonymous
I do breakfast quesadillas...scrambled eggs, cheese, and then whoever else you might put in an omlette.
Anonymous
thanks, great idea, Quesadilla Queen.
Anonymous
My (much younger) brother is in college and we live close by so he comes over between classes for lunch a couple times a week. He puts EVERYTHING he can find in our fridge in quesadillas. His favorite had bacon and shiracha in it.
Anonymous
I do that, too, OP, and I use the same strategy with rice - I will mix any meat/veggie leftovers we have with rice, add marinade sauce if necessary (depending on the leftovers, they may have enough marinade/sauce to coat the rice) - my kids love rice so this works in the same way. I always have tortillas, shredded cheddar cheese, rice and various marinades/salad dressings (for use as a marinade) on hand! I also like to keep corn muffins or garlic bread in the freezer, b/c I usually heat that up with this "leftover" meal which makes my kids more excited to eat it.
Anonymous
My kids like the plain cheese quesadilla, a regular staple around here.

My minor recipe revision is: the pizza-dilla - tortilla with mozzarella cheese, served with a dipping bowl of marinara sauce. Little bowls of dip can sell anything, I recommend them. Obviously, you could also go for all manner of pizza toppings here as you like.
Anonymous
roast asparagus in the oven at 500 and then make a quesadilla with jack cheese and the roasted asparagus. Really yummy.
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:roast asparagus in the oven at 500 and then make a quesadilla with jack cheese and the roasted asparagus. Really yummy.


okay - here's the recipe. you can leave out the parts the kids might not like.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Asparagus-and-Red-Onion-Quesadillas-10216

Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:roast asparagus in the oven at 500 and then make a quesadilla with jack cheese and the roasted asparagus. Really yummy.


okay - here's the recipe. you can leave out the parts the kids might not like.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Asparagus-and-Red-Onion-Quesadillas-10216



QQ here- I have used that recipe before, and we love it! I have deployed the cumin lime cream in other situations as well. You can also do it with Greek yogurt, if you don't have sour cream at hand.
Anonymous
I also put let over veggies in fritattas.
Anonymous
Very interesting. I love hearing about how other moms get dinner on the table. What kind of things do you make in the slow cooker? I've always been intrigued by the slow cooker idea, but haven't taken the plunge yet.
Anonymous
my mom does ham, swiss, tomato quesadillas. They're really good- she slices the tomato really thinly.
Anonymous
Like a PP, I put leftover veggies in quiche. I also put leftover veggies in pasta sauce. Just throw them in a big pot and soften with some olive oil and maybe a dash of wine; add a can of whole peeled tomatoes and let it cook down into a sauce. Yummy.
Anonymous
I put leftovers including any veggies that need to be used up into a crock pot on Sunday morning. Then we have a hearty soup with fresh bread for dinner.

post reply Forum Index » Food, Cooking, and Restaurants
Message Quick Reply
Go to: