Grilled quesadillas (low-cholesterol)

 

     Here are two fillings for quesadillas, one vegetable and one meat. However, almost any vegetable/cheese/chili or meat/cheese/chili combination will work. Serve the quesadillas with a fresh salsa, guacamole or taco sauce.

Makes 8 servings

• 10 corn tortillas (7 inches)
• 6 flour tortillas (10 inches)
• Oil for brushing grill and tortillas

Vegetable filling

• 1½ cups chopped cooked brocoli
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 can/4 ounces chopped green chilies, drained
• One-third cup finely chopped green onion
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• Salt

Sausage filling

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• 2 sweet red peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt
• ½ pound sweet italian sausage, casing remove and meat crumbled
• 1 cup shredded Monteray Jack cheese
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped pickled jalapeno pepper

Prepare vegetable filling

1. Combine brocoli, Cheddar cheese, chilies, green onion, cilantro and salt in small bowl ; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare sausage filling

1. Heat oil in medium-size skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and red pepper ; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until softened.
3. Add garlic, cumin and salt ; cook 2 minutes.
4. Scrape into medium-size bowl.
5. Add sausage to skillet ; cook until no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
6. Transfer to bowl.
7. Add Monteray Jack cheese, cilantro and jalapino pepper to bowl ; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grilling

1. Prepare grill or preheat broiler ; oil grid or baking sheet.
2. Brush both sides of tortillas with oil ; grill 5 inches above medium coal for 15 seconds on each side or until blistered and softened.
3. Or, cook tortillas in nonstick skillet over moderately-high heat as above.
4. For vegetable quesadillas : Arrange ½ cup of vegetable filling along one side of each flour tortilla ; fold over other side to enclose filling and form turnover. Brush both sides of fold tortillas with oil.
5. For sausage quesadillas : Arrange one-third cup sausage filling along one side of corn tortilla ; fold over other side to enclose filling and form turnover. Brush both sides of tortillas with oil.
6. To grill : Grill 5 inches above medium coals for 1½ minutes on each side or until crisp and filling is heated through ; transfer quesadillas to platter.
7. To broil : Broil quesadillas on prepared baking sheet 5 inches from heat for 1½ to 2½ minutes on each side.
8. Serve with salsa, guacamole or taco sauce.

BON APPÉTIT