Ham, Australian Cheddar, Fig and Grilled Zucchini Quesadilla

Next up in the series, Food from Me to You...a new quesadilla recipe.  Quesadillas like this are my go to "I am too busy to cook" meal.  Even though I avoid excessive use of deli meat, I do eat it randomly.  And I always give it a quick sear on the skillet before putting it in my concoctions, tastes about 80 times better that way.  This quesadilla is a combination of ham, australian cheddar (super creamy), a fig spread and grilled zucchini.  I definitely put either some goat cheese or some cream cheese in these, as well, because clearly, I am incapable of not adding soft cheese to every single thing I put on the plate.  

Also, I love acid.  And anytime I make a quesadilla or grilled sandwich or make some sort of a grilled cake (like these), I always eat it with aggressively dressed greens.  Some baby spinach, spring mix, arugula, etc.  I usually eat about half a bag of baby spinach (so like 2.5 ounces) with one quesadilla.  So normally it is a lot more greenage than what is in the photo.  I think I was just running low.  

The purpose of sharing this recipe isn't so you go out and buy all these rather strange ingredients and put them together (although, go for it, this was extremely well liked by Scot), it is instead to share with you one of my regulars.  BTW, fig spread is Scot's Betty Boop lately.  Or his new "sweet potato".  If you have never had it, it is basically the filling in a Fig Newton, but classier.  

PS:  In case you didn't notice, I gave foodforscot a Facebook page for Christmas.  And I added FB liking capabilities all up in here.  I am hoping this allows for better communication.  The commenting via the blog is sort of 1991, so I hope adding the ability to comment on FB makes things a little easier.  Also, YOU can upload pics and comments on the FB page anytime and send me hate mail there.  

2012 foodforscot Kitchen Tip:  Don't buy salad dressing.  I promise you, you will never regret it.  All you need is to stock your pantry and fridge with ingredients (which basically never go bad) that allow you to whip up whatever dressing you want.  I eat some sort of vinaigrette or dressing at least 3 times a week and I make it each time (or use up the leftovers right away).  So what ingredients are need to whip up a dressing?

-Vinegars (I always have balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, rice vinegar...but Champagne, Sherry, and other flavored vinegars are fun to throw into the mix)

-Oil (almost always olive oil, but for Asian and Mexican, you want a light oil like Veggie)

-Salt and pepper

-Dijon mustard

-Honey (or other sweeteners like Maple syrup, agave, jelly or jams, etc.)

Those ingredients alone can do wonders.  However, there are probably lots of other ingredients and condiments hanging around that can give you even more options including:  Worcestershire sauce, Soy sauce, other mustards, Sriracha, fresh or dry herbs, weird Asian oils/Fish sauce/etc., lemons, limes, ketchup, relish, and many more.

Are you thinking...what about the creamy dressings?  Well, all you need is fat:  mayo, sour cream, yogurt, milk, etc.  

I always have all of these ingredients.  And I hate bottled salad dressing.  Even before the "eat whole foods, don't eat processed foods" movement, I hated bottled salad dressing.  I think it is because once you start making vinaigrettes, you won't turn back.  

Should I take a bow?  Geeez.  Sorry about that multi-paragraph kitchen tip.  I think you get the idea.  

Ham, Australian Cheddar, Fig and Grilled Zucchini Quesadilla

Ham

Australian Cheddar

Goat cheese, probably

Dijon

Zucchini, sliced and grilled

Fig spread

Spinach flour tortillas

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Make a quesadilla and serve with a salad greens tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette.

(Servings: any, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 10 min., Difficulty: Impossible)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  9/10

Effort:  1/5

Dishwashing Effort:  1/5