Pumpkin Quesadillas — And No, This is Not an Oxymoron!

I mentioned pumpkin quesadillas in an earlier blog which featured cooking with kale, and as you can see, I was not kidding. For some reason, I cannot get enough pumpkin flavoring whenever Fall rolls around, so here goes! Enjoy this Meatless Monday recipe from Rachael Ray:

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/pumpkin-quesadillas/

Ingredients you will need:
2 cups of canned pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Caramelized red onions (if you go for that sort of thing)
4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (or your choice of cheese)
8 eight inch flour tortillas
½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted (or hazelnuts)
¼ cup of vegetable oil
Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper to taste

Foolproof* Directions (May not apply to ALL fools!):
These are seriously easy to make! I’d suggest saving them for a day when you need something quick. I added some caramelized red onions and cayenne, skipped the nuts, and it made these quite savory.

1. In a bowl, mix pumpkin and cumin
2. Spread the mixture over 4 tortillas
3. Sprinkle them with cheese and nuts to taste. If you are not a huge fan of goat cheese (I fall into this category) the try using Mexican Cotija or Queso Fresco
4. Place the remaining 4 tortillas on top
5. Heat 1tbsp of oil in a large skillet, (preferably non-stick) on medium-low
6. Cook quesadillas one at a time (medium heat), turning once (more if you’re impatient and like turning them), until browned. Takes about 3 minutes.
7. Don’t forget to add more oil to the pan between each quesadilla. You could also use cooking spray.
8. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

More Ideas for Quesadillas

Thought to have originated in colonial Mexico (so says Wikipedia), the quesadilla has Americanized over the years. This pumpkin recipe got me thinking about all the different ways you could make quesadillas other than the typical “cheese sandwich” ones. So I turned to one of my favorite foodie websites Yummly, and created a collection, http://www.yummly.com/profile/BradNierenberg/collections/Quesadillas. I plan on trying some of these combinations and will keep you posted! In the meantime, feel free to add your favorite!