Finally grilling season is here to stay in West
Michigan. We seem to have gone from ten
foot piles of snow to summer in the space of a couple of days. Spring was SHORT this year!
I was looking for something different to grill when I came
up with the idea of quesadillas for dinner.
I checked some recipes and then decided to combine a couple of them to
create my own variation. Some were way
too detailed for the mood I was in (late Sunday afternoon) and some didn’t have
any meat in them, and I wanted these to be a main course not a snack.
I treated myself to a jar of Adobo Seasoning—something new
for me. It added a nice flavor to the
chicken although I used it sparingly since the first ingredient listed is
salt.
This recipe is adaptable to your needs. I grilled two chicken breasts (check out
those grill marks!) and ended up using only one for two people and saving the
other for lunches.
Sprinkle the chicken with Adobo seasoning and grill until
your thermometer reads at least 165 degrees.
While the chicken is grilling, place a pepper of your choice
(red, green, yellow, orange) on the grill.
Keep turning it until the skin blisters and blackens. Remove from the grill and place in a plastic
bag and allow it to steam until cool enough to handle. Remove the charred skin and cut the pepper
into thin strips.
Cut grilled chicken into strips approximately the same size as the pepper strips.
Grate a good handful of cheese—I chose Monterey Jack, but
you could use the cheese of your choice.
When the other side is golden, remove from grill. Serve with toppings of your choice: salsa, avocado, sour cream, salsa verde. I like to put my toppings on top because, well,
they are called “toppings.” My husband
likes to open the quesadilla and put his inside. Kind of a you say tomato and I say “tom-ah-to”
kind of thing.
I served the quesadillas with a black bean salad. No recipe, I just mixed a can of rinsed black beans, about a cup of corn, a half an avocado cut into small pieces and then tossed it with a lime/olive oil/cilantro dressing. Perfect!
I served the quesadillas with a black bean salad. No recipe, I just mixed a can of rinsed black beans, about a cup of corn, a half an avocado cut into small pieces and then tossed it with a lime/olive oil/cilantro dressing. Perfect!
Trying a new seasoning. Sprinkle on the chicken before grilling |
Grill pepper until charred, steam in plastic bag and then remove skin |
Black bean, corn and avocado salad makes a great side dish |
Add caption |
I have a new series coming in August 2015--the Cranberry Cove series. I'm really excited about it and can't wait for you to become a part of Cranberry Cove!
Visit my website or join me on Facebook! I'm also on Twitter @pegcochran
What a great idea, Peg! I'm always looking for different ways to do chicken, esp. now that it's in the 90's in Texas, and this would be perfect on the grill. Thanks! Looking forward to the Cranberry Cove series.
ReplyDeleteMy sister lives in Houston and she said it's HOT! It's great if you don't have to heat up the kitchen for dinner.
DeleteYou can also do these open faced as a sort of mini mexican pizza. Just put a layer of cheese on the tortilla, let everyone add their own toppings, I recommend pieces of fresh tomato rather than sauce on these, place on the grill to melt the cheese.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try that next time! That would be fun for a party as an appetizer.
DeleteI love simple recipes.
ReplyDeleteDru Ann
Me, too! Especially after working all day!
DeleteAdobo seasoning is awesome!!! I've been using it for years. My "source" closed and I found it on Amazon at a good price. I put it on everything, from meats to vegis!!!! It resides right next to the pepper mill!!!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I hadn't tried Adobo before now! It's great. Fortunately our supermarket has a good "ethnic" section.
DeleteThis is a great idea!!!!! I have family visiting us at the moment and everyone eats something different.....this would be a fun way to satisfy all of them!! Grilling always makes food taste better.
ReplyDeleteGrilling also feels more like "fun" than cooking does!
DeleteSounds delicious, Peg! And grilling doesn't feel like cooking, does it? The fresh air, I guess. Congratulations on your new series. I love cranberries (and they're so good for us) so I'm eager to see some recipes!
ReplyDelete~Krista
Peg - What a great idea for summer grilling season. Getting that wonderful smoky flavor into such a classic and easy dinner is brilliant, brava! Thanks for sharing, congrats on the new series (very exciting)! May you have a delicious week. ~ Cleo
ReplyDeleteLovely post, Peg! Can't wait to steal your ideas! Congrats on the new series. When do you sleep?
ReplyDeleteXO
Ha, ha, MJ. Actually I get plenty of sleep, it's television that I've given up. Except Downton Abbey but then there are only like four episodes to a season!
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