Quesadillas

Feeling like a Mexican Fiesta tonight?

My family likes to do a quesadilla bar when we all gather together. It's easy, fun and oh, so tasty! There is a little prep work required, so plan ahead. First you need to get your meat filling ready:

Ingredients:
Roast, sized for the number of people
1 can tomato juice
Taco seasoning
Sea Salt
Pepper
Habanero pepper seasoning
Cumin
Coriander

Place your roast in a slow cooker. Shake about 1 Tbsp. Taco seasoning over the roast. Pour a can of tomato juice over it. Sprinkle course ground sea salt over the roast to cover it generously. Do the same with the pepper and habanero pepper. If you don't have habanero pepper flakes, you can also use a few drops of hot pepper sauce or the juice from pickled peppers. Sprinkle on cumin and coriander, quarter to half a teaspoon of each. If the seasonings are not absorbed by the liquid, rub to create a paste. Cover with the lid. Cook on low over night, or on high for 4 to 5 hours.

Shred the roast using a fork. Adjust the seasoning as needed. I am usually pretty light on the habanero pepper until this stage.

Now, on to the quesadilla bar!

Ingredients:
Tortillas ( I prefer the brown rice GF to the corn tortillas)
Black beans
Cheese
Chopped Veggies (peppers, onions, tomatoes, etc.)

To assemble your quesadilla: sprinkle a little cheese over half your tortilla shell. Top with some beans, then a generous helping of shredded beef (you may need to drain the meat first). Top all this with the veggies of your choice and a little more cheese. Why is the cheese important? It holds everything together. Your quesadilla shouldn't be too full that you cannot fold it shut into a half moon. And it shouldn't have extra liquid. If you want a giant quesadilla- you can also use one shell for the bottom and one for the top, but be prepared to flip it!

Place your quesadilla in a hot, greased skillet. If you have a meat weight or another heavy skillet, place it on top to press your finished product together. (We use oval cast iron fajita plates as weights.) When the bottom half is browned, flip and cook the other side. Remove from pan and cut into wedges. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

We usually end up eating the kitchen as only 2 to 3 quesadillas will fit on our electric skillet at one time. No one wants to wait to eat or be left in the kitchen cooking while everyone else is in the dining room. Usually the first round of people will be ready for seconds right about the time the skillet is emptied.

As with anything- check your ingredients for gluten! My taco seasoning is naturally gluten-free and the can of V-8 Tomato Juice was also fine for me. I don't sweat the 'natural and artificial flavorings' as to date they don't cause a reaction for me.