Serves 3 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer.
Note: The no-cook salsa just takes a quick spin in the food processor and delivers a tart punch and plenty of crunch. Creamy avocado is as luscious as cheese in the quesadilla, and is a nice change of pace. From Robin Asbell.
Salsa:
• 1 c. fresh cranberries
• 1/2 large Honeycrisp apple, chopped
• 2 tbsp. chopped red onions
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp. hot sauce
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp. salt
Quesadillas:
• 3 large avocados, mashed
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 (15-oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 (9-in.) whole-wheat tortillas
Directions
To make the salsa: In a food processor, place the cranberries and pulse a few times to chop finely. Don't purée. Add the apple, red onions, jalapeño and hot sauce, and pulse to mix. Scrape into a bowl and mix in the cilantro and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
To make the quesadillas: If desired, preheat the oven to 200 degrees to hold the finished quesadillas.
In a medium bowl, mash the avocados with lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Lightly mash the black beans in a bowl, just to break some of them up. Mix them together; you should have about 3 cups.
Spread about 1 cup of the avocado mixture on a tortilla, then top with another tortilla. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
Heat a large sauté pan or griddle over high heat. When hot, place a quesadilla in the pan and cook for about 1 minute, until browned. Flip the quesadilla with a spatula and cook for about a minute.
Slide the quesadilla out of the pan onto a cutting board and cut it in 6 wedges. Place on an oven-safe plate and keep warm in the oven, if desired. Continue until all the quesadillas are done. Serve immediately, with salsa.
Nutrition information per each of 6 servings:
Calories395Fat16 gSodium920 mgCarbohydrates58 gSaturated fat3 gAdded sugars1 g
Protein11 gCholesterol0 mgDietary fiber16 g
Exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable, ½ fruit, 3 starch, 2 ½ fat.
It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.
