Tomato and Scallion Quesadillas

These quesadillas are a product of what’s happening in my garden now.  I know most people have a zucchini invasion in their gardens at the moment.  I, however, have an onslaught of cherry tomatoes to eat on a daily basis which I rather enjoy.

This is  a light, quick, and seasonal home-grown lunch I made yesterday for the boys and I.   I used some roasted tomatillo salsa to add some spice to mine, but without that, they are very child-friendly.  The boys adored them, which I found outrageously astounding.  Of course it is delicious and savory and naturally sweet and even a little spicy with the salsa.  It’s both light yet filling, striking a nice balance of texture and flavor with the creamy yet tangy bite of manchego and beans.   The ridiculously fresh produce added a fresh lightness which rounded it out and the chewy crunch from the tortilla was the perfect contrast to the filling. That being said,  my children don’t really enjoy anything with such balanced qualities.  Or at least, they hadn’t before yesterday’s prepared lunch.

I suspect however that the general punctilious nature with which we approach our food is directly related to our experience in the creation and subsequent appreciation of it.  What grows in our garden is what was on the plate they were raving about and despite my preparation of the ingredients, they took ownership in the quality, therefore opening their minds to a wider array of flavors and tastes.  They helped with the seeds and the watering and the feeding and the picking and truly enjoyed doing it.

This novel experience of growing their own food has most assuredly broadened their palate, for which I am very grateful.  If you have a picky eater, I highly recommend allowing them to grow their own ingredients.

Tomato and Scallion Quesadillas

with black beans, manchego and roasted tomatillo salsa.

• olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 10.5 ounce can of black beans, drained
• 2 tablespoons salsa, plus more to finish if desired (your choice, I used this one)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions
• about 1/2 cup grated manchego cheese (more of less if desired)
• three eight inch flour tortillas

Place large nonstick skillet over high heat and coat bottom thinly with olive oil. Drop in garlic, black beans and salsa.  Toss occasionally so the garlic doesn’t burn, until hot.  Remove from heat and add tomatoes, scallions and manchego.  Season to taste.   Drop filling into flour tortillas and fold tortillas in half.  Press firmly to evenly distribute filling.  Place filled tortillas in a dry nonstick skillet over medium high heat until gently warmed, then flip to warm the other side of the quesadilla.  Repeat with remaining filled tortillas.   Serve with additional salsa if desired.