COCKTAIL HOUR MENU: Chips with Mexican Dip and Chipotle Mango Salsa; Black Bean Cakes; Cinnamon-Mocha Dulce De Leche Bites
ONE YEAR AGO: Lightly Fried Tilapia with Caper Brown Butter and Lemon-Shallot Orzo
Come wintertime, I really miss the bright, fresh salads that were a staple of my summer diet. When this craving hits, I’ll often find myself resorting to frozen or canned corn combined with some other less seasonal ingredients. For Caitlyn’s Mexican-themed birthday over the summer, I made quesadillas two ways, one with this Curried Sweet Potato Filling and the other with a version of this succotash using fresh corn. Since the salad is more or less being hidden between layers of melted cheese, I thought the succotash quesadilla was as good a way as any to revisit my memories of summer, with but a few cans/packets of veggies.
From my kitchen, albeit small, to yours,
Phoebe, THE QUARTER-LIFE COOK
Cilantro Succotash Quesadillas
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
For the succotash:
5 oz, frozen edamame, thawed
1 15oz can corn, rinsed and drained
1 15oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 lime, juiced
¼ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp chili powder
For the quesadillas:
12oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese or Mild White Cheddar
8 tortillas, traditional or whole wheat
In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients for the succotash. Taste for seasoning and add any additional spice as necessary.
On a flat work surface, assemble each quesadilla one at a time: sprinkle a small handful of cheese on one side of the tortilla, spread a thin layer of succotash on top, and sprinkle with another small helping of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half and press down to make sure the quesadilla adheres. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. (You may have leftover succotash—try scrambling with eggs the next day!)
Arrange the quesadillas on two cookie sheets. Place in the hot oven and broil until golden brown on the top and the cheese is melted through.
NOTE: if the tortillas are not holding closed, you can use a second cookie sheet to weight them down in the oven. Simply place a sheet of tin foil over the quesadillas, followed by a second cookie sheet with something
