Veggie and Quinoa Quesadilla with Lime Slaw

OK, time to be honest: I cook a lot, but I don't have the time or energy to make a new recipe every night. So when I'm pressed for time and lacking motivation, I make this Veggie and Quinoa Quesadilla with Lime Slaw. Tweet this In fact, I actually just ate it for dinner before writing this post.


Veggie and Quinoa Quesadilla with Lime Slaw Tweet this

Recipe by Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 small sweet potato, cubed
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup quinoa, dry
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 small zucchini, diced
  • 1 small yellow squash, diced
  • ½ teaspoon chipotle chili seasoning
  • 1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • 2 whole-wheat tortillas
  • ⅓ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Optional toppings: sliced avocado, Greek yogurt, diced tomatoes

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, sweet potato, 1 teaspoon chili powder and salt. Stir to mix. Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until tender.
  3. Meanwhile, combine quinoa and water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
  4. While the quinoa is cooking and sweet potato is roasting, heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, zucchini and yellow squash. Sauté 5 to 7 minutes or until the zucchini is tender. Add remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder and chipotle chili seasoning and stir. If desired, season with salt.
  5. In a bowl, combine cabbage, olive oil and lime juice. Stir to combine.
  6. If you have a quesadilla maker, turn it on now. If you don't have a quesadilla maker, heat skillet over medium heat.
  7. Lay tortilla out flat. Layer one side with cheese, quinoa, zucchini mixture, sweet potatoes and an extra sprinkle of cheese. Fold the tortilla in half.
  8. Place the folded tortilla on quesadilla maker or skillet and grill until the tortilla starts to turn brown and get crispy. It should take about 5 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side.
  9. Once the tortilla is brown and crispy on both sides, remove from the pan. Open up the tortilla and pile in the lime slaw. Serve with additional toppings, such as sliced avocado, Greek yogurt and diced tomatoes. Makes 2 quesadillas.
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Natalie Rizzo
Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD is a NYC-based media Dietitian, food and nutrition writer and owner of Nutrition ȧ la Natalie. Natalie writes for many national publications such as Parade, Eating Well, Shape.com and Runner's World. She has also appeared on local TV segments and is frequently quoted in national publications. Natalie is very honored to have won the award for Top Food & Nutrition Feature Article in 2017 for “Decoding Food Label Claims: The Lowdown on Package Promises”, as well as the 2016 Stone Soup Blogger of the Year award. Connect with her on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.


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