Zucchini Quesadillas

There are three or four zucchini quesadilla recipes that I have come across recently, and I am dying to try all of them. The first one was emailed to me from my friend Claire, and all the rest are variations that I found on the Cooking Light website. All of them look absolutely delicious, so I may just create a hybrid version and combine elements from each recipe. I can't commit to just one zucchini quesadilla recipe, after all. I like to keep my options open! Some yummy, spicy, black beans will round out our meal.

Zucchini Quesadillas

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon of butter
1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini
1 small can of sliced black olives (drained and dried on paper towel)
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jarred roasted red pepper, diced (drained and dried on paper towel)
2 oz. crumbled goat cheese
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons of taco seasoning or BBQ spice blend (I am using some of the Rick Bayless spice mix I have stored in my fridge)
1/3 cup of your favorite salsa
salt and pepper to taste
8 whole wheat tortillas
cooking spray
guacamole for topping


Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onions, red peppers, and olives until onions are soft and translucent. Add in zucchini, garlic, salsa, and taco (or BBQ spice) seasoning. Cook until veggies are tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. Add some veggie filling to a wheat tortilla. Sprinkle with 1 oz. of pepper jack cheese and a 1/2 oz. of goat cheese. Top with another wheat tortilla. Set aside on a sheet pan. Repeat until all the filling is used (it should make about 4 quesadillas). When filling is used, wipe out the skillet with a paper towel. Spray skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium high heat. When pan is hot, carefully add quesadilla with a spatula. Cook for 3 minutes, or until quesadilla is lightly browned on the bottom. Carefully, flip with a spatula and cook the other side of the quesadilla for another 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Repeat with remaining quesadillas, adding more cooking spray if needed. Remove cooked quesadillas to a cutting board and cut into 4 wedges. Serve with guacamole.



The Result:
These were awesome! Seriously, delicious and filling...sooooooo satisfying. We all loved them, and this is yet another dish I will be sure to keep in my vegetarian rotation. The little bit of goat cheese added such a creamy/tangy dimension of yumminess, and the pepper jack cheese gave it the perfect amount of a spicy bite. Yum, yum, yum!!!