Veg*n Cooking and Other Random Musings: Quesadillas de Melocotón y Verdura (Peach and Veggie Quesadillas)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Quesadillas de Melocotón y Verdura (Peach and Veggie Quesadillas)

This was one of the more experimental recipes I've tried lately and it was really, surprisingly good. The sweetness of the peaches worked really well with the spicy peppers, the crunch of raw cucumbers, the juciness of the fresh tomatoes, and the nuttiness of the quinoa. Brett's only complaint? There weren't enough peaches in the dish - he's a hummingbird, there have been times that I've truly wondered if there is a such thing as sweet enough to him! :-) But I did agree that more peaches would not have been a bad thing. When I had created this recipe, I decided that 3 peaches seemed a good amount for the dish. I was thinking of the larger sized peaches I've seen around the farmer's market. Well, after much frustration this past weekend, we finally found the only stand (that we are aware of) that was selling pesticide free peaches, and they were a little smaller than the other peaches. So next time I make this meal, if we are using the small peaches, I will use 5, otherwise 3 it is.

I was a little nervous about this dish, as the only fruit I had ever tried in a meal has been pineapple, and I was nervous when I made that too! I was really happy it turned out and we had a lovely fresh batch of Green Chile Taco Sauce that complemented these quesadillas perfectly.

Just a reminder of the produce legend:
* = farmer's market
** = CSA
*** = Container or Community Garden

















Quesadillas de Melocotón y Verdura
1 cup quinoa, cooked
3 peaches, washed, cored and diced *
2 serranos, seeded and minced ***
2 petite bell peppers, seeded and minced ***
1 gypsy pepper *
2 cloves of garlic, minced *
1/4 red onion, diced *
1 cucumber, minced *** (we used one of the cukes we nabbed from an abandoned plot)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped *
juice of half a lime
dash chipotle chili powder
dash cumin
dash cinnamon
dash white pepper
dash salt

tortillas
Green Chile Taco Sauce

Heat a few tablespoons of water in a small skillet. Add the peppers, onion and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until soft. Drain any excess liquid.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Refrigerate for about a half an hour.

Either drain the filling or use a slotted spoon* to layer filling in a warmed tortilla and fry.

Serve with Green Chile Taco Sauce.

* There will be liquid at the bottom of the bowl of filling, I suggest draining it so there isn't a risk of soggy tortillas, nobody likes that.

It's always nice when an experimental meal goes well.

'Til next time!

16 comments:

Kory said...

that looks fantastic!

I was just contemplating getting some peaches to make ice cream, now I think I will get a few extra.

I just had pinapple not long ago btw in a panang curry dish.

Anonymous said...

So glad you enjoyed your peach quesadillas - they look delicious! I agree that it is an awesome feeling when an experimental meal turns out well!

Lindsay (Happy Herbivore) said...

Youknow, I have a ton of peaches and I was just going to make cobbler... you are awesome. What a great idea. I love havign fruit in my dinner... and the color... love it.

J said...

Spelled with a K - Thank you, they were pretty dang tasty.

Peach ice cream?! Yum! I hope you post about it so I can live vicariously through you since, well, I don't have an ice cream maker.

I've never had panang curry, but I love the idea of pineapple with a spicy curry dish.

Jenny - We were too, we keep each of our favorite frozen pizzas on hand when I am trying something new, or refried beans for quick bean burritos, just in case it doesn't turn out.

Lindsay (HH) - Cobbler sounds mighty nice too. I've never liked the WORD cobbler, but the actual food is pretty good.

I bet you would really like these, spicy, sweet, colorful, YUM!

jessy said...

ohhhh - it's so pretty! and thanks for another rock'n recipe. i would have never thought to use peaches in quesadillas. now THIS i'm gonna have to try!

superw00t!

Alicia said...

too sweet? there is not such thing, I agree with Brett! I'm sure this tasted great, can't imagine something with peaches tasting bad!

VeganCowGirl said...

Wow! I never would have thought to use peaches. Brilliant! Way to rock the Mexican Vegan Food World!!!

Anonymous said...

ooooh those look awesome! yay for mid-missouri produce :) i love combining fruit with savory, spicy dishes, so i will have to try this after i go to the market on saturday! maybe i will see you there!

Anonymous said...

I just bought 2kg of peaches from the market today! Yes!

Bianca said...

Yum! I love using fruit in savory dishes. Especially peaches! I peaches were so yummy in that. I'm a big fan of peach salsa.

Bianca said...

Oops! Meant to say, "I BET peaches were yummy."

Anonymous said...

Your meal LOOKS vibrant and beautiful! I am always nervous to combine savory and sweet flavors (i.e. the fruit with the veggies)...so much so that I have actually never really done it! When I come across recipes that call for fruit in more savory dishes, I always leave out the fruit! I am such a chicken! But I do have quite a few peaches at the moment...maybe this will be my introduction into the savory and sweet combo?!

Thanks!
Courtney

Lisa (Show Me Vegan) said...

I love the idea of peaches in quesadillas! I'm the opposite of Brett, not much of a sweet tooth, so I actually prefer to counter the sweet with savory.

Anonymous said...

yeah, i miss that burger too! luckily, i have snagged the recipe from the squeeze archives, so i can recreate it at home...perhaps i will let you in on the secret sometime :)
mochi is basically cooked brown rice (sometimes mixed with sesame seeds or other seasonings) that is pureed and formed into a cake, shaped like a tempeh cake, and then when you cut it into strips and bake it, the strips puff up like a pastry and it is an awesome snack! it can be sweet or savory and is sooo tasty! you can get it at the small clovers or at the hyvee health market!

J said...

Jessy - Thank you. I have had some "out there" ideas for our food, some have worked, some haven't, we got lucky on this one. You'll have to let us know if you like 'em!

Alice - Hahaha, you and Brett must be kindred spirits in the sweets department. I like sweet, but not even close to as much as Brett does.

Vegan Cow Girl - Haha, thanks!

Peace by Pastries - Thank you. I do too, for the longest time, I was nervous to combine flavors: sweet and savory, sweet and spicy, but as soon as I got brave enough to try it, I realized I had been missing out for far too long.

Wahoo for fellow CoMo veg*ns, we're at the market every Saturday, so it's likely that we'll run into each other at some point. ;-)

Shellyfish - Haha, I'm not very good with metric, but I assume that's a lot?

Bianca - I am just now getting more comfortable combining fruit in entrees, and it's so good!

I bet peach salsa is fantastic. I might have to try my hand at making some if there are more pesticide free peaches at the market this weekend, it sounds like it would be so good!

Courtney - Thank you! I was too for the longest time, I would do like you did, just leave one element of the dish out. I got brave one day, and it opened up a whole new world of flavors. You should really try it out at least once.

Lisa - They were really good, just gotta make sure to drain the filling or else you might end up with a soggy tortilla and that is ick! I'm between you and Brett, I have a sweet tooth, but not nearly to the same extent that he does. My preferred combination is sweet and spicy, which Brett likes too, so we've found our compromise.

Peace by Pastries - YOU LUCKY DUCK! I might have to be uber nice to be able to get that recipe, eh?

For some reason, I just assumed mochi would be soy based. Both Brett and I love brown rice, and if it can be sweet, I bet I could get Brett to try it.

Wahoo, we live a 15 minute walk from Hy-Vee and are quite big fans of their health market - though with the farmer's market in full swing, we don't frequent Hy-Vee nearly as much, which is fine by me, local is better. I wish we lived closer to one of the Clovers.

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