I recently found a mother lode of delicious spring foods at the farmers market and decided to whip them all together into quesadillas. They turned out to be delicious and are definitely something I’ll be replicating in the future!
I started by sauteing asparagus and shiitake mushrooms with onion and garlic. When they were nearly finished I added pea shoots and stirred until they were wilted. Side note — pea shoots (sometimes called pea tendrils) are young pea plants. They have a wonderful pea flavor and can be used raw or cooked. You usually only see them at farmers markets in the spring when the plans are still young and tender.
Mushrooms are a super food that I try to incorporate into my diet at least once a week (I’m not always successful, but I try!). They are packed with antioxidants and immune boosting nutrients. I often throw them in soups or stir-fries to add meaty bulk, flavor, and nutrients.
While the filling was finishing I slathered a tortilla with goat cheese (about 1/3 of a standard small tube of cheese) then loaded the sauteed veggies on top of the cheese. The cheese helped the filling to stick to the tortilla and added that nice goat cheese acidic kick to the quesadillas.
I cooked the quesadilla in a cast iron pan on the stove top, but I must say I didn’t have ideal technique right away. I cooked it sort of like an omelet – browned the entire thing on the bottom and then flipped in half and finished on each side. It was a bit messy, but it tasted great!
These quesadillas would work well with a wide range of possible fillings. I’m looking forward to experimenting with other options this summer. In this case the goat cheese helped hold the whole thing together and was a nice flavor pairing for these veggies, but other cheeses would also be delicious.
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