Photo: Leigh Loftus
There is one thing I crave during hot weather. Besides a frozen margarita, I crave crisp, fresh foods. From salads and fresh fruits to cold, raw seafood like oysters and ceviches. The thing is, I also like variety and when I want to stray from my salad-sandwich-seafood routine without turning onto the oven, a quesadilla that also indulges my seafood obsession is the #1 choice.
These quesadillas are also stuffed with shrimp and avocado and are the perfect way to combine your craving for hot food and your love of hot weather. If you have a grill, you can make them outside, or you can cook them in a skillet on the stove.
Pair your quesadillas with that frosty margarita or some of your favorite guacamole. And enjoy the summer while it lasts.
Photo: Leigh Loftus
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 6 small shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 2 whole-wheat tortillas
- ½ avocado, sliced
- 1 small tomato, seeded and diced (optional)
- ½ cups grated sharp cheddar (Monterey Jack, manchego or crumbled queso blanco also work)
- Salsa, for serving (optional)
- In a small saucepan, bring one or two inches of water to a boil. Drop in the peeled and deveined shrimp, turn the heat to simmer, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until shrimp have just turned pink. Let cool slightly and cut into small dice, slicing in half lengthwise and then chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- Lay tortilla flat on a plate. Top tortilla with half of the grated cheese, shrimp and avocado, when finished. Sprinkle it with one-fourth of the grated cheese.
- Top with half of the shrimp pieces and avocado. Spread the rest of the cheese on top of the shrimp and veggies and top with second tortilla.
- With a large spatula, move the quesadilla to the heated pan that you used to cook the kale. Cook for 3 minutes, until the bottom tortilla is lightly browned and the cheese on the bottom begins to melt. Flip the quesadilla, and cook 2-3 minutes, until the bottom tortilla is lightly browned. Since you can't see the bottom, you can estimate based on when the cheese inside has melted.
- Remove quesadilla from the heat and let it sit until cool enough to handle. With a large, very sharp knife, cut the quesadilla into wedges, and serve with your favorite salsa.
11 Comments
Sandie {Inn Cuisine}
March 26, 2010 at 10:39 amA great way to incorporate more kale into our diets. Thanks, Maris!
Meal Makeover Mom Janice
March 24, 2010 at 12:59 pmI love kale but have not tried it in a quesadilla- great idea! Perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
Brian
March 24, 2010 at 7:32 amOur dinner tonight! (expect text messages for advice)
Jessica
March 23, 2010 at 10:34 pmCan the shrimp be replaced with chicken?
bodyhacker
March 23, 2010 at 11:30 amExcellent Recipe and love the idea of using shrimp and kale – thanks for sharing.
Also love La Tortilla Wraps – I use these wraps for all of our meals (Breakfast – egg burritos, Lunch – with turkey, ham, just veggies wraps, dinner – pizzas and can’t forget desserts)!
If you are interested, we list one of my favorite recipes with the wraps (Italian Veggie Pizza) on our site under food reviews.
Hope you can enjoy! Thanks again and can’t wait to read more. 🙂
Kalyn
March 23, 2010 at 10:13 amI love this combination!
kat
March 23, 2010 at 9:58 amI’m totally with you there, we like greens like kale & spinach in our tacos & quesadillas
mandy
March 23, 2010 at 9:33 amI have been a major slacker in the kitchen lately. This however, sounds (and looks) incredibly delicious. The fact that it comes together so quickly is a big bonus too!
Daryl
March 23, 2010 at 8:08 amHow cute is this post! Your description of March is right on the money too. This is making me drool
Isabel Kallman @AlphaMom
March 22, 2010 at 11:34 pmlove shrimp. love kale. love avocado. and love cheese.
means i will tolerate the carbs. 😉
Looks like a great recipe.
Megan
March 22, 2010 at 11:31 pmThis. Looks. Amazing. Think it would work with spinach instead of kale? Because then I would have all I need for a delicious weekday lunch at home! 🙂