Loaded Vegetable and Chipotle Quesadillas

One thing I love is having a freezer full of meat.  It's about as good as having a tank full of gas, a clean house, a grocery store trip completed, or folded laundry.  My only problem is that I always forget to thaw out what I need ahead of time.  That leads me to creating vegetable entrees on the spot when dinner time rolls around.  These quesadillas came about from one of those desperate times.  But there is nothing thrown together about the taste!

I started out brainstorming all of my pantry items.  Tortillas - check, peppers and mushrooms - check, refried beans - check, zucchini - why not, how about cheese - check, and sour cream - check and check.  Ok, we're looking good for loaded quesadillas.  What else do I have?  Avocado - yum.  Ah, left over chipotle peppers in adobo, perfection.  So I went to work.  This dish came together quickly, included lots of veggies, and was packed full of flavor.   I had to blog it quickly so I wouldn't forgot how I made it because it will definitely be on the menu again!  (Probably when I forget to thaw out some meat!)

Loaded Vegetable and Chipotle Quesadillas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise then sliced thinly

Salt and pepper

2 small green onions, white and light green parts chopped

1 small package of button mushrooms, sliced

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons of adobo sauce

1 can traditional refried beans (or make your own), heated thoroughly

Tortillas

Sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Sour cream

Avocado, sliced

Directions:

Heat skillet to medium high heat.  Add olive oil to the pan and when hot add red bell peppers and zucchini.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Saute until peppers begin to become tender, add mushroom and green peppers, and season lightly with salt.  When mushrooms begin to become tender, add chipotle pepper and adobo sauce.  Heat throughly.

In a clean skillet, place tortilla and spread with refried beans, add heaping amount of vegetables and sprinkle with cheese.  Allow to heat until the cheese starts to melt, fold tortillas over to make a half-moon.  Heat until golden brown and flip over.  Once remaining side is golden, remove to a plate.  Finish plating with sour cream and sliced avocado.

Source:  Original recipe