Friday, June 4, 2010

Drooling Over Food Vicariously

As I attempt each day to eat within my meager 1250 calorie range I find myself enjoying and drooling over food vicariously through food blogs, the Food Network and magazines. I print out, mark, cutout and save recipes that I hope I can eat sometime in the future. Do any of you do this or is it just me?

This past week as I was perusing one of my favorite blogs this recipe caught my eye. I thought to myself, with a bit of tweaking I could eat these quesadillas right now and so tonight I am going to do just that.

Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas | WholeFoodsMarket
Ingredients
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cups sliced red, green or yellow bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (
I will reduce this to 1 tablespoon)
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
6 flour tortillas (I will use reduced calorie tortillas. I'm also considering making it more like a tostada and using just one tortilla)
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
3 tablespoons butter (
I'll skip this completely and either use a spray of Pam in the pan or lightly brush the tortilla with a bit of olive oil)
Chopped lettuce
1/2 to 1 cup salsa
1/3 cup sour cream (
I'll use low calorie sour cream)
1/2 cup guacamole (
I'll use a small slice of avocado)

Try layering shredded roasted chicken, pulled pork, or sliced skirt steak with the onions and peppers in these quick and easy stovetop quesadillas. (
No meat for now as I think the beans will provide enough protein) For vegetarians, sautéed mushrooms are a great addition, too.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss onions and peppers with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven, tossing occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes, or until golden brown. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tablespoons cheese on each of 3 tortillas. Top with roasted onions and peppers, beans and remaining cheese. Arrange remaining tortillas on top. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat and, working in batches, brown both sides of each quesadilla until cheese is melted. Cut into quarters and transfer quesadillas to plates. Serve with lettuce, salsa, sour cream and guacamole on the side.
Serves 3 to 4.


I just finished my dinner and I thought this quesadilla was yummy although a bit messy to eat with just my hands. I used Fiesta Fajita Seasoning on the veggies during roasting with a sprinkle on the beans and La Tortilla Factory high fiber Smart & Delicious tortillas (50 calories each). I figure the calorie count with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some salsa was around 380 to 400. I'm very full and will definitely be making these often.

9 comments:

  1. You should add the chicken mom - you need the protein and more of it!

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  2. ps. let us know how delish this is.

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  3. 1250 calories? Holy crap, you're hard core! I'm struggling with a 1800-1900 range. This recipe looks super yummy. I'm with Sam, add the chicken because it's a pretty lean protein and it will fill you up more.

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  4. My review which is also at the end of the post.

    I just finished my dinner and I thought this quesadilla was yummy although a bit messy to eat with just my hands. I used Fiesta Fajita Seasoning on the veggies during roasting with a sprinkle on the beans and La Tortilla Factory high fiber Smart & Delicious tortillas (50 calories each). I figure the calorie count with 1 tablespoon of sour cream and some salsa was around 380 to 400. I'm very full and will definitely be making these often.

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  5. Sue, I'm older so get less calories to eat than you younger ladies. Supposidly I should be losing a pound and a half a week but the most I've lost is a pound. I'm sure I go over my calories by at least 100 each day even though I try not to. Lose it while your young because it's a lot harder after you have menopaused.

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  6. Queen Vee, this was a great post. I found your blog by chance and had intended to say hello and then move on. I started to read your earlier posts and stayed far longer than I planned. I really like your recipes and the tone of your blog. I'll be back as often as I can to see what you've been cooking. I hope you are having a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

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  7. This does look good. I love every single ingredient in there. I also like the way you provided color-coded commentary in your post.

    I am also staring at food on line. But I'm also making it and eating it. There are so many yummy, healthy recipes out there. And, as you've done, I've started getting the confidence to alter recipes to make them even healthier, but just as tasty.

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  8. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I will for sure be making that soon!

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  9. Looks yummy! How was it? Do you know how many calories per serving?

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