Spinach Quesadillas With Cheesy Corn Filling
Advertisement
Are you searching for a wholesome meal or a snack or a lunch idea for kids specifically? Then here you are, Spinach Quesadillas with cheesy corn filling fits your requirement and can be customized accordingly as a complete meal or a snack or lunch idea. This recipe is adapted from Mexican cuisine and the spices are relatively reduced to suit the kids. In order to make it a complete meal, it is served along with bean salad and roasted tomato salsa as the accompaniment. It is an ideal meal comprising carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, iron and protein for kids of all age groups.
I go back to my childhood days where I used to watch Popeye shows. The thing that was registered in my mind as a kid, was eating spinach makes you stronger. Yes indeed! We all know that Green leafy vegetables are good for health and spinach is loaded with nutrients including vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, folate, vitamin C, iron, manganese and other vitamins and minerals. It is also a good source of fiber.
Kidney bean is not only an awesome source of protein but also packed with essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals like folate, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, copper, magnesium, zinc, iron, thiamine, vitamin B6, riboflavin, niacin, calcium and more.
The whole recipe is further fortified with corn, cheese and green onions.
Advertisement
Ingredients
- For the spinach tortilla:
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon spinach puree
- 2 ½ tablespoon warm spinach cooked water
- For the quesadilla filling:
- 1 cup cooked corn
- 2. Chopped medium sized tomatoes
- 1 onion large chopped
- 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped
- 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
- ¾ cup cheddar cheese grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the Kidney bean salad with garlic lime dressing:
- ½ cup kidney beans dried
- ¼ cup tomato deseeded and chopped
- 1 onion small sized, cut into thin slices
- 2 tablespoon onion greens, chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic chopped
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- Salt
- For the roasted tomato salsa:
- 3 medium sized tomatoes roasted
- 1 ½ teaspoon oil
- 1 small sized onion chopped
- 1 green chilli deseeded and chopped
- 1 tbsp coriander leaves chopped
- ¾ teaspoon vinegar
- Salt and pepper as required
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoon tomato ketchup
Advertisement
Instructions
- For the Kidney bean salad with garlic lime dressing:
- Soak the dry kidney beans overnight
- Wash again and pressure cook the soaked beans with required water.
- Strain the water from the cooked beans and pour cold water to avoid the beans cooking further.
- In a deep bowl combine the beans, onions, tomato and onion greens.
- Just before serving the salad, make a dressing by combining olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and lemon juice. Add this serving to the beans mixture and serve.
- For the roasted tomato salsa:
- Pierce a fork in each tomato and hold one by over the gas flame till the skin turns slightly blackish and you observe cracks on the tomatoes.
- Once the tomatoes are cooled down, remove the peel.
- Chop one roasted tomato and make a puree out of the remaining two roasted tomatoes.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry onions and green chilli for a while.
- Add all the other ingredients and cook only for 2 to 3 minutes and not more than that.
- Remove from the fire and transfer it to a serving bowl.
- For the quesadillas:
- Spinach tortillas: ----------------------------
- Clean and wash the spinach leaves.
- Chop them roughly and measure 2 ½ cups of spinach.
- Cook the spinach in 1 cup of water along with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¼ teaspoon of sugar.
- Just let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes and allow it to cool down completely.
- Strain the water completely and reserve 2 ½ tablespoons of this water for kneading.
- Make a puree out of the spinach.
- In a large mixing bowl, sieve whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt and baking powder together.
- Add oil and mix well using fingers to resemble bread crumbs.
- Add the spinach puree and the reserved water.
- Knead well to make a smooth dough.
- Cover the bowl and rest it for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, roll out a ball using little flour until you get a thin circle.
- Approximately this dough will yield 8 tortillas.
- Heat a griddle.
- Place the rolled ball and cook slightly on one side and then flip it.
- Reduce the flame and cook on the another side till light brown spots appear.
- Wrap these cooked tortillas in a kitchen towel and place it in a casserole.
- Make all the tortillas in a similar way.
- Filling preparation: --------------------------------
- In a bowl, combine both the cheese and add salt, pepper according to your taste.
- In another bowl, combine the ingredients cooked corn, onion, tomato, chillies, salt and pepper as required. This is the filling.
- Setting the tortillas: -------------------------------
- Take a tortilla, and spread 2 tablespoon of the cheese mixture on half of the tortilla.
- Spread corn mixture on the cheese, the same side.
- Add two more tablespoon of the cheese again on the corn mixture. This time spread enough cheese on the edges as well.
- Pick up the side without the filling and fold to get a semi circle. Carefully press so that the edges stick together.
- Cooking the tortilla: ---------------------------------
- Heat oil in a pan, fry one quesadilla (stuffed tortilla) at a time until both the edges turn slightly crispy.
- Press the sides to close and remove from the pan.
- Cut into half with a pizza cutter.
- Repeat the same for the remaining tortillas.
- Serve the quesadilla with tomato salsa and kidney bean salad as a complete meal.
Notes
- 1 cup = 250 ml
- Preparation timing is exclusive of soaking time of kidney beans.
- Adjust spices according to your kid’s taste.
- Adjust cheese accordingly, the more the cheesier kids will love it.
Advertisement
Very nutritious recipe…. Something I will definitely feed my kid 🙂
Wow made with 47 steps good efforts