Thursday, May 7, 2009

Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Quesadillas

Two things I always have in my freezer are corn kernals and peas. My personal belief is that frozen vegetables are seriously underrated, especially since they are flash-frozen at their freshest. For people on a budget who cannot always afford what's in the produce section, frozen vegetables offer a great healthy alternative.

In this recipe, roasting the corn brings out the natural sweetness of the corn by caramelizing the sugars. With the addition of the goat cheese, these quesadillas definitely don't skimp on flavor. I had some tomatillo salsa from Trader Joe's to use up, which was the perfect complement to the quesadillas, offering a light acidity to offset the tanginess of the goat cheese. Plus it came together very quickly! These could also make a delicious appetizer.

Roasted Corn and Goat Cheese Quesadillas with Tomatillo Salsa
source: Cooking Light
Yields 4 quesadillas

Ingredients
1 cup corn kernels, thawed if frozen
2/3 cup (5 oz) goat cheese, softened
8 corn tortillas
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
10 tablespoons bottled salsa verde, divided
cooking spray

Preparation

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add corn, sauteeing for several minutes or until brown spots appear. Place corn in a small bowl with goat cheese and combine until well-blended. Divide corn mixture between four tortillas and spread thin, topping with 1 tbsp green onions and 1 1/2 tsp salsa. Top with the remaining four tortillas.

Spray nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat it over medium heat. Place quesadillas in pan, one at a time, until they are browned on both sides. Remove from pan and keep warm until all quesadillas are cooked. Cut each quesadilla into four wedges and drizzle with remaining salsa.