Vegan quesadillas? Can it really be done? Can it really be delicious?

Yes, yes and YES!

I have been so excited to try so many new things these days and today I had acorn squash to use, so I made acorn squash quesadillas! I had never tried squash before this year and have found them to be quite fun to use. You can make anything from soups to muffins with them, they are so versatile.

I typed ‘acorn squash recipes’ into google and stumbled upon the idea to use them in quesadillas. I was sold. I have never even made quesadillas before today and they turned out great. Much better than a restaurant because they weren’t so greasy. I also whipped up a batch of homemade salsa to go along with them. The whole family fell in love! Another favorite recipe to add to my collection. 🙂

Acorn Squash Pinto Bean and Spinach Quesadillas

Makes 4 quesadillas

• 4 large whole grain tortillas
• 1 small acorn squash
• 3-4 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 large handfuls spinach
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup grated soy mozzarella cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Then cut the squash width-wise into 1/2 inch slices and cut each 1/2 inch ring in half to make half-moons. Place the sliced squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with sunflower oil.

Bake for about 20 minutes. You want them to be soft, but not too mushy.

Once the squash has cooked, cut the skin off and then dice the squash.

Heat 1 tablespoon of sunflower oil in a skillet on medium-low heat and cook the onion for about 5-8 minutes, until translucent and soft. Add the diced squash, spinach, beans, minced garlic, salt, pepper and lime juice. Cook altogether for a few minutes more, until the spinach is wilted and the mixture is hot. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat a second skillet on medium heat. Add a few drops of sunflower oil to the pan and place one of the tortillas in the skillet. Add 1/4 cup of the grated cheese and 1/4 of the squash and bean mixture.

Fold the tortilla over and cook for about 2 minutes on each side, until the cheese begins to melt and the tortilla is lightly browned and crispy.

Repeat with the remaining 3 tortillas. Cut and serve with Sweet Tomato Salsa.

Sweet Tomato Salsa

Makes about 2 cups salsa

• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 4 scallions, with stems, diced
• 1 clove garlic, passed through a garlic press
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

The tomatoes we had were so beautifully ripe I had to take pictures of them.

Directions

Place all of the ingredients together in a food processor and process for about 30 seconds, until the tomatoes are diced and everything is mixed. Make sure to leave some chunks of tomato in the salsa.

This salsa is perfect! If you aren’t ever planning on making the quesadillas, I still suggest making this salsa sometime to eat with corn chips, it really is amazing and super easy to make.

So for a first attempt at quesadillas, I’d say they were awesome. It seems every time I have tried something new around here it has been a hit. I am having so much fun trying new things I don’t know if we will ever get a chance to have the same meal twice.