Hello from Charleston, West Virginia.  Yesterday was a busy day in Mississippi and right after the client meetings I drove back from Tupelo to Birmingham Alabama to fly out of this morning.  The flight times just worked out a little better from Birmingham than Memphis. Right after the client meetings we decided to take a quick drive down the road to Elvis’ old house where he grew up and visit there for a few minutes.  Very fun and I even picked up a couple of souvenirs.

I am dying to share this recipe with you since last Thursday, not because it is stellar and earth shattering but simply due to the fact that it tasted amazing and was super easy to prepare.  I really love quesadillas and have featured a couple of my favorites in the past:  Super Simple Stunning Quesadillas and  Chicken Asparagus Pesto Quesadillas.

This recipe is up there with flavor and simplicity.

Ingredients

• Bbq Chicken
• Whole Wheat Tortilla
• Red peppers
• Basil
• Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheese (shredded)
• Bacon
• Mushrooms

Method

1. Cook off bbq chicken, bacon and mushrooms and set aside.  ( you can use left overs if you have them as well )













2. Line up the tortilla and start assembling the filling



3. Add all the ingredients and finish with a good layer of cheese on the top to help the top tortilla to stick.





4. Grill over medium heat – moving as needed to achieve a nice golden brown color.  Gently press on the outside of the quesadilla to force the edges to connect from the cheese.
5. Flip over and repeat the process.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If using mushrooms in quesadillas, I feel it is crucial to cook them down to remove the water from the mushrooms.  Otherwise they will make your tortilla soggy and cause it not to crisp.

I am hanging here in Charleston for a couple of days so let me know if you guys know of good places to eat here and I will be sure to check them out.  Have a superb Wednesday and I will talk to you back at home on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday and Happy Belated birthday to my US neighbors. This week is action packed on the zesty front with 7 blog consulting gigs to finish, work work, zesty cooking, soccer and some chores outside to stay on top of before I am on vacation next week.  Did I tell you we rented a 36′ camper trailer next week to hang out by the water and do nothing but play, relax and eat?  I am pretty excited to say the least.

Do you ever feel that you want to get take out because you are lazy and do not want to wait for lunch or supper?  I have that feeling sometimes but I often revert and hold off my cravings with a dish like this one below.  It is super easy, tasty and really takes all of 15 minutes to make.  You could not even drive out , order and take it back home in 15 minutes.  Next time you are on the fence for wanting take out – give this dish a try.

There is not shortage of flavor, with fresh lemon zest and rich hoisin sauce.

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups Penne pasta
• Handful of baby spinach
• 1 Head of broccoli
• 1 Cup chopped button mushrooms
• Parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp.  Soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp.  Hoisin sauce
• 1 Lemon ( juice and zest )
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 Garlic clove ( chopped )
• 1 Tsp. thyme

Method

1. Cook pasta according to directions
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat add olive oil, mushrooms and begin to cook down and add the garlic and thyme.
3. Now toss in the broccoli and begin to brown ( about 2 minutes )
4. Combine soy sauce, hoisin sauce, lemon juice and zest in a bowl and mix together.  Pour into mushroom and broccoli mixture.
5. Add spinach and cooked pasta and stir to mix thoroughly.
6. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve it up.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: To avoid the broccoli getting soggy, keep the heat on, constantly stir and avoid over crowding the pan.  Over crowding will cause it to steam and quickly become soggy.

Now this dish is nothing over the top but it is a great dish for a quick meal and another way to easily clean out your fridge before grocery day.  I so despise throwing out food from the fridge so dishes like these aide in that by throwing in some vegetables that may be on the verge of breaking down.

Let’s kick start this busy week with a bang!  I hope you have a fantastic Monday and I will be back with a “very special” post on Wednesday.

Take care

zesty