Cheese and Avocado Quesadillas - a Mexican hit

Definition: Quesadillas are a Mexican snack consisting of cheese cooked in a flour or wheat tortilla. In fact, roughly translated in Spanish, queso is cheese, and dilla is tortilla.

Lately, I have tried the quesadillas from one of the Mexican fast food places that have sprung up like shady sombreros. However, I’ve found them a bit lacking in flavour and substance, so the next best thing is to make your own. This is no real hardship, as quesadillas are simple to make, and unlike tortillas and burritos, the ingredients do not have to be cooked beforehand. While we are on the topic, quesadillas also differ from tortillas and burritos in that they are usually folded, not wrapped.

So here is my interpretation of the quesadilla. And while taking advantage of the ‘no pre-cooked ingredients’ adage, I am aware that during preparation, this quesadilla looks somewhat like a pizza.

Cheese and Avocado Quesadillas
The ingredients here are for 1 quesadilla. Serve 1 to 2 quesadillas per person, depending on their appetite.

Ingredients
2 soft flour tortillas
2 tblsp store-bought tomato salsa (mild or hot, depending on preference)
½ an avocado, sliced
1 large handful of spinach or rocket leaves
15-20g (about ¼ cup) cheddar cheese, grated
Sour cream and extra salsa, to serve


Method
1.  Heat a non-stick frypan over medium-high heat. Sprinkle or spray pan with a little olive oil.
2.  Place one flour tortilla on a plate and top with the salsa, avocado, spinach and cheese.
3.  Put the other tortilla on top and place the whole thing into the frypan.
4.  Press down on the quesadilla with a spatula while it cooks for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom becomes slightly golden and crisp.
5.  Spray a bit of oil on the top of the quesadilla before turning it over and pressing and cooking for another minute or so.
6.  Transfer to a plate and serve with sour cream and more salsa.

Ingredients. 
Health tip: I used 'reduced fat' tortillas (El Paso brand), and they tasted great.

Marvel at how the quesadilla resembles a pizza at this stage. 
You could cook it in the oven if you want, I suppose.

But I cooked the quesadilla in a frypan.

Olé and ¡Buen apetito!
Serve with sour cream and salsa