Quesadilla with Salsa Cruda

This meal starts with something I like to call "chicken on the run". Rotisserie chicken, which can be found in most grocery stores these days, is a great meal starter and a super time saver-leaving you time to both create something fabulous like a salsa cruda and enjoy a refreshing Margarita outdoors. Best of all, since quesadillas use such little meat, you'll have plenty left over for other dishes, like the encore ideas listed below.

Quesadilla with Salsa Cruda

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-8 minutes

Serves 1

½ cup chopped or shredded, cooked Rotisserie chicken

2 corn tortillas (non GMO brand like Margarita’s or try making your own from scratch)

½ cup shredded Tillamook Vintage White Extra Sharp Cheddar cheese

(1# cheese equals 4 cups shredded)

1-2 Tbls. Frontera brand salsa or your favorite brand

Heat a Lodge griddle or cast iron skillet on medium heat. Put chicken in the pan and cook one to two minutes to just heat it. Remove from pan and place one tortilla on pan. Cook 1 minute and then layer with grated cheese, chicken, and salsa.  Place remaining tortilla on top. Cook about 2 minutes or until cheese starts melting. Press down on tortilla to “glue” it to the bottom tortilla with melted cheese. Using a spatula, turn quesadilla over and cook until cheese is melted through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and top with your favorite salsa, chopped cilantro or sour cream-or all three! Cut in half and enjoy. 

Enjoy this meal with a sparking strawberry shrub!

Encores:

You can use leftover salsa and chicken to make a quick taco or burrito filling. Just sauté a little onion in olive oil, add chicken and drizzle with salsa. Cook a few minutes to heat through.

Leftover tortillas are delicious in scrambled eggs. Tear tortillas into bite sized pieces and sauté in a pan in olive or coconut oil. Add a few eggs that you have whisked together and cook until the eggs are no longer runny. Serve with salsa and a bit of grated cheese for a simple and filling breakfast. I would most likely add chopped cilantro and some slices of avocado too, as it is a rare day that I don't have both of these items on hand.

 

Hanalei Bay Salmon Cakes

Hanalei Bay Salmon Cakes

Makes 6 cakes                           Prep time: 10 minutes                  Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Cakes

1  14oz. can of wild salmon with skin and bones, drained

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

1/8 of an onion grated + juice

1 inch ginger root, grated

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 Tbls. white rice flour

1 egg, beaten

1-2 tsp. curry powder

sea salt

freshly ground pepper

optional:

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric or 2 tsp. freshly grated turmeric root

1/2 tsp. smoked salt

Coconut oil for cooking

Secret Sauce

1/2 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise

2 tsp. Tamari

1-2 Tbls. Sriracha chili sauce

 Instructions

Place drained salmon in a medium bowl and using a fork, mix it well by crushing the bones and breaking it apart. Add remaining cake ingredients and using either your clean hands or a fork, mix until all ingredients are well combined. Heat a saute' pan on medium high heat and add a teaspoon of coconut oil. When it has melted, form a small cake and pan fry about 4 minutes per side or until nice and golden brown. Remove and let cool and then taste it for seasoning. This is something I always do when making meat balls, any sort of pan fried cakes or meat loaf. You can immediately adjust the seasoning to your taste instead of creating a whole batch of something and thinking: "a little lemon zest would have really given it the zing it needs" or " I wish I would have added another green onion or some more chili flakes". Make it, cook off a sample bite (and a little snack for the cook) and adjust seasoning. Next, if you have time, refrigerate the mix for an hour or so to bring it together and firm it up for easier cake making. If you don't have time, no worries, just gingerly create cakes whatever size you would like. As you shape them, place on a large flat plate or cookie sheet.  When the cakes are shaped, heat a large saute pan on medium high heat and then add about 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil. When it has melted, gently add the cakes making sure there is ample room around each one and that they are not touching. Saute' about 3-4 minutes and then flip them over and cook another 4 minutes or until nicely golden brown. Serve with Secret Sauce and, you guessed it, slaw! Or roasted potatoes and a salad.
I love to cook with the local flavors wherever I may be. Here on the islands, farmer's markets are abundant. I was able to get garlic, onions, green onions, ginger root, turmeric root, limes and cilantro at the market and I cooked them up in heart healthy coconut oil for even more island flavor.