Chipotle Asparagus Quesadillas

I'm not doing a great job so far, but I am still toying with the idea of becoming vegetarian. This recipe was one that I found on Vegetarian Times, which was linked from a yoga website. I saw this on the front page and thought it sounded good and that I'd give it a shot. And while it was not the most amazing recipe I've ever made, I definitely did enjoy it and the amount of food I made lasted for days. The recipe said it made four servings and I definitely used all eight tortillas that came in the bag, before finally running out of food. I feel like if Will was around, this recipe would've ended up being closer to its original serving size, but alas, I guess my portion quantities are a bit...off. It didn't matter too much though, because I found another creative use for the ingredients...read on to find out!

After a few days of warming tortillas, I decided to use the ingredients to make it into a wrap instead. I love it more as a wrap! For wraps, I added a Mexican cheese blend that I had in the fridge and some leftover brown rice from another meal, to fill it out. I would warm the veggies and rice, then warm the tortilla, spread on the mayo mix and sprinkle on cheese, and then just wrap it up! I much preferred this as it was more enjoyable a leftover lunch, in my opinion. I also found I didn't need to eat it with a fork and knife like I did with the quesadilla, as well as I lost less veggies each time I took a bite. So you can make your choice based on your preference for a hot or cold meal - this works either way! You don't even necessarily need to heat up the veggies before putting it in a wrap, but just make sure you can chew through your asparagus before eating it chilled! I hadn't sorted the tough parts out and learned that lesson the hard way :)

Overall, this one is worth a shot and leaves plenty of room to get creative!

Cooking Notes: I didn't use dried oregano and didn't bother with fresh, since it was looking rough. Instead, I tossed in some New Mexico Arbol Chili Powder, for a bit of an extra-spicy kick. I used regular mayo and 1 tbsp of lime juice. I also made these as wraps for lunch and found those easier to eat!

Chipotle Asparagus Quesadillas (adapted from Vegetarian Times; serves 6-8)

Quesadillas
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder of your choosing
8-inch multigrain tortillas
Spread
3 tbsp mayo
2 tsp minced, drained chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tbsp lime juice

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Begin to make quesadillas by tossing together asparagus, bell pepper, onion, oil and chili powder in a large bowl. Season with S&P, then spread onto a large baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat (or parchment paper) and roast 10-12 minutes, until veggies are tender and beginning to brown. Stir once or twice while roasting.

While roasting veggies, make the chipotle spread. Blend the mayo, chipotles and lime juice in a food processor until smooth.

Warm tortillas lightly in the microwave, between two damp paper towels, zapping for 10 seconds. Then spread 1 1/2 tsp of the mayo spread on one side of each tortilla, going all the way to the edges. Top with 2/3 cup filling of veggies on the same half of the tortilla. Fold, pressing edges together to enclose the filling and make the half-circle quesadilla shape.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook each quesadilla for 2-3 minutes in the skillet, turning once. Allow to cool for one minute and enjoy!

Recipe: Vegetarian Times: Chipotle Asparagus Quesadillas