Gooey Quesadilla !!!

Quesadillas are one of those wonderful dishes that can be prepared with pretty much anything you have on hand. As long as you have a few tortillas at home, there can be no excuse for not making them.

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Quesadillas are one of those wonderful dishes that can be prepared with pretty much anything you have on hand. As long as you have a few tortillas at home, there can be no excuse for not making them!

Quesadilla is tortilla folded in half to sandwich a cheesy filling and browned or grilled on both sides until crisp.

We enjoy Mexican food a lot. So, I normally have tortillas and black beans at home to cook up a quick Mexican meal on weeknights. One of my favorite weeknight fix is gooey quesadilla! It is easy and convenient to make, light and delicious to taste.

I usually make a black bean and corn quesadilla. Black beans are a good source of fiber and protein. Sometimes, I throw in a few veggies like bell pepper or Jalapeno. To make my quesadillas nice and gooey, I use two kinds of cheese - mozzarella and cheddar, or Mexican Cheese.The crispy tortilla filled with beans and crunchy veggies, oozing with melted cheese is one tasty combination.

Few filings you can try are caramelized onions with bell pepper, grilled chicken, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and Paneer. Sometimes, I make Desi style Quesadilla when I have left over curries at home!

To fill four tortillas, you will need:

Black beans	- 1 Can
Corn	- 1 Can
Green Bell Pepper	- 1 medium size chopped
Red Bell Pepper	- 1 medium size chopped
Lemon juice	- 1-2 Tbsp (Optional)
Cheddar cheese	- 2 cups shredded
Mozzarella cheese	- 1 cup shredded

To prepare the filling, rinse the can of black beans and corn thoroughly to remove all the liquid. Put them in a bowl.

Add the chopped peppers and lemon juice, and give it a nice mix.

Now to make the quesadilla, heat a pan on medium to medium-high heat. When hot, spray some cooking oil spray or add some oil, place a tortilla in the pan, and flip it a couple of times until it becomes warm and is coated with oil.

If you do not get tortilla in the area where you live, you can try using chapatti. I have not tried it with Chapatti though!

Place a portion of the filling on one-half of the tortilla. Sprinkle generous amount of cheese over the filling.

Fold the other half of the tortilla onto the filling. You should now have a tortilla in half moon shape!

Let it cook until the bottom side starts to turn light brown and the cheese inside melts. Then, carefully flip the tortilla to the other side and cook until light brown and crispy.

Keep checking the bottom of the tortilla to avoid burning it!

Remove the quesadilla from the pan onto a serving plate. Repeat the same for all the tortillas.

Cut the quesadilla into wedges and enjoy every bite of the gooey quesadilla with salsa and sour cream!

Cool way to beat the summer heat

What else can say summer better than a chilled glass of iced tea? A fruity strawberry flavored iced tea, with tang of lemon and a touch of mint.

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Summer is here and the heat outside is cranking up. With a 100 F outside, it’s time to combat the sweltering heat of the summer sun with a refreshing glass of iced tea! What else can say summer better than a chilled glass of iced tea?

I think iced tea is a summer time classic and an icon of refreshment. Don't you think? The best thing about iced tea is you can prepare it in so many different flavors; strawberry, cranberry, rasberry, orange, lime, mint and more. It is so light 'n' refreshing and helps you stay cool and hydrated.

Here is a simple recipe for a fruity strawberry flavored iced tea, with tang of lemon and a touch of mint. This recipe makes a serving size of 2 glasses (like the one in the photo). You can change the quantities of the ingredients to match your taste.

Water	- 2 glasses
Tea bags	- 1-2 instant tea bags
Sugar	- usually 6-7 Tsp
Strawberries	- 2- 3 cups of frozen strawberries
Lemon juice	- 2-3 Tbsps
Mint leaves	- 4-5 leaves

Bring 2 glasses of water to boil. Remove from heat and dip the tea bags in hot water. Let it stand for 5-8 minutes. Then remove the tea bags and dispose it.

Depending on how strong you like your tea, use 1 or 2 tea bags. I usually make it strong considering the factor that the ice cubes will dilute the tea as they melt.

Add desired amount of sugar to the brewed tea.

Add lemon juice to the brewed tea. You can use freshly squeezed juice or lemon juice concentrate or lemonade.

Now, for the strawberry flavor, thaw the frozen strawberries. When they come to room temperature, mash them with the back of a ladle or give it a quick pulse in the blender to make a puree. Add the puree to the brewed tea and give it a nice stir.

You can use fresh strawberries as well. I prefer frozen ones as they are already cut and are easy to mash. If you don’t want to go through the process of preparing the puree, you can use strawberry syrup or any other fruit flavored syrup of your choice. You might need about 4-5 Tbsps.

Add a few mint leaves to spice up the flavor.

Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours.

When it’s time for a soothing glass of iced tea, remove the tea from the fridge, pour it into a glass using a strainer to filter out any particles of the puree. Pop a few ice cubes into the glass, sit back and relax sipping your iced tea!