Description
A tasty recipe for Zucchini Quesadillas with creamy cashew cheese and Poblano Pumpkin Seed Salsa. Vegan and delicious! (The optional Cashew Cheese requires 3 hours soaking time- easiest to make this and Poblano Salsa ahead.)
Ingredients
- 10–12 small tortillas (5-inches) use corn or flour or make your own.
- Cashew Cheese (or sub goat cheese, or smoked mozzarella, Oaxacan string cheese, melty cheese or vegan cheese!)
Filling:
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cup veggies, diced small or thinly sliced- zucchini, summer squash- or add peppers, corn, mushrooms, etc.
- 2 cloves garlic, rough ch0pped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or thyme
- 6–10 squash blossoms-optional
Poblano Salsa:
- 1 large fresh poblano pepper
- 1 cup cilantro ( small stems ok)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander
Cashew Cheese:
- 1 1/2 cups raw cashews, soaked in water, 3-24 hours
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3–6 tablespoons water
- 2–3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- optional additions: nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, fresh herbs ( basil, cilantro parsley, cilantro, dill, etc.) or dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary)
Instructions
Make the Cashew Cheese if using. (Requires 3 hours soaking time) This can be made ahead.
- Soak Cashew in water 3-24 hours. Drain the cashews saving the water.
- Place in a food processor with the salt and apple cider vinegar and pulse repeatedly. Scrape down the sides and continue blending, repeating if necessary.
- Add the water, with the motor running, a tablespoon at a time to get the desired consistency. Add any additional seasonings. Store in the fridge in a sealed jar until using. This will keep 4 days.
Poblano Pumpkin Seed Sauce: this can be made ahead ( or at the same time as the filling).
- Roast the poblano chili directly over a gas flame on the stovetop, until blackened and blistered on all sides – or broil ( or roast) in the oven until skins blister. Place in a paper bag or wrap in a towel to steam for 10 minutes (this will soften the chili).
- Remove the stem and seeds and most of the charred bits- leaving a little char is good here.
- Place in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients- cilantro, pumpkin seeds, oil, water, garlic, salt, coriander.
- Pulse and blend until uniformly combined but not too smooth. A little texture is good here.
- Taste. Add a tiny squeeze of lime if you like and adjust salt. If your pepper happens to be too spicy (they do very in spicy level) you can mitigate the heat by adding more pumpkin seeds, water, oil, and then remember to reseason with more salt and lime.
- Place in a bowl and serve a room temp, or, ff making ahead, place in a sealed container and refrigerate for 2-3 days. The top (exposed to air) may discolor over time, so if making ahead, pour a thin layer of olive oil over top to keep the sauce submerged to help preserve the color. Then just stir before using.
Make the filling: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, 10 minutes until tender and turning golden. Add the diced veggies, garlic, salt, cumin and oregano. Saute, until veggies are tender, lowering heat if need be, about 7-8 minutes. Add the squash blossom at the end, wilting. Turn heat off. ( You could do this ahead and refrigerate.)
Assemble quesadillas (See note about tortillas): Spread the tortillas with a couple of tablespoons of cashew cheese and a 3-4 tablespoons filling. Fold over. ( You could do this ahead too.)
Pan Sear: In a large greased skillet, pan-sear each side until lightly toasty and insides are warm, about 4 mins each side. Keep in a warm 350F oven until all the batches are done.
Serve: Cut in half or leave whole and serve with the Poblano Salsa on a serving platter or cutting board. Garnish with cilantro or squash blossoms.
Notes
Gently warming the tortillas (microwave, oven, gas burner) and wrapping in a towel before filling and folding will make them more pliable (especially corn tortillas) and help them not break at the fold.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 quesadillas
- Calories: 451
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 706.6 mg
- Fat: 32.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.4 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 12.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg