Breakfast Quesadillas

Yum

Can you think of a type of cuisine that pairs better with breakfast that Mexican? Maybe I'm partial having lived in Texas and now California, the Meccas of Tex-Mex and Mexican food in our great country, but nothing beats Mexican food for breakfast.

In addition to your traditional Mexican-inspired breakfast fare (i.e. omelettes, scrambles, skillets, etc.) you also have devoted Mexican breakfast dishes such as huevos rancheros, chilaquiles, breakfast tacos, breakfast burritos, and these: breakfast quesadillas.

A perfectly toasted gluten free tortilla, filled with cheese, eggs and sausage and topped with avocado, lime and cilantro - it's the perfect breakfast combination!

Like most of my recipes, I'm usually inspired to create them because I'm craving that dish.

(I know...a very sophisticated development process)

Recently, my friend at work that I sit across from brought in a breakfast quesadilla. Naturally, I had food envy and decided I had to just make one for myself. If you follow me on Instagram then you know how much girlfriend LOVE her quesadillas, but I've always been hesitant to post a recipe for them because they are so painfully simple to make. 

This unique spin on a classic, however, warranted a devoted post. Think of this recipe more as a 'road map' to creating your own delicious quesadilla. There are no rules! I hope I caused enough food envy in you to make this breakfast quesadilla ASAP! 

Breakfast Quesadillas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2 Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• 2 gluten-free tortillas (I absolutely love Rudi's Tortillas!)
• 1 chicken sausage link (I recommend either Brat Hans Spicy Cilantro Chicken Sausage or Saag's Chicken Sausages)
• 1 oz sliced avocado
• 2 oz non-fat or low-fat cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 egg
• 3 egg whites
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 c cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Begin by preparing the ingredients to fill your quesadilla with. Grate the cheese, slice the green onions, chop the cilantro and slice the chicken sausage into half circle slices.
2. Coat a nonstick pan with olive oil over medium heat and warm the chicken sausage. Set aside. Scramble egg and egg whites together in a small bowl. In the same pan used to cook sausage, melt butter over medium heat and pour eggs into pan. Scramble your eggs by cooking gently over medium heat and stirring with a rubber spatula. Once eggs are scrambled, set aside.
3. In a large nonstick pan over medium high heat, warm one tortilla. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese in an even layer over the tortilla, allowing it to begin melting slightly. After 1 minute, spoon half of the eggs and half of the sausage onto on half of the tortilla and then fold the tortilla over in half. I prefer making 2 half quesadillas, as opposed to layering two tortillas directly on top of one another. Allow to cook for about a minute on that side before carefully flipping and continuing to cook on the opposite side. Use your best judgement on when the quesadilla is cooked through, ensuring not to burn your tortilla! Remove from heat and repeat process for second quesadilla with remaining tortilla, eggs, cheese and sausage. 
4. In a small bowl mix together Greek yogurt and lime juice. Plate quesadillas and garnish with a drizzle of the Greek yogurt, a sprinkle of cilantro and green onion, and top with avocado slices. There is no right or wrong way to eat a quesadilla, so get creative!

Nutritional Information (1 quesadilla) - This will largely depend on what ingredients you choose to use! This is a rough estimate.

325 calories - 22 g Protein, 22 g Carbohydrates, 17 g Fat

Jambalaya

Looking for a dish to JAZZ up your dinners? :) Then look no further than this lightened up jambalaya! 

This dish is based off of Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Cajun Jambalaya. Emeril is the very FIRST chef I ever watched on television. This was back before Food Network actually published their recipes online for you to download. No, it wasn't that easy, you actually had to work for the recipes. I remember watching the show with my mom, her and I sitting in front of the television with notepad and pen in hand, listening ever so closely and writing down every ingredient as fast as we could. Was that 1 clove or 50 cloves of gah-lick!? I trust his recipes, especially when it comes to Creole cooking. 

In true Emeril style, this isn't the lightest of dishes. This is my take on his dish, cutting the fat in half from the original recipe! You'll be surprised with how quick and easy this seemingly complex dish is. I was able to bang this meal out in 30 minutes - ideal for a weeknight dinner!

Shrimp and Sausage Jambalaya

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes 

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup bell pepper, chopped  
• 2 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed red tomatoes (canned)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3/4 cup white rice
• 10 oz shrimp, uncooked and thawed
• Creole seasoning (below)
• 2 Andouille chicken or pork sausage links, lower in fat compared to traditional Andoullie sausage (I recommend Aidells all-natural sausages http://www.aidells.com/product/5) 

Emeril's Creole Seasoning

• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme 

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil and sauté onion and peppers until softened, about 3 minutes.
   
2. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Next stir in rice and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium low and cover. Continue to stir occasionally until all liquid has been absorbed, about 10-15 min. 
4. While rice is cooking, combine Creole seasoning with shrimp until shrimp is evenly seasoned. Set aside. Slice sausage links. 
5. Once all liquid has been absorbed, add shrimp and sausage, bringing the heat back up to medium. Stir occasionally until shrimp is cooked, about 10 minutes. Plate and enjoy! 

Nutritional info (1 serving)

304 Calories - 24 g Protein, 34 g Carbs, 8 g Fat