Veggie Quesadillas and Gaucamole

I know what you are thinking, how can you make a decent vegan quesadilla?  Well, I am here to tell you that you totally can.  And guess what? They can still be gooey and cheesy and delicious.

Before daiya, vegan cheese was a joke.  It tasted like cardboard and didn't melt.  Not so delicious.  But today we are so lucky to have daiya which melts and tastes as good as real cheese.  I know what you are thinking, you are a vegan, how do you know what real cheese tastes like?  Granted, I don't really remember, but my non-vegan boyfriend eats cheese and he gave these quesadillas two thumbs up.  Geez, don't be so skeptical!

So try these out and make your own variations!  I included a bonus guacamole recipe at the bottom too.  It is super easy and yummy.

Veggie Quesadillas

Ingredients
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Veggies of your choice (I used mushrooms, red peppers, green peppers and onions)
Daiya Cheese (I did a blend of Cheddar and Mozzarella)*

*If you are lucky enough to live in the Boston area, you can buy fresh daiya at Peace O'Pie.  Peace O'Pie is a great vegan pizza place in Allston.  You can read my review here.  They also sell great vegan cookies, treats and daiya!  Daiya is $5 per 1/2 pound there!

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Using a grill pan (or frying pan), saute your veggies with a little salt and pepper.  I also added a little lime juice and red pepper for some extra flavor.  When they are done, remove them from the heat.

Cut a piece of tin foil about the size of one of your tortillas.  lay the tortilla on the foil and fold in half to make a crease on the tortilla.  Add a layer of daiya and then a layer of veggies and then one more layer of daiya.  Fold the other half over and seal up the foil.

Put the quesadillas on the oven rack and back at 400 degree for 20 minutes, 10 minutes on each side.  Unwrap and cut into fourths.  You are ready to serve them!  I serve mine with guacamole and salsa.

Yummy Guacamole

Ingredients
3 avocados
1 red onion
1 vine ripe tomato
1/4 cup of corn (I just defrost some frozen corn)
2 jalapenos
1 lime
1 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste

This a quick and easy recipe that is so yummy.  Make it about 1 hour before you want to serve/eat it so that the flavors have a chance to marinate together.

Dice the red onion and and jalapenos.  I cut the top off of the jalapenos and then cut them in half to remove the seeds before doing a fine dice.  You also want to dice the tomato and defrost the corn.

Cut your avocados in half and remove the pits.  I then make several cuts (thin lines) int he avocado lengthwise and then width wise and then use a spoon to scoop the pieces out.  

Combine the diced ingredients and the avocado chunks and mash together.  In a separate small bowl combine the juice of the lemon and the lime.  mix them well and add them to the other ingredients.  Then use the back of a fork to mash the avocados and combine all of the ingredients.  I add the lemon/lime juice mixture throughout this process. 

Once everything is mixed well, add salt and pepper to taste.  I then put this in a a dish and keep in the refrigerator until I am ready to serve it.