This whole meal started because of a trip to Trader Joe's. Which seems to happen to me a lot because everytime I go there I always seem to see something that looks interesting. This particular trip the thing that caught my eye was a package of tortillas. The package said that they were "truly handmade" and they actually looked like they were handmade, so I had to throw some into my cart.
When I got home from the store I had a hungry 17 year old on my hands and so I told him to make himself a cheese quesadilla with the tortillas, which he did. I had to have a taste of his creation to see if the tortillas were better than average and I must say, these were above average. I still wasn't sure what I was going to do with the rest of the tortillas, but since they were so good, I definitely wanted to highlight them in something. So I waited for inspiration to hit me....tacos?....enchiladas?.....fajitas?....
Finally, a plan came together for me. After rummaging around my kitchen, I found a small steak in the freezer, some Trader Joe's taco seasoning (which is excellent)and some cheddar cheese. I then went to the store and bought what I needed to make pico de gallo and guacamole. I was going to make grilled steak quesadillas with all the fixin's.
I am going to break this up into three recipes for you. I will start with the pico de gallo, which is so fresh tasting and is really easy to make.
Pico de Gallo
- 2 medium size tomatoes (I used roma), seeded and chopped
- 1/4 of a red onion (you can use more if you want more onion flavor), finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed (or not if you want it to be spicier) and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
- juice of one lime
- salt and pepper
Chop up all of your veggies.
A great tip for getting the ribs and seeds out of the jalapeno is to use a spoon to scoop it out.
Put the veggies in a bowl and squeeze lime juice over them. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste.
Next up is the guacamole, which is another very easy thing to prepare and it is SO delicious!
Guacamole
- 2 avocadoes
- 1 small tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of one lime
- salt and pepper
Squeeze lime juice over the avocadoes and mash with a fork.
Add tomatoes to the bowl and grate garlic over the bowl with a micro-plane grater. Combine well and add salt and pepper to taste.
Now...onto the quesadilla!
Grilled Steak and Cheese Quesadilla
- 1 lb round steak (that's what I used, but flank or skirt steak would work well, too)
- 1 to 2 tbsp taco seasoning mix (I used Trader Joe's)
- 1 can refried black beans (or regular refried beans)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat)
- 8 - 8 inch flour tortillas
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- shredded lettuce
Preheat grill pan (or the outdoor grill) over medium high heat
If using round steak, poke it with a fork on both sides to help tenderize. Then rub the taco seasoning on both sides.
Drizzle steak with olive oil and place on preheated grill. Grill for about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare to medium.
Remove steak from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes. Then slice steak across the grain on an angle into very thin slices.
To assemble quesadilla's, spread about 1/4 cup of refried beans on 4 of the tortillas. Then divide steak slices equally between the 4 tortillas. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of cheese over each tortilla. Finally, top each with the remaining 4 tortillas.
Brush grill with a little olive oil and grill tortillas on each side until crispy.
Cut each quesadilla into four pieces (a pizza cutter works well for this) and top with pico de gallo, guacamole and lettuce. Serve immediately.
