Chickpea and Poblano Quesadillas

We joined the empty nesters club 3 years ago which means I've had to learn how to cook for two.  I hear people say that cooking for two people really isn't worth the effort and I'll be the first to admit that I've had my fair share of days that those thoughts have run through my mind.  I'll admit that it took some getting used to, but over the last 3 years, I've learned to actually embrace cooking small meals.  If you're cooking for one or two these days - don't throw in the (kitchen) towel just yet.  

When you think about it, there are actually advantages to cooking for two.  I don’t have to worry about catering (literally) to everyone else’s cravings - I can cook whatever my little heart desires.  I can experiment with new dishes and if the recipe goes down in flames (hopefully not literally) I don't have to worry about ruining everyone else's dinner.  We order a pizza and chalk the dinner fail up to a learning exercise.  AND if nobody is here to witness the epic flop - I don't have to disclose that it happened if I don't want to.  😉

So the bottom line is this - embrace small meal cooking and have fun with it.  Don't take it too seriously.  You have less of an investment in ingredients than you would when you cook for a family of 4, 5 or 6 so if it fails - toss it out and try again tomorrow.  Experiment with new recipes, ingredients and cuisines - you never know what you might discover about yourself.  

I stumbled upon this recipe for Chickpea and Poblano quesadillas one evening when I was avoiding a trip to the grocery store so I challenged myself to make dinner out of things that I had in the pantry.  This was a dinner experiment that went completely RIGHT. 

Chickpea and Poblano Quesadillas
2 ripe avocados
3 Tablespoons water
1 Tablespoon lime juice
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
15 ounce can chick peas
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 poblano chili, seeded and chopped fine
3 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 flour tortillas
2 Tablespoons canola oil

Process avocados, water, lime juice and 1/4 t. salt in blender until smooth.  

Transfer to a bowl and stir in cilantro.  

Process chick peas and poblano in blender.

Add cheese, scallions, pepper and 1/4 t. salt.   

Spread 1 c. chick pea mixture over half of each tortilla leaving 1/2" border.  

Fold in half.  

Heat oil in skillet.  Brown quesadillas, 1 at a time, using a saucepan to flatten.  

Flip and brown on other side. 

Cut into wedges. 

This recipe is great for couples but it's also a great recipe for college students (wink wink) and anyone who loves quesadillas.  

​Ciao!

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