When fellow cooking teacher and cookbook author Robin Asbell asked me if I’d participate in the special online “potluck” release of her new book, Big Vegan, , I immediately said yes. I then got to choose a recipe from a well-prepared menu of items. I love winter squash so I chose the Squash Quesadillas with Cranberry-Jicama Salsa.
I’ve known Robin for a number of years and like her work. Here is my recap of preparing the recipe. Read all the way down as I will be giving away a copy of Big Vegan on November 2nd. (See details below.)
I rarely make quesadillas for a couple of reasons: first, there isn’t any cheese-like product that I am willing to use regularly, even though I really like Daiya cheese (I call it vegan crack), and second, I generally avoid wheat tortillas and don’t care much for the brown rice type. Luckily, for this dish, I found the Sonoma teff tortillas which are gluten-free and tasty.
The ingredients in this recipe sounded so captivating and inviting that I just had to make them. So, I gathered all the ingredients and set out to follow the recipe with the tortilla switch.
I baked the squash and toasted the hazelnuts in the morning so that they would be ready in the early evening when I was going to make the dish. This recipe obviously has 2 parts. I got the salsa together first and then cooked the shallot and combined it with the other ingredients including the chopped hazelnuts. Here it is spread onto the teff tortilla.
I put the other tortilla on top and then slid the whole deal out onto a plate and then flipped it over. Unlike traditional quesadillas where the cheese is the “glue”, the tortillas don’t have anything to adhere to.
Here is the final quesadilla before being cut.
And here it is cut up and with the beautiful cranberry salsa.
The whole quesadilla with salsa was mighty tasty and good-looking although I realized that my tortillas might have been larger than 8-inches so eating a whole one was a bit too much for me to consume at once. It is definitely a generous portion. Also, my tortillas come 6 to package which is an even better reason to make only 3 quesadillas and eat less.
Here is the recipe (reprinted with permission, Chronicle Books):
Ann says
I am so happy I discovered you on Twitter, and it led me to your column. I too would LOVE to have your cookbook. Thank you!
Jeanne says
This recipe looks sooo good. As a vegan, most people think we can’t have quesadillas, because it’s all about cheese. I would love to enjoy your cookbook. Thanks for the opportunity
Cherie O says
I would LOVE to not only make this recipe, but to win this book. I have eyed it in B&N several times and it is at the top of my wish list. Thank you. 😉
Kaycee says
Wow that recipe looks amazing! Reading through the ingredients, pretty much everything is a whole food! So many different flavor combinations too! I would make this anytime for any occasion, I think it would be a huge hit! I have some squash in my garden just waiting for me to make this recipe! I would love to win this book because I think I would use it all of the time! I would love to spread the word about this amazing book on my blog too! Seems like everyone should have a copy! Thanks so much for the great giveaway! Hope I win!
Sharon says
Jill, while I’ve had squash quesadillas before (and loved them), I’ve never had them with a salsa that I liked. The cranberry-jicama combo sounds divine, so I’ll definitely be giving this recipe a try. Also, I have to share that I am a carnivore who tried to go vegetarian on a few occasions, but just couldn’t quite stick with it full time. What I do know, however, is that I eat way, way too much meat. So to help break this cycle, I have begun to make it a goal to eat strictly vegetarian meals several days a week. I’ve also recently ventured more into the the vegan world, as I keep seeing many amazing recipes that look absolutely delicious, like this one. And, even though I am also a major cheesehead, it is nice to give my body a break and to try new, healthy things. I sincerely hope to incorporate more plant based meals into my diet. I do own several good Vegetarian cookbooks that I really enjoy cooking from, however, winning a Vegan cookbook will certainly help to give my diet more healthy variety. Thanks!