“I needed a healthy-ish anti-inflammatory Mex-Mex dish, and this is it.”
– Shelby
I will start this post with some honesty that I don’t normally discuss, and that is that I have IC (Interstitial Cystitis). While having IC is nothing to be ashamed of, it is not something I enjoy talking about. IC is the source of why I can’t do a lot of things other people can, it is something that causes me deep physical pain regularly, and it is also something that prohibits me from eating a lot of foods I like (i.e. tomatoes).
So, I recently started seeing a new doctor who told me I absolutely must go on an anti-inflammatory diet for the next six weeks. Well, my most important food group in life is mex-mex cuisine, which uses a lot of acidic fruits, veggies, and spices. My mission: I needed a healthy-ish anti-inflammatory Mex-Mex dish, and this is it. The idea sparked from someone on Instagram sharing an anti-inflammatory broccoli and mozzarella quesadilla. It looked fine, but kind of boring, so I used that inspiration to create my new favorite lunch: the Broccolion & Moz Quesadilla.
Did I combine broccoli and onion into a word? Yes I did.
I highly recommend buying good quality burrata/mozzarella over the shredded mozzarella from your grocery store. I believe the cheese quality will make or break the flavor and texture of this quesadilla. (For this recipe I used Biazzo fresh mozzarella balls in water)
Sweet onions are a must for this recipe. I prefer Vidalia onions over all of the sweet onions on the market, but when Vidalias are not in season, just make sure you grab sweet onions over yellow/white onions.
I made this recipe using fresh broccoli. Give it a go with frozen if you like. I find frozen broccoli never really has a bite to it and remains mushy no matter how it is reheated.
Mushrooms, I used canned, but by all means saute some fresh mushrooms in butter and garlic until tender, and I bet this recipe will hit the extra mile.
Broccolion & Moz Quesadilla
INGREDIENTS
- 1 sweet (Vidalia) onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
- 1 head of fresh broccoli
- Extreme Wellness Whole Wheat Wraps
- Mozzarella or Burrata cheese
- 4 oz can of mushrooms/4 oz of fresh portabella mushrooms
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
(This recipe will make 4-5 quesadillas)
Start this recipe by caramelizing onions as these will take a while. I used the Bon Appetit guide to caramelizing onions (1/2 a recipe).
While the onions are caramelizing, slice the head of broccoli into “steaks.” Keeping the stalk on, attempt to get as many flat slices of the head of broccoli as you can, but don’t worry if your end pieces are still tree-like/bulky.
Using a skillet, add enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and turn up to medium heat. Once the pan is heating up, add the broccoli slices around the pan, then scatter a pinch of salt on top of the broccoli. Once the first side of the broccoli slice has browned, flip over all of the pieces and then place a lid over the top to help the broccoli soften a bit. To know when the broccoli is done, it should be roasty toasty but not burnt.
Remove broccoli from the skillet to a cutting board to let cool down, and return skillet to the stove top. Once broccoli has cooled enough, give it a rough chop to bite size pieces.
Once the onions are caramelized, it’s time to assemble! Heat a skillet to medium heat, and pour a small amount of olive oil in the pan (this is to brown the tortilla wrap). Add the wrap to the pan, followed by strips of mozzarella. Next, top the cheese with the broccoli, mushrooms, and onion. Add a few cracks of pepper and let heat up until the wrap is getting browned on bottom. Then fold over, leave on the heat for 1-2 more minutes, and remove from skillet.
It’s time to eat, enjoy!
Let me know how the recipe turned out for you in the comments below!
Trial & Eggs 