Breakfast Quesadillas with Spicy Avocado Crema

March 6, 2020 by Nicole Collins

Blogger real talk for a sec…

Blogging is hard! Especially for an amateur with no formal cooking, photography, or internet training that just does this for fun to keep herself out of trouble.

Rebel without a cause right here. Didn’t you know?

My heart always fills with joy when someone tells me that they loved one of my recipes or that they think my pictures are pretty. And, I have to chuckle on the inside because I know what a bootleg photo set up I’m working with.

Thank goodness for dollar store poster board and editing apps on the iPhone!

Part of my reality is that there are just some foods that I don’t photograph well. I study professional’s pics and photo tutorials constantly in the hopes that I’ll pick up a new trick, angle, or idea that works for me. But just like I have to know my strengths, I have to know my weaknesses too.

So, thanks for having TONS of grace and not being too hard on me when things don’t come out just perfectly!

On the list of foods that I just haven’t cracked the code to shooting yet are sandwiches, beverages, and quesadillas (which we’re making today). I just can’t seem to find that right snapshot that captures the essence of the filling without coming out with this totally awkward angle. Unfortunately for me, all of the pretty linens, dishes, and props in the world can’t solve that problem for me.

But, practice makes perfect, right? So, let’s tackle one of my obstacles right now, shall we?

Today, we’re making Breakfast Quesadillas with Avocado Crema!

Part of my sadness with not photographing these items well stems from not being able to visually translate to you all how stupidly amazing a recipe tastes. And today’s quesadillas are WAY TOO AMAZING to be passed over. You just have to take my word on it.

Let’s start with the quesadilla. We actually don’t need a ton of ingredients to get a super flavorful breakfast bite, because we’re going to make the few ingredients that we are using really count on the flavor scale.

For our quesadilla filling, we need some cooked chorizo, some eggs that have been scrambled with your favorite prepared salsa, and some pepperjack cheese. We have three different layers and degrees of heat and spice folded up in one tortilla shell, and that’s part of what makes these so fantastic. I chose to be a teeny smidge healthier and use a whole wheat tortilla, but please use your favorite soft tortilla shell.

After we have our quesadillas stuffed, we’re going to toast them until they’re golden brown in a lightly oiled skillet, and get ready to dig in. But first, we need to make a dipping sauce for these hearty bites.

This sauce is EVERYTHING! I seriously could just lick spoonful after spoonful of this stuff and be totally content. All we need is an avocado, some sour cream, some lime juice, cilantro, seasonings, and a roasted jalapeno. Throw it all into a food processor to blend until creamy and smooth, and the sauce is finished. What we’re left with is a creamy, cool, spicy, savory dip that compliments those rich and spicy notes in our quesadilla.

I’m a little bit of a whimp when it comes to spicy things. I can handle about up to a 5 on the spicy scale. These quesadillas left my tongue perfectly tingly with heat without me needing to overexaggerate the burning sensation (as I tend to do…). So, there’s definitely a kick here, but not in an uncomfortable way. SOOOOO GOOD!

I’m seriously drooling thinking about how I get to have one of these for dinner tonight. Because, yes, leftovers can be reheated in the oven so you can enjoy these over and over!

Ok, everyone. As always, thanks for tuning in and sticking with me through this journey. I love and appreciate you all more than you know!

Enjoy, and let’s eat!

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Breakfast Quesadillas with Spicy Avocado Crema

Serves: 4 Print

Ingredients:

For the Spicy Avocado Crema:

• 1 jalapeno

• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted

• ¼ cup sour cream

• juice from ½ a lime

• 1 tbsp cilantro

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp garlic powder

• olive oil cooking spray

For the Quesadilla:

• 4 oz chorizo, cooked and crumbled

• 4 eggs

• 2 tbsp prepared salsa

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp pepper

• 1 tbsp butter

• 4 8-inch flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)

• 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese

• cooking spray

Directions:

1. Roast the jalapeno: Preheat oven to broil and place top rack 6 inches from the heating element. Line a baking tray with aluminum foil. Spritz all sides of jalapeno with cooking spray, and place on prepared baking sheet. Broil 8-10 mins, flip, and broil 7-10 more mins until pepper's skin starts to bubble and char. Remove pepper from oven, and place in a heat safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit and steam for 15 mins. After jalapeno has steamed for 15 mins, peel the outer skin off of the pepper. Discard stem, cut open, and remove seeds. Transfer roasted jalapeno to a small food processor or blender.

2. Make the Spicy Avocado Crema: To the food processor with the jalapeno, add avocado, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, ½ tsp salt, and garlic powder. Process until smooth and creamy. Set aside in the fridge to chill while you make the quesadillas.

3. Make the Eggs: In a mixing bowl, beat eggs, salsa, ½ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper with a fork until fully combined. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add eggs, and swirl eggs and butter together, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. Continue to cook eggs, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes until eggs are scrambled and fully cooked through. Remove from heat.

4. Assemble the quesadillas: Take 1 tortilla, and fold it in half to mark your fold line. Unfold the tortilla. On the top half (above the fold line), layer 2 tbsp cheese, ¼ of the eggs, ¼ of the chorizo, and another 2 tbsp cheese (in that order). Fold the tortilla in half, covering the filling with the bottom half of the tortilla. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

5. Heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Spray the skillet well with cooking spray. Lay 2 quesadillas (or 1 depending on the size of your pan) in the skillet, and press down with your spatula. Cook for 2-3 mins until golden brown on the bottoms side, flip, and cook for another 2-3 mins until golden brown. Remove from the pan, spray cooking spray into the skillet again, and repeat with remaining quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla in to fours. Serve with Spicy Avocado Crema.

Recipe notes:

*You can make these ahead if you'd like! To reheat, place quesadillas on a foil lined sheet pan, and bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 mins. They'll be nice and crispy again! However, the crema will turn brown after some time in the fridge. To preserve it as best you can, store crema in a small glass container, and place plastic wrap directly on top of the crema before placing the lid on the container. The top layer may get a little brown (which is still edible). But if you scrape that off, it'll be bright green underneath.

*The longer the pan is on the heat, the less time each quesadilla will need per side. Don't walk away from the pan. This toasting process goes fast!

*I highly recommend shredding your own cheese as opposed to buying pre-shredded. It melts a lot better in this quesadilla.

*You could use a regular flour tortilla, as well.