Quesadillas with Corn and Black Bean Salsa with No Refrigerated Ingredients

By Lori Ross for Cooking Challenge Four - No Refrigerated Ingredients from Ellen Dawson, Haverford, PA. 

I love quesadillas, they are warm, delicious, flexible and very easy to make on the stove-top, in the oven or on a grill!  Here’s a corn, cheese, onion and jalapeno version I love. Serve with the wonderful black bean and corn salsa below.

1 ½ cups cheddar or other shelf stable cheese (Velveeta, jack, etc.) grated 

1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen or canned)

2 scallions sliced 

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1 tbsp chopped canned chipotle chillis in adobo or pickled jalapeno peppers

4 (8-inch) flour tortillas

1 tbsp oil 

Stir together cheeses, corn, scallions, cilantro, and chills in a small bowl. Lightly brush tortillas with oil. Turn tortillas over and spread 1/2 cup filling over half, then fold each in half. 

Grill: Place quesadilla on pre-heated medium high direct heat, turning after 2 minutes until cheese is melted (4 minutes total). Cut in half and serve.

Stove-top: Heat skillet on medium high. Add quesadilla, turning after 2 minutes until cheese is melted (4 minutes total). Cut in half and serve.

Oven: Place cookie sheet in oven.  Heat oven to 400 degrees. Add quesadilla to cookie sheet and bake for 3 minutes.  Turn and bake another 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and tortilla is browned/crispy on edges. 

Variations: You can make endless variations of quesadillas but here are a few of my favorites:

Replace corn with 1 cup or any one of the following or a mixture:

• Diced tomatoes, sweet peppers, mushrooms
• Chopped salami, summer sausage or pepperoni
• Canned shrimp, crabmeat or salmon 
• Canned chicken or canned chili with ground meat
• Refried beans
• Sliced canned black olives

Corn and Black Bean Salsa  

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup olive oil

1 11-oz can shoe peg corn (white corn)' drained

1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

4 oz Feta cheese, crumbled

2 scallions, diced

1 red pepper, diced

Mix first 3 ingredients together in a bowl. Blend well . Add all other ingredients. Blend well*. Serve as a side to quesadillas or with Frito corn chips or taco scoops.

* Better if allowed to "sit". A few hours before serving, place all ingredients, except oil, in a small bowl. Whisk and slowly add oil to mix. Toss diced veggies, cilantro, beans, and vinaigrette in a large bowl.