4 The Waffle Quesadilla

It sounds a little Frankenstein, right?  This post is purely to show that you don't need a million specific uni-taskers in the kitchen.  I don't have a panini press.  Would I like one?  Yes, if I had the room for one next to my giant KitchenAid Mixer!  But I really don't, and I also don't need to spend $150 on one either.  There are lots of ways make quesadillas, as we are all aware, but why not try something different?  All my parenting magazines say that switching things up from time to time catches kids' interest, and it is no different for food.  The quesadilla is a great vehicle for trying out new, healthy fillings, so why not make it novel to amp up the interest and fun factor?  Let me tell you, when I suggested quesadillas to E, she turned her nose up.  But, when I asked her to help me make them AND I told her it would be a WAFFLE quesadilla, she was all for it!

First, decide on your filling.  E really wanted chicken nuggets.  I was okay with that, but wanted to get some green veggies in.  I used the Bean So Green mix from TJ's of broccoli, green beans, peas and romanesco, microwaved it for about 30 seconds and combined it with the cooked chicken.

I portioned out the shredded cheese so that E could easily help spread the cheese over the tortilla shell.

Next, I added the meat/veggies and had E top it all with more cheese, and folded it over into that classic quesadilla shape, and cut the whole thing in half.

Meanwhile, I had my waffle iron heating up on high.  BTW, I have a Villaware V2002 Uno Belgian waffler which I LOVE. 

Carefully place a quesadilla half on the griddle (which has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil.)

Close the top and press down hard so the plates meet - don't be scared.  Some of the filling will ooze out, but it will all come off, and it's really yummy and crunchy!

Obviously, the plating isn't fancy (we had a very excited and hungry kid on hand!) but it shows the final result. A healthy, fun lunch, a happy kid who ate it and a satisfied mom, what more could one ask for?

So, what are your neat kitchen tricks?