Mid-Week "What to Cook Dilemma"

Well as the week progresses, we arrive at that proverbial "hump day" and along with that comes the challenge of what to serve for dinner. I usually have a quick something in the freezer that I can pull out to help me through this dilemma so let me share some of these tips with you now.

When I make a pot of soup, I always make enough to insure that I can freeze a quart for just one of these occasions. It just so happens that I have a quart of chicken vegetable soup so I have taken that out to thaw. To jazz this up a little, I'm going to pair this up with some Chile Quesadillas, a nice alternative to a loaf of crusty bread (which is always a nice combo with soup). The Quesadillas gives you a chance to throw in some additional protein. These are real simple to make and the kids, grand kids and even spouses will love them. Here's all you need to do.

Hatch Chile Quesadillas (The Fresh Market employee recipe)
Ingredients:

• 3 fresh hatch green chiles roasted (see below)


• 4 (12 in.) flour tortillas


• 3 cups cheddar cheese shredded


• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed


• 1 cup Tomatillo green chile salsa (just use the jar kind, it's just as good)


• 1 cup sour cream


• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation:

Wash and dry the hatch green chiles. These look like large jalapeno peppers and are pictured above. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place the peppers under the broiler and broil for 4-5 minutes until they are charred turning them half way through. Remove from the oven, wrap them in the foil for 10 minutes then run them under water to remove the skins. Remove stems, slice lengthwise and remove the seeds, dice into small pieces.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or griddle sprayed with cooking spray, over medium high heat. Place a tortilla into pan. Cover half of tortilla with cheese, chiles and beans then fold over. Press down gently with spatula. Cook quesadilla about a minute more on each side until lightly browned and cheese has melted. Transfer to cutting board. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cut each quesadilla into 3 wedges, serve with tomatillo salsa, sour cream and cilantro on the side.

These Quesadillas could be perfect on their own and you could always include some left-over chicken from that rotisserie chicken you picked up at the market a couple days ago. Add a salad of fresh avocado, tomatoes and a fresh lime vinaigrette and you are good to go. Hope you enjoy this mid-week tip and your family/friends do to.

Bon Appetit!!