Photo by iStock
Cooking using colorful ingredients like squash blossoms or nettles creates dishes with powerful flavors as well.
10 min DURATION
6 servings SERVINGS
Ingredients
- 12 squash blossoms
- 6 whole-grain corn tortillas
- 1-1⁄2 cups coarsely shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh, green coriander seeds (or cilantro leaves)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Inspect squash blossoms and remove dirt or small bugs. The blossoms are delicate, so don’t wash them. Some people remove stamens, but it’s not necessary.
- Warm a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Place tortillas in warm pan and heat each side, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle about 1⁄4 cup cheese, 1⁄2 teaspoon coriander seeds and black pepper on 1⁄2 of each tortilla. Place 2 squash blossoms on top of cheese, flower petals peeking out slightly. Fold tortilla in 1⁄2 and press down lightly with a spatula. Cook about 1 minute, then flip and cook 1 minute more, until cheese has melted. Transfer to a towel-lined plate and make remaining quesadillas. Serve warm.Find more color-filled seasonal recipes in Make Colorful, Healthy Spring Recipes.
Reprinted with permission from Vibrant Food by Kimberley Hasselbrink.
These quesadillas only have five ingredients. While the squash blossoms and fresh coriander seeds may be tricky to find outside of a farmers market or your own garden, they’re worth hunting down. A squash blossom’s flavor is quiet—like all edible flowers, it tastes like a softer version of its vegetal offspring. Each bite of the quesadilla offers something different: a delicate zucchini flavor, a pop of bright coriander seeds, or a note of heat from the spicy cheese. If you grow any variety of summer squash, you can pluck male flowers from the vine (see box at left). Substitute coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves if you can’t find fresh coriander.
