Stuffed Avocado Pesto Quesadilla

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It’s National Grilled Cheese Month so we thought we would give the grilled cheese some international flair ; ) Mixing delicious Latin and Italian flavors with ooey, gooey vegan cheese makes for a delicious snack or meal. Quick to make and packed with nutritional punch with the avocado pesto, it will be eaten down to the crumbs faster than you can say Quesadilla!

Avocado Pesto

• 1 avocado, pitted and scooped
• 1 cup fresh basil
• 2 cloves fresh garlic
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Salt and pepper, to taste
•  1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast (optional)
• 2-3 tablespoon water

All all ingredients, except the water, into a food processor or blender. Puree’ until smooth, adding water if you want to thin out the mixture, little by little.

Quesadilla

• 4 flour or brown rice tortillas
• Avocado Pesto
• 1 cup vegan shredded mozzarella cheese ( we used Go Veggie vegan shreds)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes (optional)
• 1/2 cup sliced cooked vegan chicken or marinated baked tofu (optional)
• vegan sour ream, for serving

Heat a vegan butter or high heat coated griddle or large pan to medium heat.

Spread avocado pesto generously on 1 side of each of the tortillas. Place 2 tortillas, pesto side up, onto pan or griddle. Depending on the size of your griddle or pan, you may have to make 1 at a time.

Spread 1/4 cup of cheese evenly, in a single layer, over the pesto. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the tomatoes and vegan chicken over the cheese, covering with another half cup of cheese. Top with a tortilla, pesto side down onto the cheese, pressing down to flatten. Flip after 2-3 minutes with a large spatula, making sure not to lose the filling. Using 2 spatulas is a good method!

Cook for an additional 2-3 muntes, making sure the tortilla is golden brown and crispy but not burned. remove from heat.

Repeat if needed to make a second quesadilla.

Place quesadillas on a plate and slice into triangle wedges, like a pizza. Serve with extra pesto or a dollop of vegan sour cream on each wedge and enjoy!