As a lactose intolerant kid, I wasn’t much of a quesadilla fan. Now as an adult I really love this ultimate kid friendly vegan recipe. It’s super easy to make, and great for the whole family to enjoy as a snack or for dinner. Make it more nutritious by adding spinach to the filling. As you see in the photos, I like to serve my vegan quesadillas with a side of red cabbage slaw. I snatched this simple recipe from the Gardein website. If you’re using larger wheat tortillas you can fold them rather than sandwiching the ingredients inside. This will make for a less messy quesadilla, but I do prefer corn tortillas for their whole grain texture and nutrition.
1cupvegan mozzarella cheeseor other type of vegan cheese (I use Follow Your Heart)
¼cupcilantrochopped
1cupsalsa
Instructions
Warm oil in a large skillet or frying pan, then add the frozen Gardein meatless chick’n strips and chili powder, Stir well, and sauté for about 7 minutes, or until cooked through and golden on both sides.
Meanwhile, spread your mashed beans evenly onto half of the tortillas, and sprinkle the salt on the beans if you’d like (especially if you’re using salt-free beans as I always do).
Top the beans with the red pepper and jalapeno pepper.
Once the Gardein meatless chick’n strips are cooked, transfer them to a cutting board and cut into smaller strips. Alternatively you can use your hands to break them apart. You’ll want them to cool down first if you plan on doing it this way.
Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, then place it back on the stove over medium heat.
Place the chick’n strips over the beans and veggies, then sprinkle the vegan cheese evenly over the chick’n.
Top with the untopped tortillas, then use a spatula to transfer them to the skillet (add more oil to the pan if you’d like).
Place a lid directly on top of the quesadilla to press it down, and cook for 3 minutes before flipping and cooking another 3 minutes.