Gouda, Apple, and Chicken Quesadillas with Orange-Almond Salad

Sandwiched between turkey dinners, we needed something a little different. The quesadilla recipe came from the lunch section of a cookbook, but it's hearty enough for a full dinner. Don't skip out on the gouda cheese! We didn't use smoked, but we made sure to get medium instead of mild to amp up the flavor.

We have to note that both recipes in this post came from a very special cookbook: Bravo! Best of Bridge Cookbook (Sally Vaughan-Johnston, 2009). Lisa and I won it in our grandparents' Christmas gift exchange, and we've been itching to try something out of it for ages. This weekend it was put to good use!

Smoked Gouda, Chicken, and Apple Quesadillas

Serves 4

4 flour tortillas (9-inches)

8 tablespoons peach or apricot jam

1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

1 apple, thinly sliced

1/2 green onion, thinly sliced

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

1 cup shredded smoked Gouda cheese (we used medium, unsmoked)

Salt

Olive oil

• Lay tortilla on work surface. Spread jam over half the tortilla, sprinkling Mozzarella over the jam. Layer apple, onion, chicken, and Gouda on top. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over everything.
• Fold uncovered half over filling.
• Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and grease with a little bit of oil. Cook quesadilla, flattening lightly with a spatula, for 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Cheese should be melted and sides will be lightly browned.
• Transfer to a cutting board and cut in half. Serve warm.

Mozzarella

Gouda

Assembling a quesadilla.

Cheese, apple, and chicken - oh my!

Since the quesadillas have a bit of a summer flair to them (the weather was warm this weekend!), we thought a citrusy salad would be a perfect match. The salad recipe below is loosely based off of two we found: "Green Salad with Orange-Walnut Dressing" from the Bravo! book, and "Orange Almond Salad" from the Company's Coming: Salads (Jean Pare, 1985). Sidenote: The latter recipe's description reads "Men like this as well." Okay, great??

Orange-Almond Salad

Salad greens

4 tangerines (or 1/2 tin Mandarin oranges)

1/8 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tablespoons / a splash vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

Pinch dried tarragon

Salt

Pepper

• In tupperware container, add olive oil, orange juice, vinegar, honey, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Put lid on container and shake it!
• To toast almonds, spread in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated 350 F oven for 5 minutes.
• Peel tangerines and separate pieces.
• Put greens in large salad bowl, add almonds and tangerines, pour desired amount of dressing, and toss.

Orange dressing - a little frothy.

Toast the almonds to bring out a nuttier flavor.

We used fresh tangerines, but you can also try

canned Mandarin oranges.

Toss it all together!