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A Fresh Approach to Eating

Make these cauliflower quesadillas for a nontraditional Labor Day Grill Menu, this meal is sure to please! I love the fact that it blends the last of the summer produce along with the new fall foods that are coming into season.

I love a Mexican theme so varying the typical menu and having something new and fresh is exciting. It can also be easily paired with fish or meat tacos if needed!

I was inspired by Deborah Perelman’s Charred Cauliflower Quesadillas to make a version on the barbecue grill with the help of my husband’s home-made tortillas with a different twist on the filling and toppings. The filling would also make some great cauliflower tacos. I hope that you love giving them a try and let me know how they turned out!

Growing up, I only knew one way to eat cauliflower and that was frozen, boiled with a little cheese sauce if I was lucky. When I was in college, I discovered that I could eat it raw on a salad or in a tempura batter. What a delight to learn later that it could even be roasted, grilled, sauté, rice and make into burgers etc.

Cauliflower Quesadillas Labor Day Menu

Grilled Cauliflower & Poblano Quesadillas

Avocado & Tomato Pico de Gallo

Mexican Black Beans

Cabbage & Red Bell Pepper Slaw

Mini Peach & Pecan Cheesecakes

Cauliflower Quesadillas and Additional Recipes

Delicious Barbecue Menu for Summer
The home-made tortillas and grill cauliflower make these quesadillas.

Grilled Cauliflower & Poblano Quesadillas

The smoky grilled flavor of the vegetables, the sharp flavor of the cheddar and the cool, fresh taste of the avocado and tomato pico just say delicious no matter which veggies that you pair together. Feel free to try new combinations!

The homemade tortillas make the dish! Here is the recipe from the blog The Cafe Sucre Farine that my husband likes to use to make his delicious tortillas.

Makes 6 servings

1-2 large poblano peppers

1 medium head of cauliflower

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 scallions sliced

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

6 large home-made tortillas

Salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Pico de Gallo (check out my recipe below)

http://slowfoodasheville.com/community/recipes/recipe-pico-de-gallo/

Grilled Cauliflower & Poblano Quesadillas
Leave it to my husband, the Grill Master to do this up perfectly!

Fill the tortillas with the grilled veggies and cheese.

Summer Barbecue Menu Ideas
Add the toppings and cheese to the tortillas and grill.

These quesdillas can be put together and added to the barbecue grill one more time to finish off. We opted for the griddle in the kitchen. Be careful how hot the barbecue grill is and make sure that it is clean.

Add Avocado Pico de Gallo to top them and serve with a side of beans and slaw!

This recipe for bean taco filling is my all purpose Mexican bean side dish also. Feel free to use canned beans if you are running short of time. Be sure to rinse and drain them.

Mexican Black Beans as a side dish or for bean tacos

http://www.vineripenutrition.com/meatless-meals-in-minutes-bean-tacos/

I love to serve a version of this slaw all year with fish tacos and anything Mexican! It makes a great side dish too!

Cabbage & Red Pepper Slaw

http://www.vineripenutrition.com/surviving-the-holiday-party-and-maintaining-your-weight/

Delicious Make-ahead Dessert
This little no-bake cheesecakes are made right in these little cups.

This little no-bake cheesecakes are made right in these little cups. I love the creamy texture of low fat cream cheese and Greek yogurt mixed with a graham cracker, pecan mixture. Be sure to get the real graham crackers made with graham flour! These can be made several hours ahead so they are ready when you are!

Makes 5 mini cheesecakes.

8-ounce low fat cream cheese

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1-2 peaches, cut into large chunks

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 graham crackers crumbled into large chunks

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1/4 cup pecans, crumbled into large pieces

1 tablespoon of Earth Balance margarine

5 small custard cups, dessert bowls or ramekins

In a medium bowl, allow cream cheese to soften at room temperature and blend thoroughly with Greek yogurt, vanilla and maple syrup. You can use a mixer but I mixed with a whisk to get all the small globules of cream cheese to mix in with the yogurt. Chill in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, add pecans, graham crackers, brown sugar and melted Earth Balance in a bowl and toss lightly together. Place the graham cracker mixture on a cookie sheet and bake for about 5-10 minutes until the pecans begin to brown and sugar melts into the pecans and crackers.

Take out of oven and allow to cool. Cut the peach into chunks and toss in fresh lemon juice to prevent from browning. After the grahams crackers have cooled take five small bowls and divide about 1/10 of mixture in the bottom of bowl. Add the cheesecake mixture. Top with peaches and graham cracker mixture and allow to chill before serving.

Enjoy These Cauliflower Quesadillas

I hope that you love my end of the summer celebration meal and if you like the traditional Labor Day foods for your holiday, try making these cauliflower quesadillas another time if you can’t part with your old favorites. As I mentioned earlier, they make a great quesadilla taco too! But I have to let you know once you have tried it, you may not go back in time again cause this combination is going to rock your world!

If you are wanting to learn more about plant-based eating, you may be interested in my course on healthy vegetarian meal plan (vineripenutrition.com).

As a registered dietitian nutritionist here in Asheville and a foodie at heart, I love to help others find ways to get their veggies and fall in love! You can find out more about ways that I work with my clients on my work together page.

Grilled Cauliflower & Poblano Quesadillas
The finished product right before adding the avocado and tomato pico.