Calabazadillas...or UN-quesadillas

This is a recipe I posted earlier this year on Facebook.

RECIPE: Calabazadillas...or UN-quesadillas

("calabaza" is spanish for pumpkin)

Ingredients:
1. whole grain 8" tortillas
2. canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling and not with salt or anything added)
3. 1/2 onion 
4. 3 cloves of garlic
5. handful of fresh baby spinach
6. mushrooms
7. spices: chili pepper, cilantro (fresh is better tasting than dried), cumin
8. olive oil (or for even lower fat: white wine)
9. 1/2 a chicken breast (even lower fat: tofu)
10. lime juice
11. 1/2 an avocado

Also needed: medium sized cast-iron skillet

Directions:
Chop the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute them in olive oil (or white wine) in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat (cast iron conducts heat better than steel, so you can save energy by cooking at lower temperatures). Once they are just barely sauteed, add the chicken or tofu. Turn heat down to medium low and continue cooking. Meanwhile, put four tortillas on a plate. Distribute 1/2 of the canned pumpkin among the four tortillas, spreading it evenly. Cut 1/2 an avocado into really thin strips (1/2cm) and put three-ish slices onto each pumpkin covered tortilla. Sprinkle lime juice over them if you want.

Once the chicken is slightly browned on both sides, take it out of the pan and cut it into very thin strips (3/4cm). Put it back into the pan and cook a little longer adding the cumin, chili pepper, and cilantro (according to your taste). Also, add the baby spinach. Once the baby spinach starts getting nice and wilty and the chicken is completely cooked, turn off the heat. Distribute this mixture among the four pumpkin/avocado-ed tortillas. Cover each tortilla with another tortilla.

Wipe off your skillet with a paper towel. Turn the stove back on medium heat and put a little olive oil (or white wine) in the skillet. Fry each tortilla turning each of them only once (smash them down before flipping with a wide spatula to keep them falling apart). Cut each one into fourths. Wipe your skillet out again and add a little more oil if it looks dry before storing it. (Keep the patina on it. Never wash an iron skillet with soap!)

You won't miss the queso! ;o)