What's for Dinner Wednesday: Smoked Gouda & Apple Quesadillas

Making lunch these days sometimes resembles an episode of Chopped. I've told you before how much I hate packing a lunch for work and that I'm terrible about planning ahead for that when we're grocery shopping. Well, I hate to admit that even being home on maternity leave with my whole kitchen at my disposal I am still just as inept and unprepared... so lunch usually ends up being leftovers (if I'm lucky) or some combination of whatever is in my fridge: a little broccoli, strawberry jam, hummus, and a hamburger bun... Go!

Thankfully, the components of last week's fridge were much more conducive to creating a good meal. In fact, I came up with something so easy and tasty that I wanted to share it with you today! It may be "What's for Dinner Wednesday"-- and this makes a great dinner with a little side salad-- but these quesadillas are a filling and delicious meatless lunch too!

I always forget how much I like smoked gouda until I have it again. And there was a block of it leftover in my fridge after my parents visited and made us a huge pan of mac and cheese. So, I decided to put it to use and paired it with sweet apples and a tangy mustard. That combination of smoky, sweet, and sour is so perfect-- especially when it is all wrapped up in a toasty tortilla and the cheese is all melty. I also made extras and simply wrapped them in foil and reheated (in the foil) in the oven the next day for another delicious easy lunch!



Ingredients:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• 4 small flour tortillas
• 2 Tbs. mustard *I recommend a really flavorful variety like brown, Dijon, or the Koops Dusseldorf mustard that I used here
• 4 oz. smoked gouda, shredded
• 1/2 medium apple, core and seeds removed and thinly sliced (app. 1/4-inch slices) *I like a Honeycrisp apple

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with olive oil and evenly arrange 2 tortillas on top. Spread 1 Tbs. mustard evenly over the top of each tortilla. Sprinkle half the cheese evenly on top of each tortilla and layer evenly with apple slices. Top with remaining cheese and place a second tortilla on top of each one.

Drizzle lightly with olive oil and bake for 12 minutes. Gently flip each quesadilla and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Transfer to a cutting board and slice each quesadilla into 6 triangles.