A family friend of one of my friends, Sue Mustard, developed pancreatic cancer about a year ago. Very little money and research is spent on this deadly disease (so deadly that, according to the National Cancer Institute's website 41,000 will contract the disease each year and 36,000 of them will die). To help raise money and awareness, pancan.org sponsors a 4 mile beach run each year in Jacksonville. As a last minute decision, I decided to join a group of friends, make the four hour trek and run the race.
After a decent jog in the hot sun, we decided to get lunch at a local joint called Tacolu. It was there that I had a quesadilla for the ages, one that I mimicked at home and now bring your way.
Bangin' Tempeh Quesadillas (inspired by Tacolu)
-1 can chipotles in adobo sauce
-1 cup sour cream
-8 oz tempeh, sliced into small rectangles
-Frank's Hot Sauce
-vegetable oil
-1 can black beans, drained
-handful of frozen corn kernels
-spinach
-pepper jack cheese (or colby jack for J-Fur), grated
-tortillas
1. In a food processor, mix the chipotles, adobo sauce and sour cream. Process until smooth. Set aside.
2. In a frying pan, heat enough oil to cover the bottom. Add tempeh and fry each side until golden (3-5 minutes). Remove tempeh with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate. Pat dry. Place the tempeh in a bowl with enough Frank's hot sauce to cover completely. Return tempeh to the frying pan and heat until sauce forms a solid coating. Set aside.
3. Place a tortilla on the pan you will be using to heat it. Layer the cheese, spinach, beans and corn and tempeh. Spread a layer of chipotle cream on the top tortilla and place, sauce down, on top of the pile.
4. Heat the quesadilla on medium low heat until the tortilla reaches desired crispiness. Flip and repeat on the other side.
-I did not give units of measurement for the spinach, cheese, beans and corn because the best part of quesadillas is to make them how you like it. Just eye these toppings to make sure they won't overflow.
On the drive back from Jacksonville, I took control of HH's iPod and dished out some winning 80's and 90's tunes. Here is just a small spattering of what our Tacolu stuffed stomachs enjoyed:
The Toadies (check out the old skool sox jacket)
Spacehog (I used lyrics from this at my wedding)
Weezer (who has a newly remastered version of this album coming out soon)
The Outfield (interesting they have a music player on their site, what does it do play this song on repeat?)
Alright, alright now back to the indie stuff. Sort of.
I knew someone that died from PC. It's such a terrible thing. Glad to hear that awareness is on the rise.
ReplyDeleteAnd this recipe, as usual, looks sooo good!
Sorry to hear that Dionne. I feel ashamed to admit that I didn't know much about the disease before running the race. Hopefully it is something that doesn't have to continue to be such a devastating thing.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the good thing is that it's a lot more public than when my friend's dad died. There are more charities about it, and more organizations, etc.
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