Chicken, Spinach and Avocado Breakfast Quesadillas
Quesadillas are popular as a lunch dish, but they also make a versatile breakfast. Start with whole-wheat tortillas and stuff them with lean chicken breast, scrambled eggs, spinach, tomato and avocado. They’re easy to vary, so you can also make your own healthy combination.
Ingredients:
- Olive oil for greasing, plus 1 Tbs.
- 1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast half, 4 to 5 oz.
- Sea salt, to taste, plus 1/4 tsp.
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste, plus 1/8 tsp.
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup coarsely chopped spinach
- 1 ripe small tomato, seeded and chopped
- 2 whole-wheat tortillas, each 10 inches in diameter
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup nonfat Greek-style yogurt
- 1 small ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
- 1/4 cup pico de gallo
Directions:
Preheat a broiler. Lightly oil a broiler pan.
Place the chicken breast between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and lightly pound with a meat pounder to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the chicken on the prepared pan and broil, turning once, until lightly browned on both sides and firm when pressed, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Reduce the oven to 200°F.
In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, the 1/4 tsp. salt and the 1/8 tsp. pepper. In a fry pan over medium heat, warm the 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the eggs and scramble until starting to set, about 20 seconds. Add the chicken, spinach and tomato and cook, stirring, until the eggs are just cooked into moist, creamy curds but are not dry, about 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Warm another fry pan over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla in the hot pan and heat for 1 minute. Flip the tortilla over and sprinkle half of the cheese over the bottom half. Top the cheese with half of the egg-chicken mixture. Fold over the top of the tortilla to cover the filling. Continue cooking until the bottom begins to brown, about 1 minute. Flip and cook until lightly browned on the other side, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Repeat to make a second quesadilla.
Cut the quesadillas into wedges. Top each serving with a dollop of yogurt, some avocado slices and a spoonful of pico de gallo. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Good for You, by Dana Jacobi (Weldon Owen, 2013).