It’s shocking how much sodium and calories are in many restaurant quesadillas. Chili’s Bacon Ranch Chicken
Quesadilla, for example, tallies up a whopping 1,650 calories and 3,450 milligrams of sodium (that’s double the sodium that most of us should have in an entire day, say the recently-released 2010 U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The Vegetable Quesadilla (by: Chef Anthony Stewart, Executive Chef) has just 100 calories and 95 milligrams of sodium. With foods like this, there’s a very good chance you’ll never need blood pressure medication, or extra-large clothes.
Ingredients
Serves 2
2 cups julienned (sliced in long, thin strips) fresh vegetables
1 whole-wheat, thin-thin (lavash) bread
3 tablespoons shredded fat-free mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
2 tablespoons fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup pico de gallo (no salt added) or no-salt-added salsa (such as Enrico’s brand)
Directions
In a nonstick skillet on medium-high heat, sauté vegetables until crisp tender, about three minutes.
On a warm griddle or flat-top grill, place thin-thin bread and let the side facing the heat get hot.
Turn the bread over on the griddle or grill, and sprinkle the cheese on top side. On half of the top side, spread the sautéed vegetables and cilantro.
When the cheese begins to melt, fold the bread in half to cover the vegetables. Press firmly using a tool like a large firm spatula or bottom of a pan. Flip on the other side, grill for about 2 minutes, and press.
Remove from heat. Cut quesadilla into four pieces. Serve two pieces per person with fat-free sour cream and pico de gallo on the side.
Nutrition Information (per serving):
100 calories, 1g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 5mg cholesterol, 6g protein, 3g fiber, 95mg sodium.