fancied quesadillas and flavorful salsas

i couldn't even remember the last time i had made a quesadilla... but once i made these, i realized how much i had missed such yummy goodness! quesadillas stuffed roasted piquillo peppers, cilantro and jack cheese, along aside two awesome salsa salads: a corn & basil salsa, and a mango & rhubarb salsa!


corn & basil salsa salad:
this is one of my favorite summer time salads. i prefer to use cherry tomatoes (from my parents garden) but they are far from ripe now. luckily, we do have tons of basil growing though! mix:
2-3 ears of corn, hulled, boil for about 2 minutes and let cool, then slice off the cob
1-2 bell peppers, any color
1 cup diced tomatoes, or a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
2 green onions, sliced
large handful of basil, sliced
small handful of cilantro, sliced
juice of 1/2 lemon
drizzle of olive oil
salt and pepper


mango & rhubarb salsa:
delicious, sweet, tangy, great textures and flavor combination! mix:
1-2 ripe mangos, peeled and chopped into small cubes
2-3 stalks of rhubarb, halved lengthwise, and chopped into quarter-inch slices
1 green onion, sliced
1 small chilli, or half a red bell pepper if you don't want the spice
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
juice of half lemon
top with chives
add a dash of sugar if your mango isn't ripe enough to offset the sour of the rhubarb or spice

the simple part of this meal is making the quesadillas: i used smaller corn tortillas, but others prefer flour tortillas. i bought a jar of roasted piquillo peppers - bright red and full of smoky flavor without too much spice - sliced those up, and added them between layers of shredded jack cheese with some cilantro. grill on a frying pan or in the oven, slowly, until both sides are lightly browned.