Blogger Secret Ingredient Submissions

Sunday, November 2, 2008

I have been following this weekly contest for awhile now, but hadn't yet gotten up the nerve to enter! But since this week's ingredient (pears) happens to be something I LOVE and have on hand most of the time, I decided to be brave and enter a recipe (or two)!

Since Kris & I couldn't decide if we wanted bagel sandwiches or quesadillas for supper tonight, I decided to make BOTH, and incorporate pears into both recipes. Each was very unique-tasting and delicious. Note: I sincerely apologize for the blurry pictures. The battery on my camera was dying. :-(

First Recipe: Turkey Bacon, Pear & Feta Cheese Quesadillas

Looking through some of the submissions for the contest already, I see that at least one pear quesadilla recipe has been entered. However, I cannot imagine that any other quesadilla could taste as good as this one, or be as quick & easy to make.

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Wheat Tortilla (such as La Tortilla Factory's Low Carb High Fiber tortillas)
• 1/2 yellow pear (or any other pear you have on hand)
• 2 slices turkey bacon
• Feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cook turkey bacon in microwave, between two paper towels, for 1 min. 45 seconds or until desired crispiness.

2. Spray nonstick skillet and 'fry' one side of tortilla.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice half of the pear.

4. Layer tortilla with pear slices, crumbled turkey bacon and feta cheese.

5. Fold over tortilla, reduce temp to low, cover and cook 2 minutes longer.

I ate mine with leftover fresh veggies and dip. I also had a cup of Vanilla Caramel Tea. In the words of Rachael Ray: YUMMO!

Second Recipe: Turkey, Pear & Apple Butter Bagel Melt
This recipe is perfect for a quick & easy lunch, since it utilizes your toaster oven. The sweet flavors of the pear & apple butter perfectly complement the savory smoked turkey and mozzarella.

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Wheat Bagel (I used a Thomas Whole Wheat bagel, they are big and soft!)
• 1/2 yellow pear (once again, any pear you have will do)
• 1 oz. hickory smoked turkey deli meat
• 1 slice mozzarella cheese
• 2 tablespoons apple butter

1. Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread both sides of the bagel with apple butter.
3. Layer one side with pears and cheese, the other with turkey.
4. Place both sides in the toaster oven, and bake for 5 minutes or until cheese starts to bubble.
5. Put the sandwich together, slice in half and enjoy!

Alright, there they are! Wish me luck. :-) Even if I don't win, I sure had fun making up some interesting recipes. I will definitely be making both of these meals again, they were sooooo good! Well I'm going to do some wedding-planning research and relax for a while. I love that it's only 8 and it feels like 10! Awesome. Good night all!