Hopefully you’re still hungry after 3 of the 8 Days of Cabot, a delicious delving into the domain of Cabot Creamery Collective cheese.  Today, we’re going to make another famous cheese dish with an authentic Mexican twist:

Cactus Quesadillas

I actually got the idea for doing cactus quesadillas when I was making the chili rellenos.  As much as I hate to admit, I just don’t have that much use for cactus in my daily cooking, but I had half a jar of cactus left.

And I had a block of Cabot 50% Reduced Fat Jalapeno cheddar cheese.

And then I had quesadillas.

Making Cactus Quesadillas

The quesadilla wouldn’t work with just cactus… it’s kind of bitter.  Even with the cheese, the cactus needs something else so I used a mixture of onions and peppers to give the quesadilla body without relying solely on the cactus.

You will need:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 cup cactus strips
• Nonstick cooking spray
• 4 flour tortillas
• 1 package Cabot jalapeno cheese
• 1 can sliced black olives

In a skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and let it get hot.  When hot, add the onion, bell peppers, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper.  Stir and saute until the bell pepper is soft.  Add the cactus and cook another 60 seconds.

Remove the mixture from the heat and let it cool.

Spray a second skillet with non-stick cooking spray, turn the heat to medium and put a tortilla on it.  Cover half the tortilla with one-fourth of the cheese, four tablespoons of veggie mixture, and a few sliced olives.

Fold the uncovered half of the tortilla over the half with the toppings.  Cook 2-3 minutes and then flip.  Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Let the quesadilla cool and cut with a pizza slicer.

Enjoy!