Paula Deen's Lean: South-Meets-West Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a favorite around our house. They are so simple to make and can be served at every meal; depending on what you put inside. And that's just the thing. There are so many different combinations of ingredients that can be used in quesadillas; from bacon, egg and cheese for breakfast to a cheesy, veggie medley for dinner. You know what else works well? Pulled pork or chicken BBQ! Take a look...
SOUTH-MEETS-WEST-QUESADILLAS
(Also Includes Vegetarion Option)

Serves 8

INGREDIENTS:

8 Low-Carb Wraps/Tortillas

1 (1lb.) container ready made (such as Lloyd's) pulled chicken or pork BBQ

1-1/2 cup REDUCED FAT shredded Mexican cheese blend

1 medium red onion; chopped

1/2 cup Fresh cilantro

1 cup FAT FREE sour cream

1 cup BBQ sauce

FAT FREE cooking spray

**4 avocados (for vegetarian option)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix BBQ sauce and sour cream. Set aside or place in refrigerator until ready to serve quesadillas.

Heat a skillet over medium heat; coating with cooking spray. Place tortilla in the skillet. On 1/2 of the tortilla, add one spoonful of BBQ chicken or pork, 2 tablespoons of cheese, onions and cilantro. Fold over the other half, covering the filling. Cook for about 2 minutes or cheese begins to melt. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes.

Remove from skillet and cut into wedges. Serve with BBQ/sour cream dipping sauce.

**For vegetarian option, use sliced avocados in place of chicken (1/2 avocado per quesadilla). Also, pour about 1/2 - 1 tablespoon of BBQ sauce over the avocados before adding cheese, onions and cilantro.

RESULTS:

I had these both ways, with chicken and with avocados; Avocados from Mexico to be exact. And let me tell ya, they are delicious! The combination of flavors, with the freshness of the cilantro, just really brings everything together. What I like the most about this recipe is how little time it takes to throw together. By starting with the ready-made pulled pork or chicken, you are looking at a definite "30 Minute Meal", or even less. I would like to think Rachael Ray would be so proud of me; Sandra Lee too, with it being "semi-homemade" and all.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving; 1 quesadilla):
With Pulled Pork or Chicken: 293 calories;  9.08g fat;  30.28g carbohydrate;  22.94g protein;  8.58g protein
With Avocado, no meat:  413.75 calories;  22.81g fat;  34.35g carbohydrate;  21.95g protein;  15.31g fiber

**Original recipe can be found in Cooking with Paula Deen Magazine- July/August 2010; page 32 : A Hoffman Media Publication.