Spicy Vegetable Quesadillas

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut off and discard the bottom 1/2 inch of the broccoli stem; cut the broccoli into small florets. Crumble the queso blanco into small pieces. If necessary, grate the monterey jack cheese on the large side of a box grater. Halve and pit the avocado. Using a spoon, remove the avocado from the skin, then place in a bowl with half the sour cream and half the vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Using a fork, mash to your desired consistency. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Halve, peel, and thinly slice the onion. Cut off and discard the stem of the pepper; remove the core. Quarter the pepper lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise. Thoroughly wash your hands, knife, and cutting board immediately after handling the pepper. 

Place the broccoli florets on a sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer. Roast 14 to 16 minutes, or until browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a large bowl; cover with foil to keep warm.

While the broccoli roasts, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the sliced onion and pepper; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes, or until browned and softened. Add as much of the chile paste as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Cook, stirring frequently, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until thoroughly combined. Turn off the heat. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired.

While the broccoli continues to roast, place the tortillas on a work surface. Top one half of each tortilla with the crumbled queso blanco, cooked vegetables, and grated monterey jack cheese. Fold the tortillas in half over the filling. Rinse and wipe out the pan used to cook the vegetables.

In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium until hot. Add the quesadillas and cook 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown and the cheese is melted (if the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil before flipping). Transfer to a cutting board and immediately season with salt. Carefully halve each cooked quesadilla.

While the quesadillas cook, to the bowl of roasted broccoli, add the remaining vinegar and remaining sour cream. Stir to combine. Taste, then season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve the finished quesadillas with the dressed broccoli and mashed avocado on the side. Enjoy!