Hola Mi Gente,
For as long as I can remember, breakfast has been my favorite meal of the day. When I was growing up, we would eat the most colossal breakfasts during the week, and the most extravagant brunches on the weekends. They were the kind of meals that usually made you skip lunch. Till this day I’m pretty bad about eating lunch because my breakfasts are usually big enough that I’m not hungry again until it’s almost time for dinner.
One very distinct breakfast memory I have is from my Freshman year of high school. I was homeschooled from 3rd grade until high school, and got the unique privilege to be around my parents a lot during those years. This meant that I got really used to eating home-cooked meals a lot, and my expectations around food were ridiculously high. My first month of high school, anytime I had a test, my mom would go ALL out on my breakfasts. She would make whole wheat pancakes (and would grind her own flour), and top them with blueberries (because antioxidants are good brain stimulants), and add a bowl of fruit (because I needed fiber), and then top THAT off with a fried egg (because protein). I promise when I left my house those mornings, I felt like I was rolling out the door. For my very first Econ test, I remember the shame of secretly unbuttoning my jeans because I was so full from breakfast and my jeans were so tight, that I couldn’t breathe (or think). I’ve since blossomed into a seasoned vet in eating big breakfasts, and can dress accordingly to by-pass that shame (although if the emergency rises, I’m not above unbuttoning my jeans {this is why we wear flowy, long tunics people}).
Memories from those breakfasts, have fueled my deep love and appreciation for big breakfasts. Big savory breakfasts. Without fail, every Saturday and Sunday morning I get out of bed because I’ve finally decided on what to cook for brunch. Until the inspiration strikes, I’m useless. Typically, these savory breakfasts range from breakfast bowls, to fancy eggo sandwiches, to quesadillas. Which is why this dish I made is one of my favorites of all time.
The Brunchadilla was born on our first Brunch morning of 2017, so I feel like it gets extra credit for starting our breakfast year off on point. It’s a dish that combines Latin American elements, with a little PNW brunch flair. I was actually inspired by watching one of those ridiculous food videos that pop-up in your Facebook feed that you share or save, but never make. The video showed someone making an egg in the hollowed out part of a piece of toast. Combining that visual with that morning’s craving of quesadillas got my brunch wheels started turning. Really. Fast.
So basically, the Brunchadilla is tortillas that have been hollowed out in the middle. The margins of the tortillas sandwich some strips of queso fresco. Now y’all, this is important, no cheese will fill your tortillas more beautifully than queso fresco. If you’ve never tried it, this Latin American cheese is basically like a feta with no bite. It’s soft, crumbly, slightly salty, and it melts beautifully. You can usually find it in your grocery store’s cheese aisle, close to the Italian cheeses/fresh pasta. You then cook an egg in the hollowed out part of the quesadilla and top it with your favorite toppings.
One thing I didn’t do the first time I cooked this dish, was cook the quesadilla part by itself first. As a pro tip, this is the easiest way to get a good color on your quesadilla on both sides, before adding the egg in the middle. This way you don’t have to flip it if you don’t want to, and you can keep your yolk runny if that’s how you like it.
I topped my Brunchadilla with avocado, fried up turkey bacon, salsa, and laid it on a bed of blended black beans with a dash of sour cream. Obviously this is customizable. If you wanted a healthier version you could always serve it on a bed of steamed veggies and quinoa.
So far, everyone in the house is a fan of this dish, and I wasn’t at all mad to make it again for lunch today to get some better pictures. I mean you get all the goodness in one place: melted cheese, crispy tortilla, avocado and the works. An added plus is that you can make the whole thing in about 15 minutes! I promise once you’ve plated it and sat down to eat, you’ll want to give yourself a high five for eating a 20$ Northwest Portland-quality brunch, for about 7$ of groceries (and it’s only that high because the world hates us and makes avocados expensive).
Here’s hoping your 2017 breakfasts/brunches are full of good food experiments like this one, and of course, full of brunchadillas. If you find some other toppings you love, feel free to share them with us! We’ll be looking for different ways to eat these beauties all year round.
Love and the hope of fantastic meals in 2017,
Brunchadillas
Ingredients
Brunchadillas
- 8 Quesadillas
- queso fresco
- 4 eggs
- Dash Salt
- 1 TBS Olive il
Optional Toppings
- 1 Avocado Sliced
- 4 Strips of Turkey Bacon Chopped and Cooked
- 4 TBS Salsa
- Sour Cream As desired
Black Beans
- 1 Can Black Beans Blended
- 1 TBS Nutritional Yeast Seasoning
Instructions
Brunchadilla
- Hollow out the middle of your tortillas using a round cookie cutter. Once this is done, line the margins of one of the tortillas with strips of queso fresco. Cover with other tortilla. Coat a pan with oil and cook over medium-high heat, flipping once to get a good color on both sides.
- Once the quesadilla portion is cooked on both sides, lower heat to medium and crack and egg into the hollowed out portion. Sprinkle with salt and cook to desired point.
Plating
- Place the Brunchadilla on a plate. Blend, season, and heat black beans. Ladle black beans onto plate around the brunchadilla, and top with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Mary-Beth Johnson
Mary-Beth is a creative, food-obsessed, Georgia transplant living Chicago. She is proudly and fiercely Latina, and more specifically Chapina. In her day to day she is a food educator to students around Chicagoland aged 3 to 80+, both virtually and in-person. She is passionate about cultivating the truth that every person has an understanding of food that deserves being brought to the table, and that time in the kitchen can be sacred, passionate, and an act of love for self and others. Outside the kitchen you can find her at the intersections of infertility, chronic illness, and a deep love for the dignity of all humans. She hopes to create a space that is holistic about the role of food in the social, political, relational, and physiological dynamics of our world.
