Pomegranate Pear & Gouda Quesadillas

I feel like I’ve referenced this recipe about 14 times without actually sharing it.

(Ok, so 14 is an overstatement. But it was at least twice.)

This recipe is so enigmatic. It’s simple (6 ingredients), but complicated at the same time (as you’ll see below). It’s fried food, yet it’s healthy.

So what makes it simple? The 6 simple ingredients:

And what makes it complicated?

The brown rice tortillas.

They break apart as soon as you fold them in half, making the innards fall out upon flipping.

But tortillas of the brown rice variety taste so much better than the sprouted grain variety.

I don’t even bother with regular flour tortillas since I’m doing my best to stay away from foods that turn to sugar quickly in my body, contain chemicals and preservatives, and have gluten.

If you’re willing to deal with a potential mess in the frying pan, start by laying thin slices of the gouda cheese over half the tortilla. Press the pomegranate arils gently into the cheese (it helps if the cheese is at room temperature at this point instead of coming directly from the fridge).

Need help with the pomegranate arils? See my how-to post on opening a pomegranate.

Next layer thin slices of pear and sprinkle with stevia to taste (you won’t need a lot).

Then heat the oil in a frying pan. This is where the healthy fried food conundrum plays out. Just because something is fried doesn’t necessarily mean it’s automatically bad. When you cook food in healthy oils (like grapeseed or coconut) that don’t turn rancid when they’re heated, you’re good to go!

Fold the tortilla in half and place in the pan. After a few minutes, flip the quesadilla using a spatula and taking great caution.

There truly is an art form associated with quesadilla (and omelet) flipping. I have certainly not yet mastered it.

But my Pomegranate Pear & Gouda Quesadillas end up tasting pretty darn amazing anyway.

I’m interested in trying a version of this recipe as a grilled cheese with Ezekiel bread as well…

Thoughts? Ideas? Tips?