Quesadillas That Cosplay as Elotes

Good morning! Today we have for you:

Elotes (or esquites) as quesadillas
A quick chicken dinner with the greens built in
And, a truly showstopping cherry dessert

I like to think that I don’t feel too much FOMO — the fear of missing out — but a recent trip to the market has me questioning that. There were boxes and boxes of eggplants, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and corn, all of them shouting at me: Buy me! I won’t be here much longer! Apparently I’ve developed some immunity to gorgeous vacation photos and party pics, but not to the use-me-or-lose-me siren song of end-of-summer produce.

So buy them I did. The first four went into a giant batch of Melissa Clark’s ratatouille, and the corn is earmarked (ha) for Kayla Hoang’s corn quesadillas. “Loosely inspired by the flavors of elotes and esquites,” Kayla writes, “these vegetable-forward quesadillas are sweet thanks to peak-season corn, slightly smoky, and gently spiced, making for the most satisfying of summer meals.”

Fresh corn kernels are sautéed with scallions, poblano and jalapeño chiles, then combined into a creamy mix with cumin, lime, sour cream, mayonnaise and cheese; this mixture can keep in the fridge for up to three days, so that you’re prepped for quesadillas on demand. Optional chipotle chile powder adds a smoky kick, and, because I also can’t pass up any opportunity to make things spicy, I might swap in pepper Jack for the Monterey Jack.

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