Roast Beef Quesadillas

Before attempting to can beef, I decided to buy a can to find out if it's something I even want.  Finding a recipe for it turned out to be the hard part.  I could have done a French dip sandwich, but most of the other recipes I found were either stews or Mexican.  Canned chicken, I can come up with plenty of ideas.  Most of my pork butt recipes are crockpot, so they would also work with canned.  Beef seems to be much harder to use, mainly because there are no cold recipes for it.  I'm glad I did this before canning a roast.  I'm going to have to think that one over.

I didn't realize Taco Bell discontinued the MexiMelt until I wanted one.  Ok, fine, I'll make it myself.  This came out slightly better than their ground beef version.  I always thought there was too much spice and not enough substance in the MexiMelt, but they were cheap and filling.

I don't buy Taco Seasoning because I don't make Mexican very often.  Maybe once a month.  There are just so many cuisines to try, and with four servings of a recipe, I'm only cooking about eight times a month.  I've considered smaller recipes and cooking more often, but ingredients tend to be sold in packages between 3 and 5 servings.  That's the whole reason I started cooking this way in the first place.  It's much easier than ending up with a ton of half-filled bottles and jars in the fridge.  So, I'm just going to call this "taco seasoning" in the recipe and you should know that I used paprika, garlic powder, and all those kinds of spices that go into the commercial blend.

I debated a long time about what cheese to use.  Jarred nacho dip, Velveeta, and Campbell's cheese soup are the most logical options.  American cheese slices are close behind.  I never buy any of those, and simply couldn't justify picking up an ingredient I don't use and would need to find recipes for until it was gone.  I ended up using the shredded cheddar/jack I keep for omelets.

8 fajita-size tortillas
1 *12 oz can roast beef, drained (or leftover roast beef or 80/20 ground beef, cooked)
1 Tb taco seasoning
*1 Roma tomato, diced
*2 Tb diced red or green onion
1 C processed cheese, melted, or shredded "Mexican" cheese

1.  In a skillet, heat meat with taco seasoning and break apart into small pieces.  I have to say, I was severely disappointed that so little meat was left once I drained away the broth.  That's supposed to be at least three servings?  I'm pretty sure there would be a lot more in a pint jar if I did can my own, so if I ever decide to continue using canned beef, I'm doing it myself.

Seriously?

2.  Combine diced onion and tomato into a quickie pico.  You can also add cilantro to it if desired, but I skipped that part.

3.  Lay out the tortillas on a work surface.  Sprinkle each with 2 Tb cheese, whether shreds or spooning on melted.  Distribute the meat among the tortillas.  It doesn't look like a lot, but you do taste it.  Divide the salsa on all 8.

4.  Preheat a griddle over medium.  Fold the tortillas in half and heat until the tortilla is lightly browned and crispy and the cheese and meat have melted together, about 5 minutes per side.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π