Kimchi Avocado Quesadillas

The last month has been a whirlwind.  We are beginning to sail the waters of being married, I'm figuring out how I go about changing my name from abroad, and writing thank-you notes has taken the place of Skype calls to the planner.

There was a kind of "bubble" around the wedding and once it burst, I hit the ground pretty hard.  On my butt.  All that mental momentum which had gone into anticipation, planning, and celebrating doesn't just disappear the morning after it's over.  The mind takes time to stop cranking out energy and stress.

Runners take a few steps to slow down after they cross the finish line of a race.  And that's what I needed the last month for.  To downshift from the frantically excited pre-wedding dash to the walking lane of the everyday.

I'm ready to keep pace with a "normal" life again.  That starts with getting into a foodie routine.  Our house sits between two wonderful Saturday Wochenmärkte (weekly markets).  The smaller one is a block from our front door, but the bigger one's barely half a mile away.  Then there's Street Food Thursday, a weekly cornucopia of global food stalls, which is a ten-minute bike ride from work.  Those are some solid building blocks.

Take one part Street Food Thursday and one part Wochenmarkt and you get today's meal.  I picked up a jar of Fräulein Kimchi's eponymous condiment at her stall on Thursday, and stumbled across an everyday miracle at the Saturday market - a ripe avocado.  I don't know if I've ever seen an avocado for sale here that was already ripe.  No-brainer; I bought it.  (Now, if I could just find some cilantro!  Seriously, that herb is scarce!)

And then Saturday evening was on us, and I was like, Wait a minute, what the heck do I make with kimchi?  The Internet answered: Behold, quesadillas.  Use that miracle avocado, too.  While you're at it, dip into the wonderful Rocky Mountain Salsa from Colorado.  Of course, any kimchi and any salsa will do.

Mr. Husband and I are familiar with Korean-Mexican fusion thanks to Fräulein Kimchi's "Mar Y Seoul" cooking class at Goldhahn & Sampson.  The tang of kimchi blends seamlessly with the bite of salsa, and counterbalances the creamy avocados like woodwinds floating above a throaty bass.  Plus, these quesadillas were unbelievably quick and easy.  And they tasted phenomenal.

We've still got half a jar of kimchi and a bunch of salsa; now we just need another ripe avocado.

Kimchi Avocado Quesadillas

recipe adapted from myrecipes

serves 2
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 8 minutes per quesadilla

ingredients:

2 flour tortillas
1/4 cup kimchi
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 avocado, sliced

directions:

Preheat a grill pan or skillet on medium heat with a bit of oil or cooking spray.  Chop the kimchi into bite-sized pieces.  Layer cheese, kimchi and avocado on half of a tortilla.  Fold the tortilla and place it in the pan.  Cook for about 4 minutes each side, or until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is toasted.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.  And cilantro if you can find it.