This weekend I cooked dinner with my father for the first time in… a long time? Ever? Hard to say. First time in a while, anyway. I was especially glad, then, that he seemed to really like what we made! The quesadillas felt light and summery, but were still quite filling. I normally try to avoid peppers in things, but here they worked.

Dad shredding chicken.

Ingredients:

Quesadillas:

• 2 8 ounce cans of pineapple chunks, drained
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 vidalia onion, diced
• 1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breasts, shredded
• 6 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
• vegetable oil
• 4 tortillas

Strawberry Salsa:

• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Stir together all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside. This’ll keep 2-3 days, so you can make it ahead of time.

Put a big splash of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the pineapple, salt, and cinnamon and stir well to coat the pineapple.

Continue cooking until the pineapple gets golden and caramelized, 6-8 minutes, then take the pineapple out of the pan, into a bowl.

Add another splash of oil to the skillet, then toss in the pepper and onion. Cook until the onions are browned and softened, then add to the bowl with the pineapple.

Grease the bottom of the skillet again, and reduce the heat to low. Lay a tortilla down and sprinkle with cheese. Add the pineapple mixture, half the chicken, and another sprinkle of cheese.

“Oh. Right. Guess this isn’t a ‘fold it in half type of deal…”

Top with another tortilla, and cook until the bottom one is golden. Flip carefully, and cook until the other side is golden as well.

Cook the remaining half of things, and serve with the strawberry salsa.

Perfect for a summer dinner on the porch!

Pineapple Chicken Quesadillas with Strawberry Salsa

Lightly adapted from How Sweet It Is.

Quesadillas:

• 2 8 ounce cans of pineapple chunks, drained
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 vidalia onion, diced
• 1 small poblano pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 boneless, skinless grilled chicken breasts, shredded
• 6 ounces monterey jack cheese, freshly grated
• vegetable oil
• 4 tortillas

Strawberry Salsa:

• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped strawberries
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• juice from 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Stir together all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Put a big splash of oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the pineapple, salt, and cinnamon and stir well to coat the pineapple. Continue cooking until the pineapple gets golden and caramelized, 6-8 minutes, then take the pineapple out of the pan, into a bowl.

Add another splash of oil to the skillet, then toss in the pepper and onion. Cook until the onions are browned and softened, then add to the bowl with the pineapple.

Grease the bottom of the skillet again, and reduce the heat to low. Lay a tortilla down and sprinkle with cheese. Add the pineapple mixture, half the chicken, and another sprinkle of cheese. Top with another tortilla, and cook until the bottom one is golden. Flip carefully, and cook until the other side is golden as well.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients, and serve with the strawberry salsa.