Ham and Mango Quesadillas

I was never a fan of the mighty mango ... until last year when my friend Ang came to visit and had brought a few mangos to cut up for the kids. If you've never had a mango before it's the texture and sweetness of a peach with a twist.

I really enjoy mango now and can easily eat a whole one (or two)by myself. Learning to cut up a mango takes a bit of practice (manoeuvring around the pitt) but after cutting up a few you'll turn into a pro. Check out this site to learn how to cut up a mango properly.

I found this quesadilla recipe on http://www.tasteofhome.com/. If you don't get one of their many recipe magazines, I highly encourage you to do so now. I have received "Simple and Delicious" (used to be called Quick Cooking) for many years now as part of my Christmas present from my parents. I .... love .... it. Tried and true recipes from readers and lots of pics. My only beef (and it's but a small moo) is that some of the recipes use ingredients and mixes that you cannot find outside of the USA.

Anyway, when I saw this recipe in the current issue I knew I had to make it. This is a great, quick lunch idea and I loved how the sweetness of the mango complimented the saltiness of the ham. You could also use, instead of traditional tomato salsa, the Mango Lime Salsa from President's Choice. That's a fav of mine! I would have posted a picture from my own creation but I had piled on the ham and mango on mine and, although it tasted great, didn't look as appealing as the picture on the Taste of Home's site (from which I borrowed the picture above).

Note from the Bookworm: I made only a couple of changes to the original recipe. I prefer using vegetable oil to brown my tortillas not butter as the original recipe stated and I omitted the cilantro because I don't like it.

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 flour tortillas (8-inch)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack or marble cheese
1 medium mango, peeled and cubed
1/4lb thickly sliced deli ham, cut into 1/2-inch strips
6 tsp fresh cilantro, divided (optional - I didn't add this to mine)
3/4 cup salsa
garnish - sour cream

Pour oil into a large skillet or on a griddle. Place 2 tortillas on griddle. Sprinkle each with 1/2 cup cheese, 3 tbsp mango, 1/4 cup ham and 1 tsp cilantro (if using). Add top tortillas and cook for several minutes or until cheese has melted. Flip and brown the other side. Cut into wedges.

Meanwhile, combine salsa with the remaining mango and cilantro. Serve with quesadillas. Garnish with sour cream. Enjoy!