I made this delicious Vegan Pumpkin Quesadilla for lunch over the weekend with some leftover pumpkin I had in the fridge and I could not wait to share it with you!
I often make my Open-Faced Avo Beauty Sandwhich on gluten free brown rice tortillas and I was inspired by all my new pumpkin creations from last week, to try this new seasonal version out.
These flavors may not seem traditional when it comes to quesadillas but I love them! The warm savory texture of the pumpkin blends perfectly with the crunch of the peppers and onions topped with the melted vegan cheese (optional) makes this quesadilla super memorable!
Note: I do not think for a second that Daiya or other processed vegan cheeses are beauty foods. They certainly are not. They contain not great vegetable oils, which I typically avoid on a daily basis, as well as other non-beauty ingredients. BUT they are a great transition food, a treat sometimes if you are craving cheese or something of a similar texture, or just to have once in a while in your mix…it’s not the end of the world. My significant other loves cheese, and while he has given up dairy he loves when I make stuff with Daiya in it once or twice a month or so. Remember, Progress NOT perfection!
And remember this would be still be delicious without it, and you can certainly leave it out and just use the rest of the ingredients.
This can be a great snack for the kids when they get home from school or it pairs great with my Shiva’s Kale Salad to create a perfectly paired meal!
A quick close up before the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked pumpkin cubed (Kabocha squash)
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 red pepper sliced
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 2 8- inch gluten-free brown rice or teff tortillas these are common now in health or other markets
- 2 ounces of Daiya vegan cheese totally optional. Please see note in my blog about this.
- 2 Tbs. coconut oil
- Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In bowl, stir pumpkin, cumin, nutmeg, salt and pepper to combine and set aside.
- In small skillet, heat 1 Tbs. coconut oil over medium heat and saute the onions and red pepper
- In another large skillet, coat lightly with 1 Tbs. of coconut oil and warm tortillas gently on either side. Repeat with both tortillas. Once tortillas are warmed, remove from heat.
- Spread pumpkin mixture, onions and peppers over 1 tortilla. Then sprinkle with cheese. Top with remaining tortilla.
- In large skillet, heat 1 Tbs. oil over medium-low. Cook quesadillas 1 at a time, turning once or until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes.
- Cut into wedges and enjoy hot!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was on Instagram!
Enjoy!
Let me know how you liked it! And did you find anything else yummy to add in into your quesadilla to make a different variation?
Love,
Kimberly
Just made this tonight (without Daiya) and it’s amazing!!! I think I’m going to have to go get some more pumpkins!!!
Hi Kim! Loving all of these pumpkin recipes! I was wondering if a puree pumpkin store bought would work as I do not know how to cook pumpkin.
Absolutely…try to purchase an organic brand you can trust and let us know what you think. Lots of love! ;)
Thank you again Kimberly for another amazing recipe!! I will be making it today! :-)
Hi Kimberly,
I just tried to make this quesadilla without vegan cheese. I was wondering how you get the tortillas to stick together enough to flip the quesadilla in the frying pan when you don’t use cheese.
I’m not exactly an expert at cooking and I’ve never made quesadillas, so maybe my flipping skills are just not on point. ?
I will now make it as a wrap. Either way, it’s really delicious!
Hi Fran and thanks for giving this recipe a try. If you don’t use the vegan cheese it can be a bit tricky when it comes to flipping it over. I just do it very carefully and if anything falls out, I just scoop it onto my plate and use a fork. Eating it as a wrap is great too. Sending lots of love! ;)