Runner Recipes - Recovery Quesadillas with Pico de Gallo from Brendan Gregg

This edition of Runner Recipes comes from a runner I know very well... my brother, Brendan Gregg! A bit about my fast younger sibling... he was a XC and track standout at Davis Senior HS, winning the 2006 Stanford Invitational in Cross-Country and medaling at the California State Meet in both XC and track. He went on to become a 2-time All-American at Stanford and helped the XC team to a podium finish at NCAA's in 2008.

Brendan has represented the United States in international competition three times, most recently at the 2014 Bupa Great Edinburgh Cross Country in Scotland. Brendan now runs for Hansons-Brooks, owns a 10k PR of 28:03, and is currently training for the 2016 Marathon Olympic Trials.

Brendan shares with us one of his favorite post-run meals, Recovery Quesadillas. These quesadillas hit the spot for breakfast, brunch, second breakfast, lunch, dinner, midnight snack, whatever. Read on and enjoy!

RECOVERY QUESADILLAS WITH HOMEMADE PICO DE GALLO

PICO DE GALLO:

3-4 large beefsteak tomatoes or 5-7 Romas, roughly diced
1 large red onion, finely diced
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 small lime, juiced
Half bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
Heaping spoonful of minced garlic
Ground cumin to taste
Ground chipotle pepper to taste
Coarse salt to taste

Toss it all in bowl and mix it up. If you want more of a hot salsa, leave some of the jalapeño seeds in, or throw in some Tapatio or Valentina’s sauce.

Quesadillas:

2 Large Flour Tortillas
Shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, enough to liberally cover tortilla
Black or pinto beans, enough to cover tortilla
Salsa (see above Pico de Gallo)
Half an avocado, sliced
Sour Cream (optional)

Heat a griddle or medium size frying pan with a little olive oil to medium, add one tortilla and cover with cheese. 

When cheese begins to bubble and tortilla starts to brown, cover with beans and smother with salsa. Add more cheese if you want.

Top with the second tortilla. Flip and let the second tortilla get slightly brown and crispy. Remove from griddle, divide into fourths, top with avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream.

That's it - time to dig in! Bring lots of napkins, or maybe just eat with a fork! :) 

Thanks Brendan for sharing your healthy Recovery Quesadillas with us!