Black Bean & Tomato Quesadillas
- 1 can diced tomato (I like a diced fire roasted tomato), drained
- 2/3 cup black beans (rinsed if canned)
- 2/3 cup frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I frequently used dried)
- 1/4 tsp garlic salt
- 1/4 tsp ground red pepper
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese
- 6 flour tortillas
The first thing you do is mix up all the ingredients except for the cheese and tortillas in a bowl. This makes a really yummy salsa that is good for many things. I use it with tortilla chips or on top of a salad for a mexican salad lunch. This also gets better with time, so make it the day ahead if you remember, and be sure to save any leftovers when you are done assembling the quesadillas for another use!
After the salsa is prepared, heat a pan on the stove over medium heat and put some good ol' butter in it. This makes the quesadillas nice and brown and crispy on the outside and adds some great flavor to the tortillas. Once the pan is hot, lay a tortilla in it and top one half of the tortilla with a small handful of cheese.
Top this with about 1/4 cup of the salsa mixture. I also like to put a little bit of cheese on top of that before folding it over so that when I flip the tortilla, there is melted cheese on both sides keeping it closed. And, how can you go wrong with more cheese??
Fold over the other half of the tortilla and do another one on the other side of the pan. Let these brown for about three minutes on each side until the cheese is melted and the salsa is warm. A tip -when you flip these, lift the open side, not the folded side, to keep as much of the salsa in the tortilla as possible! Remove the finished quesadillas to a warm oven to keep them yummy while you make more! If you cover these to keep them warm, they will get soggy!
When these are done, they will look like this:
Cut them into wedges with your trusty pizza slicer and enjoy! I like to serve these with a hearty fruit salad!
How yummy is that?? Start to finish, this meal only takes about 20 minutes, so it is perfect for a busy weeknight!
