In the “sad, but true” category, aside from these blondies earlier this week, I haven’t cooked anything since the cake and bangers from two weeks ago. It’s been a busy, busy few weeks, punctuated by one weekend in Maryland celebrating 25 years of parental wedding “bliss,” the start of a Video Production class, lots of work and plenty of takeout.
I miss real, freshly cooked food that doesn’t come out of a plastic box or paper bag. These baked black bean quesadillas come from an even earlier date (Super Bowl weekend), and while they were pretty good a few weeks ago, I remember them more and more highly with every passing day.
It will surprise exactly no one that I loved the combination of black beans and cumin here, as I’ve also loved it here and here. No eyebrows will be raised by the fact that anything topped with a hefty helping of cheese appeals to me.
But the best part about the recipe, especially given my current lack of cooking time, is that it takes about 15 minutes to make start to finish* and so, these quesadillas have joined this quinoa and this salmon as easy weeknight recipes.
To that end, I have a favor to ask, friends. Are there any go-to recipes that you have for those nights when you’re too tired to move? Please share — I could use some inspiration!
*Excluding the shredding of the cheese. Obviously an easy solution would be to buy pre-shredded cheese, but when faced with the simple path and the “shred a pound of cheese using a small handheld grater” path, I obviously opted for the latter. Hello biceps!
Baked Bean Bean Quesadillas
Makes 6 quesadillas
– 2 tablespoons olive oil
-Â 1/2 red onion, diced
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
– 2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
– 1 tablespoon cumin
– salt and pepper, to taste
– 1 pound cheese, shredded (I used a blend of Cheddar and Monterey Jack but your possibilities are endless — anything that melts well works)
– 12 corn tortillas
1) Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Saute the olive oil and garlic for 3 minutes, then add the jalapeño and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
2) Add the black beans, cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for 7-10 minutes, until the beans are heated through and take on the flavors of the onions and garlic. Let cool, then stir in half of the cheese.
3) Place six of the corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Place 3-4 tablespoons of the bean-cheese mixture on each tortilla, then sprinkle additional cheese. Top each with a second tortilla and press down firmly so that the tortilla sticks.
4) Bake for 10 minutes, flipping halfway. Serve with guacamole.
I certainly can relate to those times and nights when you just want to spend about 15 minutes putting a meal together so you can sit down and rest your mind and body! These quesadillas are definitely a great idea! Lots of healthy stuff and flavor! For another idea, I just posted a spicy bean salad. In place of cooking up dried beans, just open a can like you did here, add some spice, and combine with a few raw ingredients. Good luck with your class!
I was also going to suggested canned legumes – including chickpeas. I’d also suggest frozen veggies (which can be roasted in a super high oven very quickly), then eaten with rice/quinoa/pasta, and maybe some cheese, vinaigrette, pasta sauce, etc. (Ex. I make quick rice and beans with leftover rice and a can of black beans – onions, garlic, chili flake, and cumin; leftover pasta or rice warmed up w/ Parmesan and frozen peas and balsamic; “fried rice” with leftover rice, soy sauce, garlic/ginger (paste is good to keep on hand), any frozen veggies, and an egg.)