Veggie and cheese quesadillas- easy, fast and delicious!As I was thinking today what to write about on my blog, I went back to many Memorial Day weekends. I realized that 8 years ago we were moving into our first house and I was ready to have our son at any point. Three years later I was even more pregnant around the Memorial Day weekend and our second boy was born at the beginning of June. Four years ago we went car shopping as many people do that weekend and got a family car. This past weekend we only traveled to Lake Tahoe for a small family gathering. There were 7 adults, 4 kids and 1 dog. Despite the so-so weather, we managed to do some hiking, barbeque some delicious food and have fun. Before we left home I tried a new recipe for a banana bread and it turned out really good. I will be posting about it soon. How was your weekend?

Today’s recipe is another suggestion for a quick and healthy dinner. Use a variety of vegetables like beans, corn, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli and carrots. Multigrain tortillas are a great option for adding even more fiber. Serve these quesadillas with my Spanish Rice, guacamole or salsa verde and a touch of lime juice.

Start by sauteing the vegetables with a bit of olive oil until softened. Add cumin, salt and pepper to taste. Assemble the quesadillas by placing some shredded cheese, cooked vegetables and more cheese on a whole wheat tortilla and covering it with another tortilla. Carefully transfer the assembled quesadilla onto a hot skillet and cook for about 4-5 minutes until golden. Using a large spatula flip it onto the other side and cook another 3-4 minutes. Cut into smaller pieces and serve with some Spanish Rice, salsa verde or some guac. So simple, easy to make and tastes great.

Makes: 6 quesadillas  Prep time: 15 minutes        Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans ( or other kind you have on hand), rinsed, drained
• 1 can ( 14.5 oz) tomatoes, diced, drained ( or 2 fresh tomatoes, diced)
• 1/2 cup corn, fire roasted, frozen
• 1 small zucchini, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, chopped
• Suggestions: 1 cup chopped broccoli florets, 1 diced bell pepper, 1-2 shredded carrots
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• salt, pepper
• 12 whole wheat, multigrain or corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheese, Cheddar, Mexican mix or Mozzarella
• Serving suggestions: Spanish Rice, salsa verde, sour cream, guacamole

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and cook the onions until soft. Add the minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add rinsed and drained beans, drained tomatoes, corn, diced zucchini and jalapeno pepper (if using). Stir and cook 5-7 minutes. If using bell pepper , broccoli or carrots add them to the skillet also. Season with salt, pepper and cumin. Set aside.
2. Assemble the quesadillas: on a flat surface place the tortilla, sprinkle some cheese, then add a thin layer of cooked vegetables. Sprinkle more cheese and top it with another tortilla.
3. Cook on a large skillet until golden, about 5 minutes then flip onto the other side and cook another 3-4 minutes. Cut the quesadilla into 4 pieces and serve with Spanish Rice, sour cream, salsa verde or guacamole.
4. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Enjoy!