This is the next in my series of kid-friendly recipes!
As I had mentioned before, for my job I was creating easy recipes that kids would enjoy that featured sliiiightly better-for-you ingredients where I could squeeze them in.
I love this quick, easy recipe because you can quickly heat the black beans, mash ’em, slap the tortillas together, then throw them into the oven, leaving your hands free to do other things (like feeding your kid a snack because they can’t wait until dinner). No more waiting at the stove to carefully flip a quesadilla to brown both sides–what a luxury!!
If you missed the last recipe for Kid-Friendly Veggie Pasta Salad, you probably aren’t familiar with our very scientific data collection method for seeking feedback on whether or not the kids liked the food. If they liked it, we asked them to give us a thumbs up; if they loved it, they were to give two thumbs up; if they couldn’t get enough, they were to thrust their hands in the air and wiggle their fingers. I’m delighted to report that these quesadillas got wiggly fingers from all our very sophisticated taste testers!
Ingredients:
1 can black beans (no salt added)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
8 6-inch corn tortillas
8oz cheddar cheese, shredded (or shredded cheese of choice)
1-2 TB melted butter or oil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Drain and rinse black beans, then add black beans garlic powder, salt, cumin, and chili powder to a small pot on medium-low heat.
- Gently stir with a wooden spoon until warmed through and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and roughly mash black bean mixture with the wooden spoon.
- Brush tortillas with oil or butter on one side.
- Place 4 tortillas butter/oil-side down on a sheet tray.
- Add roughly 1/4 cup mashed black beans and spread onto tortilla, then sprinkle 1/4 cup shredded cheese on top.
- Top with another tortilla, oil/butter side up.
- Repeat this with all tortillas, until you have 4 assembled quesadillas.
- Bake at 375°F until cheese is melted and tortillas are beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.
- Carefully remove, slice with a pizza cutter, and serve!
Notes:
-Quesadillas will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days.
-They reheat well in the microwave or on a skillet.
-Feel free to use different tortillas, cheese, or beans, as you prefer.
AIPooja: Seeking Wellness through Disease 