Black Bean Quinoa Quesadillas

In my last post, I made a salad from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood. The second recipe I tried was their black bean and quinoa quesadillas. The filling contains black beans, quinoa, green onion, corn, tomato and cheese. The result is a light and healthy dinner that is actually pretty filling. The leftovers reheated nicely the next day for lunch (though the tortilla was no longer crisp).

Quinoa isn't something I would necessarily think to stick between a tortilla, but I was pretty happy with the results.

Black Bean and Quinoa Quesadillas

from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood

Ingredients

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup cooked black beans (I used canned)
1/4 cup finely diced fresh tomatoes
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion
1 T minced fresh cilantro  (I left the cilantro out)
8 soft whole wheat tortillas
3/4 cup shredded aged cheddar cheese

Directions

Bring the water and quinoa to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Set aside.


Preheat the oven to 375 F. Combine the 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa and black beans in a medium bowl. Lightly mash the mixture with a potato masher to bind it together. Add the tomatoes, corn, green onion, and cilantro and mix thoroughly.

Place 4 of the tortillas on 1 large or 2 small baking sheets. Spread the mixture evenly over the tortillas. Sprinkle evenly with the cheese and cover with the remaining 4 tortillas.

Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the filling is heated through. The edges of the quesadillas should be lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and cut into triangles. Serve with fresh guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

There's a look at the filling once it's been baked. These were really good. I would recommend serving with salsa, sour cream and/or guacamole though. The filling is tasty, but a titch on the boring side without one of the condiments. (I had mine with salsa)