Month 4 of recipes

Month 4

1. gumbo, bakery bread
2. club sandwiches
3. black beans, rice
4. pancakes, eggs, sausage
5. potato cream cheese soup, bread, veg
6. picnic (sandwiches, chips, apples, cookies, juice)
7. brisket, potatoes, veg
8. spaghetti
9. cheese, crackers
10. calzones
11. lemon chk soup, bread
12. baked chili, fritos
13. pizza, salad
14. ravioli alfredo, asparagus
15. pan-fried pork chops, garlic bread, veg
16. breaded chk, soda bread, veg
17. cheesy veg chowder
18. sausage over rice
19. bbq chk salad, rolls
20. cheesy chk chowder
21. meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veg
22. chk cheese lasagna
23. hotdogs
24. salisbury steak, sweet potatoes
25. pancakes, canadian bacon, eggs
26. spaghetti and meatballs
27. burgers, raspberry chocolate smoothies
28. lemon chk orzo soup
29. black bean quesadillas
30. bean and cheese nachos
31. goulash

Black bean quesadillas

How have I never put black beans in my quesadillas before? Somehow the beans combine with the cheese to create this smoky flavor that I never could have imagined. I don't think I'll ever cook a bean-free quesadilla ever again.

tortillas (I use fat-free to avoid those nasty trans fats)
15 oz black beans (approx. 2 cans), drained
2 cups sharp cheddar, grated
butter
salsa
sour cream

Mix together the beans and cheese. Melt butter in a frying pan. Put about half a cup of the bean mixture on a tortilla and fold in half. Place tortilla in the frying pan and brown both sides. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Warning: this is a messy meal. Those beans tend to slide right out of the tortilla. You will have beans burning your hands, but you won't care because your mouth is enjoying the flavor. Next time I'll experiment with a blender to see if it helps to puree the beans first, or if they'd still fall out of the tortilla. If anyone has already tried this, let me know if it helps.