Mid-Week Meals: Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas

Working late for a deadline, stuck in a long commute, going to the gym, walking the dogs, going to class... it is no wonder that a healthy meal at home during the work week can seem like one more task on that overflowing to do list!  Dan and I have found ourselves trying to solve the dilemma of quick, tasty, and healthy mid-week meals many times.  One of our favorites is a super simple and relatively healthy quesadilla recipe.

In Women's Health I came across a recipe for quesadillas where they baked them rather than frying them.  I was skeptical at first but they turned out fantastic!  Including black beans in them really pumps up the nutrition factor and makes them a bit more filling.  The sprinkle of cumen really adds a great flavor.  You can really customize these to your preferences; cilantro adds a nice touch of flavor. 

And you can make them as healthy as you prefer by managing the amount of shredded cheese.  Either way the simple trick of baking them rather than frying really cuts down on the fat and calories... As well as cutting down on the time to cook for multiple people as they all cook at the same time!

Recipe: Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas

Modified from Women's Health
Serves: 2- 8 depending on how many you make

* tortillas
* 1 can black beans, drained
* grilled chicken breast, diced
* sauteed red bell peppers {optional}
* shredded Mexican cheese blend
* ground cumin

Spray a baking sheet with Pam and pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place your tortillas on the pan.  On one half of the tortilla: sprinkle a little cheese, put a spoon full or two of beans {we don't use the full can but depending on how many you make...}, add diced chicken and sauteed red bell peppers, add a little cumin, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top then fold in half.

Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you want them {we like ours crispy}. Flip them about half way through {we have found that this step is unnecessary as they will be cooked through without the flip}. Serve with Frontera salsa and maybe a little dollop of sour cream.

These are a great way to use left over grilled chicken and tortillas.   Enjoy!

- Tara