Spicy Veggie & Bean Quesadillas~Another healthful, easy, and inexpensive meal!

This sure doesn't taste like health food: a plate full of delicious quesadillas!

What do we do with all the tomatillos our two little garden plants are producing? I got in the kitchen yesterday to start figuring that out and ended up with a plate full of really delicious quesadillas. The recipe is at the end of this post, but I wanted you first to see how lovely fresh tomatillos are.

A close up of chopped tomatillos.

This is my "mise en place" for the quesadillas.
All these vegetables are so good for you!

Et Voila!!! (or maybe I should exclaim ¡Y Aquí!)

Spicy Veggie Quesadillas

Serves 6 as a main dish or 12 as a snack
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained (about 10 ounces of cooked beans)

1 cup chopped bell peppers, any color

1 cup chopped onion (yellow, white, purple, or Vidalia)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded, ribs removed, and minced (add more or less to suit your taste)

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Canola oil spray

1 c. chopped tomatoes (cut them in half first across the equator and gently squeeze out seeds before chopping)

1 c. chopped tomatillos

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped

Juice of one lime

3 c. shredded cheese of choice (reduced fat Cabot's cheddar is delicious in this)

12 whole grain flour tortillas, about 8 inches (I used Harris Teeter brand, each is 100 cal. & 5 g. protein)

Spray nonstick skillet with canola spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add pinto beans, bell pepper, onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic to pan. Saute until vegetables begin to soften. Stir in chile powder, cumin, and salt, and saute for 2 more minutes. The vegetables should be crisp/tender.Spoon vegetables into a bowl. Stir in tomatoes, tomatillos, cilantro, and lime juice.

Heat a dry skillet or griddle over medium heat and place tortillas on surface. Distribute 1/4 c. of the shredded cheddar cheese over the surface of each tortilla. Spoon 1/4 c. of the vegetable mixture on one half of each tortilla. When the cheese begins to melt on the tortilla, gently fold that side over the vegetable side and lightly press down.

Continue to cook the tortilla till it is golden brown on the pan side, then turn it over to lightly brown the other side.
When golden brown on both sides, remove tortillas to a cutting board.
Cut each tortilla into 3 wedges and serve with a garnish of 1 teaspoon sour cream mixed with 3 tablespoons of tomatillo salsa (salsa verde). Salsa verde is very low calorie, and by combining the salsa with a tiny bit of sour cream, you get the satisfaction of both without the giant dollop of sour cream.


Nutrition (per two, as prepared here; your choices of cheese and tortillas will affect the nutrition content): 406 cal., 10g fat (23% cal from fat), 28g protein