Black Bean, Ranch, and Avocado Quesadillas

Ingredients (per quesadilla):

• 10-inch flour tortilla
• 1 tbs veg. oil
• dash of salt
• generous handful of cheddar or mexi-blend cheese
• generous handful of cooked black beans
• Ranch dressing
• Fresh avocado, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oil in skillet over medium heat, spreading evenly over pan. Add tortilla, allowing one side to absorb oil (you can also brush oil directly onto tortilla). Sprinkle oil side with a dash of salt and replace in skillet oil side down. Add cheese, beans, and a squirt or two of Ranch dressing to one half of tortilla. Fold over and cook on both sides until golden. Remove from heat. Add avocado slices to the inside of the quesadilla. Cut in half and enjoy.

Flavored Black Beans

By Becca

The flavors in these beans work beautifully in the black bean and corn quesadilla recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. bag dried black beans
• 1 small to medium onion, skinned
• 1-2 pieces bacon
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Rinse and sort black beans. Remove any pebbles or bad beans.
   
2. Add beans to a large sauce pan or dutch oven. Cover beans with several inches of water.
   
3. Add onion (whole--cutting onion will cause it to dissolve into a gooey film around beans during cooking), bacon, garlic, and salt & pepper.
4. Simmer covered for about 2 1/2 hours or until beans are tender (over cooking will cause beans to dissolve and you'll be left with just the skins--yuck). Check often, stirring and adding water as necessary so that beans don't burn on the bottom of the pan.
   
5. Drain. Remove and discard onion and bacon. Rinse beans and allow to cool.
6. Store in an airtight container in fridge for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.