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.
   

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

By Becca

Simple, easy, fun, and ooh-so-good!

I absolutely love this recipe and have made it several times over the last month without tiring of it. I now keep a stock of precooked black beans in my fridge in case I get a quesadilla craving for lunch.

Exact measurements in this recipe are not necessary! (You will notice I didn't even put any.) Play around with quantities and proportions to fit your taste buds' desires! Want more a more hearty quesadilla? Add more beans. Feeling in the mood for something lighter and a sweeter? Add more corn. Or, are you just feeling cheesy? Omit the beans and corn altogether.

Ingredients:

• Black beans, precooked or from a can
  
• frozen corn
• Monterey Jack cheese, grated (mexi blend pre-grated cheese also works well!)
  
• 8-10 in flour tortillas (wheat and multigrain tortillas also work well!)
• canola oil
• salt
  

Directions:

1. Toast corn over medium to medium-high heat in a nonstick pan until it begins to pop (parts of the kernels will have blackened).
2. Add black beans and squish slightly with back of spoon or spatula to help corn and beans stick. Remove from pan.
   
3. While still hot, wipe pan clean with a paper towel.
4. Preheat tortillas (one at a time) on pan just until they begin poof.
5. Remove from heat and spread cheese and toppings on half of the tortilla. For added kick, sprinkled on some hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco Green Jalapeño sauce. Fold tortilla over to form quesadilla. The folding method helps prevent toppings from oozing out during cooking and eating.
   
6. Brush oil direction onto the side of the tortilla you will cook first. Sprinkle sparingly with salt (the salt adds flavor and texture).
   
7. Grill up to 2 quesadillas (depending on pan size) at a time, oil side down until until tortilla is nicely toasted. Oil and salt the other side, and flip over. Grill second side until nicely toasted.
8. Remove from pan. Allow to cool for 2-3 minutes before cutting in half.
9. Eat as is, or serve with hot sauce, salsa, guacamole, and/or sour cream.
10. Enjoy again and again!
    

Festive Spanish Rice

By Becca

Ingredients:

• 1 pkt Spanish rice
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
  
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
  
• 1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies, drained
  

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a medium sauce pan. Add water and butter as called for on the Spanish rice packet. Boil for about 10 minutes or until rice is tender.

Good with black or refried beans and in burritos, or as a side dish for any Mexican meal.

Bean and Rice Tacos

By Becca

Ingredients:

• 1 can refried beans
• 1-2 cups cooked rice
• crunchy tortilla shells

Directions:

Mix beans and rice. Scoop into tortilla shells. Microwave on HIGH for 30 to 60 seconds per taco.