Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas Recipe Reminder

Jan here, with another Recipe Reminder!

What is it about some of my favorite dishes? I make them for a few times, then I stop for some reason. Maybe I'm out of one ingredient. Or maybe some shiny new dish comes into sight!

Anyway, like Missy last Friday, I went browsing for another recipe I had forgotten, and found this one from 2015. This easy dish is so good! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

* * * *
Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Today's recipe is an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy do-ahead lunch. It has a lot of protein from the black beans and cheese, so it will keep you going all afternoon.

Okay, here we go:

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

ingredients:

2 Tablespoons oil, divided (I use coconut oil)

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each (optional - mix and match): cumin, cilantro (fresh or dried)

a dash of cayenne pepper

1 can (about 16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 Tablespoons lime juice

Shredded cheese (cheddar, fiesta blend, Monterrey Jack - your choice

Fajita size (6 inch) flour tortillas

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet for a minute or so, then add the 1/2 cup frozen corn. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until the corn is popping and browning.

Remove the corn from the skillet and set aside.

Pour the second Tablespoon of oil into the skillet, and add the onion, garlic, chili powder and other spices. Saute until the onion is soft - about 2 minutes.

Stir in the rinsed and drained beans and heat through, mashing the beans slightly as you heat them up.

Return the corn to the skillet and toss to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the lime juice and salt to taste (I usually don't add any salt).

Now you can refrigerate the mixture in a covered bowl, or use some immediately. 

When you want to make your quesadillas, lay one tortilla in your pan over medium heat (you can use the same pan you used before - if you're making your quesadillas immediately, just wipe out the pan with a paper towel).

On the bottom tortilla, spread about 1/6 of the bean mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, then top with a second tortilla.

Heat thoroughly, until the bottom tortilla is a bit crisp, but not browned, then flip (carefully) the quesadilla over and brown the other side. 

Cut the quesadilla into wedges and enjoy!

One thing I love about this recipe is that I can make all six quesadillas at once on the griddle for a family dinner, or I can make one at a time for my own lunch.

You can also substitute shredded chicken for the beans if you'd rather make chicken quesadillas. I think I'd add a can of green chilies, too.

There's no limit to the combinations you can try.

Do you like "make ahead" lunches? For me, it saves a lot of time and thinking at lunch time when I have a deadline looming!

* * * * * 

Back to 2019 - and some sad news. 

If you've been around the Cafe for a while, you've gotten to know my BFF, Thatcher.

With a heavy heart, I must tell you that my little guy is no longer with us. We had to make the hardest decision last week, but his painful days and nights are ended now. I never thought I'd miss this furry tornado so much. He was a wonderful dog.

A Little Spring

Missy Tippens

I thought I'd share a quick (zero Weight Watcher point) snack and a little bit of spring with you today!

First, I think our poor trees and flowers are mixed up here in Georgia. We did have some really warm weather (it was 75 degrees last week!). But even before that, I noticed trees blooming. Here are a few photos of my neighborhood (my trees aren't blooming yet).

I know some of you are in areas with heavy snow, so I hope you enjoy this taste of spring! It'll come your way eventually. :)

And now, a quick snack...

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Mexicorn (slightly drained)
1 can green chile peppers with juice
1 can petite diced tomatoes with juice
Spices (I used Penzey's Buttermilk Dressing and Dip spice mix and Penzey's Salsa and Pico spice mix)

The recipe I used before calls for Hidden Valley Spicy Ranch Dressing, but I didn't have any. Thus, I used the Ranch flavorings and salsa spices! Scoop with tortilla chips (not zero points, but still not too bad if you can manage not to eat the whole bag). :) It's a great snack!

Also! I have a new novella that just released for Valentine's Day! I hope you'll check it out.

Her Valentine Reunion

What happens on the very day Abbie Rogers makes a preemptive strike against Valentine’s Day funk by declaring herself content to be single? Why, Victor Wallis, the man who broke her heart, comes crashing back into her life, of course. Not only that, he declares himself a changed man, and he truly seems to be. She even finds herself falling for him again. But when he makes a move to take over her family’s business, Abbie’s not certain she’ll ever be able to trust the only man she’s ever loved.

www.missytippens.com

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner - Getting Creative with Leftovers

Mindy here, and with our house now under contract (meaning no more showings), it's time to cook again. Except now it's with a dual purpose -- sustenance, yes, but also purging the pantry and the freezer. I started with the freezer the day before Easter, firing up the smoker to cook some bone-in chicken breasts and ribs. I always smoke more chicken breasts than we will eat in one sitting and then freeze the rest to use for quick meals like this one.

I knew I wanted to do something with shredded chicken, but what? I thought about those "bowl" meals that keep cropping up at restaurants and decided to use that as my guide.

I had a little bit of onion and some bell pepper, so I tossed those into a skillet with a little bit of oil, then added my chicken.

Tex-Mex sounded kind of good, so I threw in a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies (aka Rotel).

One can definitely wasn't enough for that amount of chicken so I added a second and stirred it all together.

Things were still looking kind of dry, so I added about of cup of chicken broth from a container I had in the fridge.

That's better.

Now for some spices.

I threw in a tablespoon of chili powder and a teaspoon of cumin.

Gave that a good stir before adding about a cup/cup and a half of cooked rice and a can of black beans, drained and rinsed.

Mix that all together.

Hmm... Something was still missing, but what?

I went to the freezer.

Aha!

Tex-Mex usually has some element of corn, so added a half a cup of frozen niblets.

Stirred it all together and let it simmer for about ten minutes. 

Y'all the aroma was amazing.

So with my stomach growling, I spooned some into a bowl and topped it with a little bit of shredded cheese.

Okay, so whenever you throw things together, you're never quite certain what you're going to end up with. However, when hubby says, "This is amazing. I hope you plan on making this again," you know you've hit pay-dirt.

And, in addition to a fabulous meal, I ridded the pantry, fridge and freezer of a few items. Mission accomplished on all counts.

Whoo-hoo!

So we are now less than a month away from the big move. My mind is swimming with a million things that need to be done. For every item checked off of to-do list, it seems five more are added. Cancelling utilities, change of address notifications, setting up utilities on the other end... 

Oy!

Yet I refuse to stress. God's got this. Our job is to simply follow His lead.

Happy Tuesday!

Mindy Obenhaus lives in Texas with her husband and the last of her five children. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com 

Welcome to Happy Healthy 2017

The Healthy Writer here is gleefully welcoming all of you who are ready to start fresh after indulging over the holidays.

A little indulgence now and then is good for our spirits. It's especially good when it inspires us to want to eat healthy in the aftermath.

I saw this Santa and thought he looks like he's had a pretty rough season. I guess he could use some healthy eating too.

Okay, on to healthy food.


I don't know about you, but as I get older, I find I just can't tolerate as much of the sweetness. I used to be a bottomless receptacle for all things holiday - cookies, candy, cake, repeat.

But this year, I only spent one evening baking, I indulged in one Junior's cheesecake given to us by a friend, and I ate a chocolate bar that had been hiding in my freezer since before Thanksgiving.

Not trying to be all virtuous here - just getting old, I fear.

On Monday, Jan said:

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's all do a number on our eating habits, and every year at the beginning of January we decide that THIS is the year that we'll like our scale again. THIS is the year we will eat healthy. THIS is the year that we will learn to like healthy eating!

Let me give you an idea to try.

I was craving something colorful and nutritious last week, but I had no clear idea of what it was going to be. Then I remembered the can of black beans I'd been inspired to pick up at Whole Foods. And I had a sweet potato.

From there, I added things as I went.

Let me tell it in pictures.

First there was the sweet potato. I tried something different. I peeled it and then roasted it. So what you see here is about to be chopped up into bite-sized chunks.

I used Eden Organics Black Beans. I like them because they're packed in seaweed and contain no additional salt or preservatives. I added some Cippolini onions and my favorite freeze-dried garlic.

I wanted to add some sort of spices, but I wasn't exactly sure what.  I ended up adding the onion and garlic and then I threw in some cumin. Perfect!

Once everything had simmered a bit, I added in some frozen corn.

Stir and simmer a bit longer.

Drain thoroughly. You don't want soggy taco shells!

I had some delicious avocados, so I scooped them out.

Then it was time to add everything into the heated taco shells.

I broke this one open so you could see all the layered goodness.

A few notes:

I used one sweet potato and one can of beans because I was making it just for my daughter and myself. The rest of the ingredients can be added according to taste. I like a lot of garlic, but I only chopped up one Cippolini onion and it was enough. I didn't measure the cumin, just gave the jar a shake.

When it came time to assemble, I smashed the avocado and lined the shell with it and then alternated the chunks of roasted sweet potato and bean/corn mix.

I loved the taco shell because it added a crunchy texture. I've had similar recipes that used soft tortillas instead. They were delicious too.  If you're wondering about the green stuff, I had a bag of salad greens that were about to expire so I dry roasted them too and tossed them in. You could do that or not, not necessary though.


So, what healthy meals are you inspired to try this year?

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Happy Monday, everyone, and welcome back, RWA Conference attendees! I hope your week is starting out well.

Mine? Well, not so good. My computer died yesterday. I'm thankful for an external hard drive and multiple backups of files on USB sticks, so I haven't lost any important files.

I'm also thankful for the tablet I bought a few months ago...because I knew my computer was at the end of its life span. But it just isn't the same. So its time to shop for a new computer!

But nothing will stop this Yankee Belle post!

Today's recipe is an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy do-ahead lunch. It has a lot of protein from the black beans and cheese, so it will keep you going all afternoon.

Okay, here we go:

Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

ingredients:

2 Tablespoons oil, divided (I use coconut oil)

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon each (optional - mix and match): cumin, cilantro (fresh or dried)

a dash of cayenne pepper

1 can (about 16 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained

1-2 Tablespoons lime juice

Shredded cheese (cheddar, fiesta blend, Monterrey Jack - your choice

Fajita size (6 inch) flour tortillas

Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet for a minute or so, then add the 1/2 cup frozen corn. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, or until the corn is popping and browning.

Remove the corn from the skillet and set aside.

Pour the second Tablespoon of oil into the skillet, and add the onion, garlic, chili powder and other spices. Saute until the onion is soft - about 2 minutes.

Stir in the rinsed and drained beans and heat through, mashing the beans slightly as you heat them up.

Return the corn to the skillet and toss to combine.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl, stir in the lime juice and salt to taste (I usually don't add any salt).

Now you can refrigerate the mixture in a covered bowl, or use some immediately. 

When you want to make your quesadillas, lay one tortilla in your pan over medium heat (you can use the same pan you used before - if you're making your quesadillas immediately, just wipe out the pan with a paper towel).

On the bottom tortilla, spread about 1/6 of the bean mixture. Sprinkle with cheese, then top with a second tortilla.

Heat thoroughly, until the bottom tortilla is a bit crisp, but not browned, then flip (carefully) the quesadilla over and brown the other side. 

Cut the quesadilla into wedges and enjoy!

One thing I love about this recipe is that I can make all six quesadillas at once on the griddle for a family dinner, or I can make one at a time for my own lunch.

You can also substitute shredded chicken for the beans if you'd rather make chicken quesadillas. I think I'd add a can of green chilies, too.

There's no limit to the combinations you can try.

Do you like "make ahead" lunches? For me, it saves a lot of time and thinking at lunch time when I have a deadline looming!

Quick and Easy Low-Carb Lunch

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed these days. I can't attribute it to any one thing, just several things, that when you bundle them all together, start messing with my psyche.

Makes me wish I was back at the ranch,

 playing peek-a-boo with the deer,

or simply relaxing beside the campfire.

But that was last week. 

I went down to help my SIL prepare for her son's wedding reception. He got married in Vermont last month and since Vermont is a bit of a drive from Texas, most of their friends weren't able to make it to the actual nuptials. 

So, we celebrated them in Texas style. 

Or maybe that should be Star Wars style.

Hans and Lea never looked so good.

These were made by a good friend.

Talk about cute!

But we also had real food that didn't come from a galaxy far, far away.

Things like ham, sweet potatoes, pumpkin bread and fruit salad.

And lest we forget dessert.

Apple quiche (must get the recipe), pecan tassies and lemon bars.

Makes me want to stuff myself silly.

Actually, I think I did.

So now it's back to the good stuff. I mean good for me stuff.

Low-carb, no carb and yummy in its own right.

I have a new quickie go-to lunch I want to share with you. And while it may seem a little strange, trust me when I say it tastes just like a taco salad, but without the guilt.

Four ingredients.

Lettuce, low-fat cottage cheese (3/4 cup), black beans (1/3 cup) and salsa (1/3 cup).

Ta-dah!!

Mix it all together and dig in.

So simple. So tasty. So good for you.

Of course, it's getting difficult to think about salads when the temps are plummeting. 

Ruthy, are getting gobs and gobs of snow? Jan?

Here it looks like we'll beat our average first freeze by a week. And it does appear that we're going to stay chilly for a while. Which means stews and soups will be appearing a lot at my house.

So long as I intersperse it with some chicken fried venison, my boys should survive.

What's up with them not liking soup, anyway? 

Maybe if I made it something exotic like gator noodle soup, they'd be more interested.

Hmm... tastes like chicken, right?