Hot on the heels of the success of my homemade fettuccine the other day, I had big plans to make Spinach Lasagne last night.  Well, you know the old joke:  Want to make God laugh?  Make plans!  Late in the afternoon I went to get started with the tomato sauce and spinach filling for the lasagne.  Much to my dismay, I had no onions.  Now, I pride myself on keeping a well stocked kitchen – when I’m running low on something I write it on my grocery list before I put it back.  In my head I could see 2 large onions in the vegetable bin.  Sadly, that’s the only place they were because they sure weren’t in the drawer.  So I had to decide – run to the store for the onions or make something else.  As you get to know me you’ll learn laziness generally wins out.

So now I had to figure out what to make for dinner.  Last night – along with the Mushy Peas – we had black bean and quinoa burritos.  Even though there was leftover everything, I hate to serve the same meal two days in a row.  I put on my thinking cap and came up with taking the leftover homemade flour tortillas and making cheese/black bean/quinoa with salsa quesadillas.

I also had the makings for a nice green salad and leftover yam/coconut milk/coriander soup, along with some pumpkin seeds I toasted to sprinkle on top.  It actually turned out to be a really tasty, filling dinner.  AND I got use up my leftovers in a fresh way.  I kind of think of it as a free meal since I already had the ingredients and if I hang on to them too long, they’ll end up in the bin.  I’m a firm believer in ‘waste not, want not’.  Plus, I’m cheap.

One little tip I’d like to pass on when you’re making a green salad:  First of all, DON’T BUY BAGGED SALAD – it’s a total waste of money and since you still have to wash it, it really doesn’t save you work (that’s not my tip, btw, just a rant).   My tip is to tear up the lettuce (honestly, it’s no big deal), wash it, dry it in a spinner (or with a tea towel) then put it in the fridge for at least half an hour.  The lettuce will be crisp and cold when you serve it.

So here’s how I made my quesadillas:  (you don’t have to actually measure – just eyeball it)

CHEESE/BLACK BEAN/QUINOA WITH SALSA QUESADILLAS

• flour tortillas (homemade is best)
• medium cheddar cheese (or whatever you like – Jack would be good)
• cooked black beans, mashed with a fork so they don’t roll around
• cooked quinoa,  with salsa mixed in

In a 10″ skillet melt about a tsp of butter (maybe a little more) and spread it around to cover the entire bottom.  Take a tortilla and lay it on the skillet, then rub it around to cover the entire tortilla with the butter.  You’re only going to lay the ingredients on half of the tortilla – the other half is going to fold over (like an omelette).  First put on the cheese, then the beans, then the quinoa.  Add a little avocado, if you like.  Then fold over the empty side and fry until the bottom is browned.  Gently roll quesadilla over and fry the other side.

That’s it – super easy.  You can top it with more salsa, if you like.  A really inexpensive meal.  And quinoa (like Mushy Peas) is an extremely healthy food!  Bonus!

Cheese/Black Bean/Quinoa Quesadilla with green salad and Yam/Coconut Milk Soup

Note to my sister-in-law, Donna:  I promise I’m going to work on my photography!!!