This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was assigned to Itzy’s Kitchen. Erica lives a healthier lifestyle than I’m living now (she’s a fitness instructor and has lots of yummy, healthy eats on her blog), so browsing her blog got me back into the “healthy thinking mode.” I wish I didn’t have a switch that was either turned to “healthy” or “totally heart-clogging, butt dimple-building unhealthy,” but unfortunately, this is my history. I have decided to ease myself back into healthier eating as I need to lose the fifteen or twenty pounds I’ve gained since going off the rails in March, and Erica helped me do that.
I have been making quick stove top meals often this summer, and I was happy to find her recipe for veggie quesadillas because they were 1) healthy, 2) quick, ad 3) easy. Perfect summer eating.
We really enjoyed these, especially dipped in salsa. They come together so fast and easy and I know I’ll be making this again. FYI, if you have leftover filling, it’s great as a hot dip mixed with salsa with cheddar melting on top. But maybe not as healthy if you use as many tortilla chips as I did. >:)
Quick Veggie Quesadillas
Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained well
1 (11 oz) can Mexican style corn (or 14.5 oz regular corn), drained well
1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste
¼ teaspoon cumin
Optional: 1 cup additional vegetables
8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded
8 flour tortillas (soft-taco size)
Salsa & sour cream for serving
Mix the black beans, corn, chili powder & cumin. If you’d like to add any other vegetables (I added onions), cook them in a skillet until softened and stir into the bean & corn mixture. Place one tortilla in a skillet over medium heat (you can oil the skillet if you like, but I didn’t) and sprinkle no more than ½ cup cheese over it, then scatter no more than ½ cup of the bean mixture over the cheese. Top with another tortilla. Once the cheese is melted on the bottom, about two minutes, carefully flip the quesadilla over and cook for an additional two minutes to heat through and crisp up the other tortilla. Remove to a plate and cook the remaining three quesadillas. Cut each into 6 triangles and serve with salsa and sour cream, if desired.
Recipe source: adapted from Itzy’s Kitchen
A special thank you to my friends Kriss and Nicole for generously giving me the Japanese steak plates pictured in this post, along with many other dishes that will be gracing my blog in the future. They are moving their family to Japan this week and not taking much with them, so I was the happy recepient of much of their dishware. It’s hard to say goodbye and feel like I have to do it too often (Japan has already stolen one of my friends!), but I wish you guys the best!
Veronica's Cornucopia 
Yum! I can’t wait to make these. I was just looking at my basket of garden vegetables (however small it is… not good gardening this summer) thinking, WHAT CAN I DO WITH THAT STUFF?
Thanks! Probably would be good for breakfast for the non-sweet eater, too. My dad has to watch his sugar levels and I think this would be a good breakfast treat for him.
Have a great day!
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Quesadillas for breakfast? Why not? In fact, you could totally load them with eggs and sausage (turkey sausage to make it healthier) to make breakfast quesadillas. Oh, I so need to do that!
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I love Erica’s eats – must have missed this one somehow – yumz!!!
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Butt dimple building totally made me laugh!! I know what you mean though … it is so easy to get offtrack! I love quesadillas, so easy just load them with cheese though! :)
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Yes, you def have to exercise control when sprinkling on the cheese! LOL
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Yummy! They look fantastic! Keep pushing towards that goal!!
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Thanks Erica, I’m doing better every day!
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Yum, you’re making me drool!
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The butt dimple building had me laughing too ;) These look quick, easy and delicious! I need to make some soon.
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The first quesadillas I ever made were the meaty ones you posted on myspace! I think these are only 2nd or 3rd ones I’ve made but don’t know why. So easy! Hard to mess them up.
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I love quesadillas. I had to laugh, because guess what? I am a totally “heart-clogging, butt dimple-building unhealthy” lifestyle kinda gal too, and yes I have a healthy side but it only comes out in small doses, occasionally.
These look fantastic and it only goes to show that a healthy meal can also be a super delicious meal – yum!!
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Yes, I love it when healthy and delicious combine!
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I wish my husband loved quesadillas so that I could make these. What the heck, I think I will still make these. Pinning the recipe! Your friends made the right decision in giving their dishes to a blogger- bloggers can never have enough of dishware! Hope they have a pleasant stay in japan!
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Sometimes you just gotta make something for yourself! My hubs doesn’t like shrimp but I make it for myself at least a couple times a year and he cooks himself a steak. It works for us. :)
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Quick and fast? Dangerous combination my friend, very dangerous indeed ;)
This looks incredible!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
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Only if you use a lot of cheese, otherwise, not dangerous at all! :)
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Fabulous recipe and looks so tasty. I tend to be like you, one extreme or the other. More butt- dimpling than anything else these days.
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Butt dimpling is fun until you have to buy fat clothes. :(
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What a perfect hot summer night, easy to make and healthy dinner, looks delish.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my SRC entry: Chicken Satay Noodle Salad.
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
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Thanks, your noodle salad also looks healthy and delish!
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oh man, i’m a sucker for quesadillas. this version sounds awesome!
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Thanks Sarah! They’re so simple, I don’t know why I don’t make them more often!
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I was searching blogs yesterday trying to find something quick and easy for dinner. Then, “new email”! Yay! We try to eat a vegetarian meal at least twice a week and I had everything on hand. We added garlic to the veggies. They were SO yummy, I’m having one for lunch today.
My awesome quesadilla tip is to spread a small amount of cheese of the bottom tortilla, add filling, top with remaining cheese and second tortilla. You don’t have to be SO careful while flipping.
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Whee! So glad it got to you on time and I’m glad you all liked them! Love your tip! I’ve done that before but didn’t do it this time.
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I Love Erica and all of her recipes, and this one looks fab as always. yum. What a great lunch.
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It was been far too long since I’ve made a quesadilla! Thanks for reminding me they exist–and that they’re delicious. =)
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These sound like a great quick and easy dinner. I would use shredded zucchini for my veggie with the abundance of it now. Now I’m hungry!
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I’ve got a huge one I need to use, I think I’ll join you in a zucchini quesadilla!
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We’re actually making quesadillas tonight for dinner! Might have to adapt some of them to fit this mold =) Looks great and perfect choice for SRC!
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Can’t wait to make these. I am unfortunately on the same page as you….extremely healthy eating, or artery clogging junk food….including butt dimple building…lol! Here is to gradually eating healthier…..and what a fabulous recipe to start the process!!
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Love the plate! It is nicer with the lovely quesadillas on top. I haven’t had quesadillas in about a year, I think. That’s so crazy, I’m aghast at myself right now. I love them with sour cream and spicy salsa. :D
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Seriously, Sophia. I’m aghast too. ;)
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I was seriously trying to figure out what to make for dinner. I’ve got black beans and I think I’ll use the leftover cheese filling from my poppers for my quesadillas. Thanks fo making dinner easy for me.
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Ooooh, yummy! Great use of leftovers!
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quesadillas are fantastic and a super great way to get a crap ton of veggies in you if you do it right :) also a very good way to get cheese in you too. mmmmm cheesy vegetables.
happy src reveal from a group D member!
p.s. i’m with ya tryin to lose 15-20 lbs. hello, running. blech. haha
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Yeah, you have fun with that! No running for me! lol
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Mmm, those do look good. I’d love them, the rest of my family would totally turn up their noses. sigh
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