Black Bean and Quinoa Quesadillas

A little twist on the old classic that is delicious, nutritious, and so easy, your kids can help you make it. Steps in Green should be done by the parent, but steps in orange are perfect for kids with adult supervision. This is a fave around our house! Also, QUINOA is a seed that can be used in the place of rice in many recipes. It is sooo good for you, and I actually prefer it in some dishes, like stir fry and hay stacks.

1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 cup water
1 (15 oz.) can black beans
4 large flower or corn tortillas
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese

1 Measure quinoa and water into a small saucepan
2 Bring the quinoa to a boil. Reduce to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 15 min. until the water is fully absorbed. Set the pan aside.
3 In a separate saucepan, warm up black beans over low-medium heat.
4 Warm cast-iron skillet over high heat.
5 Place tortilla in the skillet until barely warm, then flip.
6 Spoon about 1/4 of the cooked quinoa and black beans over half the tortilla.
7 Sprinkle about 1/4 of the cheese over the black beans.
8 Fold the top of the tortilla down.
9 Cook for about 1 min. on one side. Flip and cook for another minute.
10 Repeat with remaining tortillas.

I use small corn tortillas and Monterey Jack cheese and we like to top ours off with a little hot sauce and guacamole! And we definitely make more than four every time!

Quinoa Facts FYI :
Quinoa is highly appreciated for its nutritional value, as its protein content is very high (12%–18%). Unlike wheat or rice (which are low in lysine), quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete food. This means it takes less quinoa protein to meet one's needs than wheat protein. It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorous and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten free and considered easy to digest.