Spinach & Black Bean Quesadilla

The best part about working from home is that you get to make lunch!  I take my lunch to work most days and while there is a microwave and a toaster oven, there is only so much you can do with that set up.  Most of the time I eat lunch like a 3rd grader: turkey & cheese sandwich, baby carrots and a clementine.  So you can imagine my delight when I get to actually have a hot lunch. I've been on a bit of spinach kick lately, so I couldn't resist adding it to my quesadilla.   I was so proud of myself that I called Jamie at work to tell him all about it!


My poor husband.  I can only imagine the look on his face as I disrupt his day to talk about spinach.

The other benefit of the spinach and black bean quesadilla is that I finally get to reference Napoleon Dynamite!  That's right, friends,  any time you see the word "quesadilla" it's pronounced Napoleon Dynamite style!

What you need:
2 medium sized whole wheat tortillas
shredded reduced fat cheese (cheddar or mexican blend)
1 large handful of baby spinach (the more the better)
1 can of black beans (though you won't need them all)
Olive oil cooking spray

What you do:

1.  Microwave the black beans in microwave safe container for 1 to 2 minutes.  I am super crazy about minimizing salt (high blood pressure runs in my family) so I drain the beans and rinse them before I cook them. 
2. Heat frying pan over medium high heat, make sure not to let it get too hot!  Then spray one side of the first tortilla and lay the sprayed side down in the pan quickly add a generous layer of cheese, the handful of spinach, and as many black beans as you want, followed by more cheese.  At this point the cheese on the bottom should be pretty melted.  Spray the second tortilla with cooking spray and place on top (sprayed side up).
3. Smash the devil out of the top of the tortilla with your spatula.  The goal here is to make sure that last layer of cheese is sticking to the top tortilla so that when you go to flip the whole thing you don't make a mess.  At this point about 2-3 minutes from the time you put the first tortilla down has passed. 
4.  Flip the quesadilla letting the other side brown about 2 minutes.  
5. Serve with a side of salsa. If you're using store bought, I highly recommend the Tostitos Cantina Salsa. 

A quick, healthy, hot lunch that is pretty dynamite!