This recipe was inspired by a lovely group of bloggers and influencers I collaborated with to share a recipe for a family of four for $10 dollars. I enjoy getting creative with a challenge like this because I am always looking for easy and creative ways to feed my kids with little time to prepare. The great thing about this recipe is it does not take a lot of effort to make, in fact the ingredients can be made ahead and shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes, perfect for a busy weeknight.
These quesadillas are loaded with protein, as it includes shredded cheese, black beans and one of my favourites, quinoa.
Quesadillas are a great way to use up leftovers, you can add some extra veggies with cheese for some picky eaters, while packing in the flavour.
How did all of this amount to $10 with all these ingredients? Buying a bag of quinoa usually costs me $6-8, but I am only using half a cup, which amounts to less than $1. I am not using all of the ingredients, rather a portion of item which when divided and tallied up, it amounted to $10 on the nose. The priciest item on this list is probably the tortillas because we used the whole pack and that cost us $3.
I always scour the flyers using my Flipp app on my phone to find which store has the best deals. Also, when you see a lot of produce on the front page, usually they’ll be fresh at the store.
A few things to consider:
-If whole black beans are a concern, mash them before adding them to the mixture. It will melt with the cheese and won’t be so easy to point out in the quesadilla. Chickpeas are a great alternative.
-You can swap broccoli for other veggies, such as zucchini, eggplant, cauliflower or sweet potato. The varieties are endless.
-Use rice instead of quinoa. I prefer quinoa because it is much more nutrient dense, but rice works well too.
-Use different cheese, Monterrey Jack would be nice, I would stick to something that has sa good melting point and a sharp taste. Vegan cheese works well too.
-These quesadillas are best served with salsa or a tzatziki sauce.
Quinoa Bean Broccoli Quesadilla
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 broccoli bunch, steamed
- 1/2 can black beans
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- salt + pepper (for taste)
- 6 large whole wheat tortillas
- 1/2 tbsp avocado oil (just to coat pan lightly)
Directions
- Steam broccoli until fork tender, cool slightly.
- Chop broccoli into small pieces.
- Combine cooked quinoa, blacks beans, broccoli.
- Add salt and pepper until desired taste
- Add cheddar cheese, combine.
- Place a medium sized skillet on medium heat, add oil (not too high as you don’t want the tortillas to burn)
- Place one tortilla onto skillet, add mixture on half of the tortilla, fold over the tortilla and after 30 seconds, flip over. Let it sit for another 30 seconds, just to melt the cheese.
- Cut into wedges and serve your favourite choices of dips and salsas.
Enjoy!
Antonietta xo
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