The “Quick, I Need a Healthy Dinner Now!” Quesadilla

I don’t know about all of you other mother’s out there, but I’m still coming down from my fabulous Mother’s Day weekend high.  I like to refer to it as the Mother’s Day hangover.  You get me, right?  You’ve been pampered all weekend; cooked for, picked up for, massaged.  Basically you’ve been treated like the queen you are and you’re not quite ready to get back to the realities of resuming your full time mom job.

Ok, who am I kidding, I still had to cook a meal or two and pick up for myself.  I don’t think I remember a massage in there either.  I also had to deal with my oldest son drawing me a lovely work of art on his bedroom ceiling (ahhh, no my love, we don’t color on walls, just paper please.) but I did get a really nice dinner paid for by my parents on Friday and an amazing brunch served by one of our top local eateries on Sunday (I had a spinach, artichoke and goat cheese omelette – OH YEA it was good.), so all in all, it was another successful Hallmark Holiday.

That being said, I just don’t feel quite ready to jump into the swing of full on, messy kitchen, dinner just yet.  And THAT’s where the quick and healthy quesadilla comes into play.   I love quesadillas.  They are easy, they’re tasty, and they can be made any infinite number of ways to accommodate the specific taste a person may be craving.

The quesadilla I will be showing you today is vegetarian, healthy, and very tasty!  The idea was given to me by my sister-in law who always serves up the most amazing vegetarian dishes.  I never turn down an invitation for a meal at her house (love ya Connie!)  The fillings we use are sweet potato, cheese, and spinach.  I also love to throw some black beans in there for protein, although I didn’t put them in the one below.  Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients Needed:

8 Flour Tortillas
2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 to 3 Handfuls of Spinach, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Potato, Cooked
Chili Powder and Cumin to Taste

If you’re thinking this recipe is pretty self explanatory, you’d be right.  We’ll go through it regardless so I can shamelessly post pictures (yes, I’m almost as addicted to my camera as I am to my kitchen; almost.).

First up, grab your cooked sweet potato (I usually cook mine up in the microwave.  It’s just faster that way, but feel free to bake it as well), cut off a quarter of it, scoop it out and slather it onto one of your tortillas.

Now, go ahead and sprinkle on your chili powder and cumin.  I don’t really have a measurement for this.  I just kind of like to get good coverage across the entire tortilla like this:

Feel free to sprinkle some cayenne as well if you like things a little bit spicier.  Finally sprinkle on your chopped spinach and cheese (and beans if you’re adding them).

Put the top onto your quesadilla and throw it in a large skillet with the temperature set to medium high.  The skillet should have a tsp or so of melted butter swirled around in it.  Let your quesadilla cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then flip it over letting the other side cook for 2-3 minutes as well.  Pull it out, cut it into triangles and serve it up.   I like to serve it with guacamole and carrot sticks.

And that’s all there is to it!  I simple, quick, and healthy post Mothers Day meal that won’t have you drowning in the kitchen but will still make your family smile.  Because mom’s deserve more than one day a year of being honored right?  I hope all you moms had an amazing Mothers Day weekend!

"The Quick I Need a Healthy Dinner Now!" Quesadilla

Total Time: 20 min

Ingredients:

8 Flour Tortillas
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 to 3 Handfuls Spinach, Chopped
1 Large Sweet Potato, Cooked
Chili Powder and Cumin to Taste

Directions:

Grab your cooked sweet potato, cut off a quarter of it, scoop it out and slather it onto one of your tortillas.

Sprinkle on a little chili powder and cumin. Feel free to sprinkle some cayenne as well if you like things a little bit spicier.

Add on your chopped spinach and cheese (and beans if you're adding them).

Put the top onto your quesadilla and throw it in a large skillet with the temperature set to medium high. The skillet should have a tsp or so of melted butter swirled around in it.

Let your quesadilla cook for 2 to 3 minutes and then flip it over letting the other side cook for 2-3 minutes as well. Pull it out, cut it into triangles and serve it up.

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