Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas with Homemade Guacamole

The inspiration for this meal was a tortilla chip.  I am not kidding.  My in-laws brought home some tortilla chips from Colorado and were raving about them.  I didn't want to eat the chips with just anything if they were to be that amazing so I decided to look around my kitchen and figure out a meal to go with them.  I had most of the ingredients on hand and it turned out to be a great meal.  And, the chips did live up to the hype. 

If you are interested, they are called La Favorita Tortilla Chips.  They were sold at the Sam's Club in Fort Collins, CO and are apparently locally made.  They are naturally made and contain no trans-fats or cholesterol.  And, as always, I love when I can look at a product's ingredients and recognize every one as I could with these chips. 



Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas

2 chicken breasts (preferably organic)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1-2 c. frozen corn

2 c. shredded cheese

1 Tbls. olive oil

1/4 c. chopped red onion

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground chipotle chili

salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion and garlic.  Cook until the onion is tender.  Add the chicken and season with cumin, chili, and salt/pepper.  Cook the chicken approximately 4-6 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.

Chop chicken into small bits and mix with the black beans and corn. 

Heat a griddle over medium to medium-low heat.  If you heat it too high, you will burn the tortilla and have cold filling.  Fill one tortilla with about 1/2 c. of the chicken mixture and add cheese to your taste preferences and fold in half.  Place on the griddle.  Cook until golden and then carefully flip and cook on other side, approximately 5 minutes per side.  Repeat the process until you have enough quesadillas to feed your family or the ingredients are gone.  Serve with guacamole, salsa, sour cream, fresh tomatoes, etc. 

Homemade Guacamole

3-4 ripe avocados, peeled and pitted  (reserve pits)

1/2 c. diced fresh tomatoes

1-2 Tbls. lime juice

1/2 - 1 tsp. ground chipotle chili

salt to taste

optional - jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded, and minced

Using a fork, mash avocados in a bowl.  Add the tomatoes, 1 Tbls. lime juice, 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili, and salt.  Stir and taste.  Add more of any of the ingredients to your flavor preferences.  Return the avocado pits to the guacamole to help it retain it's green color until serving. 

Food for Thought: I did this meal from fresh but it would be an easy one to freeze as well.  You could do it one of two ways: 1) Make quesadilla filling.  Store filling in one freezer bag, tortillas in another, and shredded cheese in a third.  On cooking day, thaw entire package, assemble, and cook according to directions above.  2) Make quesadillas completely and then freeze in cooked state.  To reheat, simply place quesadilla on a plate and microwave until hot.  You will lose the crispy-ness but will have a quick and easy snack, lunch, or dinner for your kids.