One of the staple meals in my grab bag is Chicken Quesadillas. They're simple, tasty, and if you plan a little they can be very quick.
I like to start my quesadillas with homemade beans. Now, if you don't have four hours to spend simmering a pot of beans, you can use refried beans from a can - but I don't recommend it. Canned refried beans tend to taste of nothing other than salt and can often contain chemicals and preservatives that I'd just as soon not consume. My homemade beans aren't really refried beans, it's more of a tasty bean paste.
Beans
Making a pot of beans is about the easiest thing in the world. Get ahold of some dried pinto beans, 1/4-1/2 an onion, garlic, oil (canola or peanut works best for me), and some dried epazote if you can get it (can usually be found in better markets in the same place as the dried chiles or in any latin specialty store).
Put a heavy saucepan or small pot on medium heat and add a tablespoon or so of oil (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan). As the oil heats, roughly dice your onion and mince your garlic. Add the onion to the pan and saute until just translucent. Add garlic and stir. Now add approximately 1 c. of dried pinto beans and enough water to cover the beans. Add around 2 tsp epazote if you have it. I also add about 1 tsp of salt at this point. Bring the heat up to high until the pot just starts to bubble, then lower to low-med or low to simmer uncovered.
And now you let those beans simmer until they're tender, adding more water as necessary to keep the beans covered. I tend to add a fair bit of water, so that the beans are covered by about half an inch, so that I can walk away for an hour or so and know they won't dry out. After about two hours, fish out a bean and taste it. If it isn't soft, keep simmering. I like to let my beans cook until they're quite soft.
Once they're about right I let them simmer until the water evaporates enough so that the beans are just starting to poke out. The I get out my trusty potato masher and have at them. If the texture isn't quite right give them a few minutes with a stick blender until they've become a paste. If the texture is too thick, add a little oil or water to thin. Give them a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
If you're not going to use them right away, just stick them in a covered bowl in your fridge for up to 5 days (I've pushed this up to a week and been fine).
Quesadillas
For the quesadillas you'll need tortillas, cooked chicken, shredded cheese, your favorite barbeque sauce, and beans. If you have fresh locally made tortillas available to you (I find them in the deli section), use them! The cooked chicken can be leftovers or just a sliced up chicken breast. I use cheddar cheese, but you could use just about anything. The beans can be either refried (or other paste-like substance) or whole.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat (I like using my 12 inch cast iron skillet) with a light coating of spray oil. As the pan heats, assemble your quesadilla. For convenience, make sure you assemble your quesadilla on a surface the is mobile and relatively flat, like a cutting board or plate.
Take a tortilla and spread a thin layer of beans to act as a base. If you're using whole beans you'll add them later. Place small chunks of cooked chicken into the beans, allowing some space between the pieces. If you're using whole beans, sprinkle a few over the quesadilla now - but be careful not to completely cover the bottom tortilla. Cover with shredded cheese. Use just enough cheese so that when the it melts it acts as a glue between the top tortilla, the chicken, and the bottom layer of beans (which itself acts as a glue). Get out another tortilla and cover with a thin layer of barbeque sauce - and I do mean thin layer, you want a hint of flavor not a gloppy mess.
Slide the bottom layer into the skillet and lightly press the top toritlla (sauce side in) onto the bottom. Let the quesadilla cook until the cheese is mostly melted. If your cheese isn't melting very fast you can cover the pan to trap in some extra heat. After 2-4 minutes the bottom tortilla should be just golden brown (use a wide spatula to carefully check if you're unsure). Coat the top tortilla with a thin layer of spray oil and flip. The oil promotes browning. Let this side cook just until golden, 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan.
You can make these assembly line style until you've got enough to feed as many people as you need to. Let each quesadilla cool for a minute or two before cutting or you'll end up with molten cheese on your fingers (molten cheese = napalm). These can be served with salsa, avacado, and/or sour cream. They also reheat nicely the next day, but they won't be as crunchy.
I like to start my quesadillas with homemade beans. Now, if you don't have four hours to spend simmering a pot of beans, you can use refried beans from a can - but I don't recommend it. Canned refried beans tend to taste of nothing other than salt and can often contain chemicals and preservatives that I'd just as soon not consume. My homemade beans aren't really refried beans, it's more of a tasty bean paste.
Beans
Making a pot of beans is about the easiest thing in the world. Get ahold of some dried pinto beans, 1/4-1/2 an onion, garlic, oil (canola or peanut works best for me), and some dried epazote if you can get it (can usually be found in better markets in the same place as the dried chiles or in any latin specialty store).
Put a heavy saucepan or small pot on medium heat and add a tablespoon or so of oil (enough to thinly coat the bottom of the pan). As the oil heats, roughly dice your onion and mince your garlic. Add the onion to the pan and saute until just translucent. Add garlic and stir. Now add approximately 1 c. of dried pinto beans and enough water to cover the beans. Add around 2 tsp epazote if you have it. I also add about 1 tsp of salt at this point. Bring the heat up to high until the pot just starts to bubble, then lower to low-med or low to simmer uncovered.
And now you let those beans simmer until they're tender, adding more water as necessary to keep the beans covered. I tend to add a fair bit of water, so that the beans are covered by about half an inch, so that I can walk away for an hour or so and know they won't dry out. After about two hours, fish out a bean and taste it. If it isn't soft, keep simmering. I like to let my beans cook until they're quite soft.
Once they're about right I let them simmer until the water evaporates enough so that the beans are just starting to poke out. The I get out my trusty potato masher and have at them. If the texture isn't quite right give them a few minutes with a stick blender until they've become a paste. If the texture is too thick, add a little oil or water to thin. Give them a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
If you're not going to use them right away, just stick them in a covered bowl in your fridge for up to 5 days (I've pushed this up to a week and been fine).
Quesadillas
For the quesadillas you'll need tortillas, cooked chicken, shredded cheese, your favorite barbeque sauce, and beans. If you have fresh locally made tortillas available to you (I find them in the deli section), use them! The cooked chicken can be leftovers or just a sliced up chicken breast. I use cheddar cheese, but you could use just about anything. The beans can be either refried (or other paste-like substance) or whole.
Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat (I like using my 12 inch cast iron skillet) with a light coating of spray oil. As the pan heats, assemble your quesadilla. For convenience, make sure you assemble your quesadilla on a surface the is mobile and relatively flat, like a cutting board or plate.
Take a tortilla and spread a thin layer of beans to act as a base. If you're using whole beans you'll add them later. Place small chunks of cooked chicken into the beans, allowing some space between the pieces. If you're using whole beans, sprinkle a few over the quesadilla now - but be careful not to completely cover the bottom tortilla. Cover with shredded cheese. Use just enough cheese so that when the it melts it acts as a glue between the top tortilla, the chicken, and the bottom layer of beans (which itself acts as a glue). Get out another tortilla and cover with a thin layer of barbeque sauce - and I do mean thin layer, you want a hint of flavor not a gloppy mess.
Slide the bottom layer into the skillet and lightly press the top toritlla (sauce side in) onto the bottom. Let the quesadilla cook until the cheese is mostly melted. If your cheese isn't melting very fast you can cover the pan to trap in some extra heat. After 2-4 minutes the bottom tortilla should be just golden brown (use a wide spatula to carefully check if you're unsure). Coat the top tortilla with a thin layer of spray oil and flip. The oil promotes browning. Let this side cook just until golden, 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan.
You can make these assembly line style until you've got enough to feed as many people as you need to. Let each quesadilla cool for a minute or two before cutting or you'll end up with molten cheese on your fingers (molten cheese = napalm). These can be served with salsa, avacado, and/or sour cream. They also reheat nicely the next day, but they won't be as crunchy.
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