Two Layer Bean Quesadilla

When I stopped eating meat at 12, my parents were very supportive. I had gone to England with the two of them, and no siblings. I remember sitting alone in my hotel room and watching a documentary about the meat industry. The movie shook my core, and I stopped eating meat right there. Because I was always a very healthy eater, my mom felt that I could manage the diet. She required me to read up on how to have a balanced diet vegetarian, which I did. But, my mother, who cooked for a family of five, met a dilemma: make an entirely separate meal for me or help me to find easy ways to supplement. Announcing she was not a short order cook, we worked together to come up with ways for me to eat with everyone. Sometimes, there were meals that I definitely couldn't eat, but to prepare my mom would make this dish, which I ate over several days. I have an odd sentimentality for this dish because it is the meal she made to help me attain my goal and it was the first hearty vegetarian thing I learned to make. 

Note: I usually double the recipe and make two at a time. Share one for dinner, and cut the other into fourths for lunches.


Two Layer Bean Quesadilla
Ingredients

• 3  whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can of black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can or 1 cup of cooked fresh corn
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 yellow pepper chopped
• 1 white onion chopped
• 1 package of shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 tb of cayenne pepper
• 1 tb of olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375
2. On a baking sheet, lay out foil to protect the sheet.
3. Place one tortilla on the foil.
4. Sprinkle the next five ingredients (the veggies) on the tortilla, creating a consistent layer.

5. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese on top of the layer, and place a tortilla on top.
6. Repeat step 4.
7. Cover with a tortilla and sprinkle it with cayenne pepper, then drizzle olive oil on top.

8. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the tortilla is slightly crispy and the cheese melted. Divide each pie into fours.