Meatless Mondays

On Mondays, we typically go meatless. In our household, this tradition started a few years back and based on my readings in some popular magazines, the trend to go meatless on Mondays seems to be a wave sweeping the country. For health and environmental reasons, many Americans seem to be joining in.

While I was in graduate school, I lived cheaply (as most graduate students do) and learned very quickly how to eat healthy while living on a paycheck that put me at poverty level status. The two main staples I often included in my diet were beans and rice. There is a variety of beans to choose from (e.g., black, red, pinto, kidney, etc.) and depending on your cooking preference, consumers can choose canned beans or dried beans which need to be soaked and then cooked. As for rice, I always choose brown rice and I have a personal preference for organic short grain.

While most Americans were eating hot dogs and hamburgers on this 4th of July holiday, Jeff and I ate vegetable quesadillas. Here is the recipe, but feel free to modify as needed as just about any type of vegetable will work.

Yellow squash
Fresh mushrooms
Sweet onion
Black olives
Green pepper
Fresh spinach
Plum tomatoes
1 can of black beans
Fresh cilantro
Whole wheat tortilla shells
Grated cheese

Sautee hard vegetables in a pan with a small amount of canola oil. Towards the end, add spinach, black beans, and plum tomatoes. When heated through, remove from heat.

Heat griddle to 300 degrees and add a small amount of canola oil. Place one tortilla shell on the griddle and load up with cooked vegetables. Sprinkle some cheese and fresh ciantro on top of vegetables. Place another tortilla shell on top. Flip the quesadilla when one side is slightly browned and let other side brown. Remove from heat and eat.

Top with salsa, sour cream, or just eat plain.

Enjoy!

Together, we are Jeffina. Crankin' out the love, crankin' out the miles for Crankskins.com