Butternut Squash, Black bean, and goat cheese Quesadilla

So I haven't had the most productive week of cooking. I have just been trying to unwind! If you are a fellow teacher you know how important this time of year is... Thanksgiving break, back at school for a few weeks then Christmas Break LOL and MAN OH MAN do I need this break! I have not felt like this yet since I began teaching but this year is rough and I needed some mental health days.

So as I sat on the couch last night watching Always Sunny with Brian and trying to plan our meals for the week I kinda hit a wall. I wanted something seasonal, healthy, yummy.... so on.

For the next few weeks Brian will be working late so I want to make something that can be prepared early (for me) and hated up when he gets home (or doesnt need to much work when he gets home).

Well one of my really good friends, Abbey, is a master in the kitchen. She studied at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NY. Abbey has been a vegetarian since I have known her but, in the past couple of years, has realized she is gluten intolerant. So her recipes are vegetarian and gluten free friendly... and awesome.

Well anyways I was going somewhere with that... oh ya so I was going through some of her recipes I had saved and I came across Butternut Squash,black bean, and goat cheese quesadillas. Well if you know me I like to take recipes and change them to make them healthy and fit my lifestyle... well given Abbey's background I didn't really need to change a thing... So my version is not far from her original recipe.


So here it goes.. Courtesy of my good friend Abbey's recipe, my kitchen, my camera, and my extremely happy belly...

Ingredients
Butternut Squash (about 2lbs)
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
3 cloves of garlic- minced
half of 1 onion
1/2tsp chipotle pepper
Olive oil
salt and pepper
goat cheese
salsa and plain greek yougurt
tortillas

Preheat oven to 425.

Slice the squash in like size pieces so they cook evenly. Then place them in a foil lined roasting pan.

Toss with Olive oil (aprox. 1tbsp), salt and pepper. Then mix, making sure all the squash is coated

Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty

Roast for 30min or until tender... make sure to turn occasionally 

While the squash is roasting heat olive oil (aprox 2tsp) in a pan. Add garlic and cook for about a min...you will be able to smell the garlic across the house by then LOL

After about a min or 2 add the onions

 

 Cook until translucent. Stir in the  black beans and chipotle pepper. 

 Once combined lower temp. to low and get ready to make the quesadillas. Heat a griddle, or large pan, over med-low heat. Lay tortilla on the griddle and top with goat cheese. 

Then place squash and black beans on one half of the tortilla. 

Cover and heat until goat cheese is melted.

Once cheese is melted remove from heat, fold in half and cut

Serve with salsa and geek yogurt and enjoy...

This was super yummy and I am extremely I found it, and even happier I have a friend who is a better cook than I am so I can steal borrow her ideas LOL

If you love fall flavors as much as I do and want a fun new way to enjoy them you have to try this...

Ciao and loving my week off

Alexis