Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadillas (vegan, gluten-free*,soy-free, low-fat)

Doesn’t get much easier than this.

When I bake sweet potatoes, I usually do 1 or 2 extra for leftovers.  They are a quick, easy snack and great for dishes like this.

You can use whatever type of tortillas you like, but I really enjoy the brown rice tortillas.  I don’t need to eat a gluten-free diet but for the sake of variety and not wanting to overdo it on wheat, whenever I can I opt for the alternative, as long as it’s a healthy one.  Many gluten-free alternatives are filled with fat and have little to no fiber.  These brown rice tortillas I get from Trader Joe’s are really nice.

I made this for lunch one day and it took all of 10 minutes.  I couldn’t believe how good it was.  My girlfriend Lori, who likes to be difficult :), says I shouldn’t call these quesadillas because there is no cheese.  I wholeheartedly disagree.  We can eat pizza without cheese and it’s still called pizza, omelets without cheese and it’s still an omelet (though I don’t eat those anymore), cheese-less burritos….you get my point.  So, sorry Lori but these are being called Quesadillas and that’s that!

*gluten-free if you use gluten-free tortillas (i.e. brown rice).

Meal in a Pinch! Hot and Healthy, No-Fat Meal in 5 Minutes!

I came home from a 2-hour appointment that took place during the time I would normally eat lunch.  It was 2:30, I was grumpy and nearly passing out from hunger (ok, so I’m exaggerating a tad – but you get the picture.  I was HUNGRY!). I needed to put something together fast!  Anyone who knows me well, knows I do NOT skip meals.  If and when I do, it’s not pretty.  Sure, I could have shoved my fist in the peanut butter jar (this may, or may not have happened previously), but I wanted to make a good, nutrient dense, low-fat choice.

I pulled mashed yams out of the freezer – sold by Trader Joe’s.  The bag contains frozen “pucks” of cooked sweet potatoes and you simply reheat as little or as many as you need. Genius.  Then, I grabbed the frozen chopped kale, also a Trader Joe’s item.   And lastly, thank you Trader Joe’s – the frozen brown rice.  I threw all these items with some water in a pan and had lunch in 5 minutes.  I seasoned it with some hot sauce, Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper.  I was ready to eat in literally 5 minutes.  Not only was it quick, and healthy with no fat, it was GOOD!  Since I was basically delirious from hunger while preparing it, I didn’t measure or really even pay attention to amounts used.  I will do my best to recount the details in the recipe here, so that you too can have a super quick and healthy meal next time you’re in starvation mode.  It would be difficult to screw this dish up so play with it and enjoy!