Celebrate the Fourth with Grilled Quesadillas

The Fourth of July is celebrated many ways and one of those ways is by cooking up and eating delicious barbecue and other foods. These include burgers, hot dogs, sausage and peppers, barbecue chicken, grilled corn, potato salad, potato chips, flag cake, lemonade, watermelon and the list goes on and on.

Perhaps this Fourth of July you may want to add something different to your repertoire to spice things up a bit? How about some grilled corn and black bean quesadillas? They go great with some salsa and a side of watermelon.

These quesadillas make for a great appetizer before the main course. They also make for a great main course for your vegetarian guest to have instead of veggie burgers. It's also a good use of leftover grilled corn if you want to make it the next day. It's also very budget friendly because it involves only a few ingredients, all of which are inexpensive.

So if you are grilling up a storm this Fourth of July, make sure to make these quesadillas!

Grilled Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas

1 package of 8 whole wheat tortillas (large)
1 package of shredded Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheese
3 ears of grilled corn
1 can of low sodium black beans, rinsed
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Makes 8 3-section quesadillas. Total of 24 quesadilla triangles.

Cut the kernels off of the 3 ears of grilled corn on the cob. Add the corn kernels to a bowl and mix in the black beans and green onions. Set aside.

Take a tortilla and place it on a flat surface like a plate or a chopping board. Add a sprinkling of shredded monterey jack and cheddar cheese to half of the surface of the tortilla. The cheese is the glue that keeps the quesadilla together! Top the cheese with a few spoonfuls of the corn, black bean and green onion mixture. Top with a bit more cheese. Fold the empty side of the tortilla over to the toppings. Flatten a bit. Transfer to a grill. Or if you are a grill-less gal like myself, use a grill pan or a regular pan. Cook for a few minutes on each side (flipping them over carefully with a spatula) until the cheese melts, there are nice grill marks on the tortilla (or the tortilla gets a bit crispy). Cut each quesadilla into 3 triangles. Serve with hot with some salsa and a side of watermelon. Enjoy!

For the grill: Cook the quesadillas on the top grill and not directly over the flame.

For indoors: Add to a dry pan over medium heat.