Freezer Quesadillas & Recipe for Crock Pot Veggie Black Beans

Yesterday I told you all about our Freezer Meal Club.  Today I'm going to share with you a little about the freezer quesadillas that I contributed.

These aren't just any ol' quesadilla.  Inside each little tortilla sandwich is a generous portion of beef brisket, veggies, black beans and cheese.

The brisket I seasoned with lemon pepper and cooked in my crock pot until it was tender and falling apart.  I then chooped it up in small little bits.  The cheese is shredded four cheese Mexican blend and I'll give you my Veggie Black Bean recipe in just a minute.

First let me explain how I made these for the freezer.  I assembled the quesidillas just like I normally would in this order - tortilla, cheese, beef, beans, more cheese, tortilla.  I then attempted to flash freeze them by putting them on a baking pan and letting them freeze for a bit before putting them in bags.  Since I was making 49 of these I just wasn't able to so I stacked the quesadillas on top of each other and put them in freezer bags.  It turns out they didn't stick together like I thought they would so I will skip the flash freeze step next time. 

To reheat I simply take out a quesidalla and microwave for about 3 minutes or I bake in the oven at 350F for about 7.  I prefer the oven method because the tortilla is crispy but both work well.

I really enjoyed having hearty quesadillas on hand and plan to make a few every time I have leftover meat.  It's been great having a go to meal that that the whole family enjoys.  I also love that I can make it however I want.  This particular batch also has spinach, carrot and onion which gives it a little bit more of a healthy factor and since the kids can't tell, mom wins!

 

Crock Pot Veggie Black Beans

 

 

Ingredients:

 

- 1 lb bag of dried black beans, rinsed

- 7 cups water

- 1 chicken bullion cube

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 1 box frozen chopped spinach

- 2 carrots, very finely chopped

- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

- oregano, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cilantro, salt

 

Instructions:

 

1.  In large crock pot add black beans, bullion and water. {You don't need to soak them overnight}  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2.  Add veggies {I used the veggies above because that's what I had on hand.  Any veggies you have will work.} and cook for an additional 2-3 hours until beans and veggies are tender.

3.  Add seasoning according to taste.  I uase about 1-3 tsp of each. 

 

 

 

Hope you enjoy these very flavorful and very healthy black beans!  I know we do!  The veggies blend so perfectly with the beans and seasonings your kids will never even know they're there!