Quesadillas, stuffed with roasted pork, black beans, cheese and rice. It's a quick, inexpensive dinner that keeps you full. Emphasis on inexpensive. Because not much else is cheap these days.
Let's talk politics. Ok, I don't really have a great debate prepared here, really, I am a little disappointed in something.
I went and applied for college the other day (yes, that's long over due) and found out I could not get accepted into the program I would like without a health care plan. At the last Google check, approximately 40% of Americans don't have health coverage. I am a young healthy person. I work at a small shop that can not afford to offer health care for their employees, it would simply cost the business too much (there are only 4 of us).
I also, don't make enough and am relatively healthy enough to justify the cost of having health care. Now, I don't believe that means that I get to sit in the ER and not pay my medical bills when I do occasionally get sick. I bear the brunt and pony up the cash, but $80 for an office visit and antibiotic is much less then $100+ every month for a just in case. When it does become mandatory for individuals to have health insurance, I hope I can find a cheap plan that takes care of me, but I wasn't planning on that quite yet.
I can understand that the school would want their students to have health care for general safety reasons, but that isn't going to stop anyone from suing if they fall down a flight of stairs because they tripped over a loose wire or something. So I guess I don't really understand why health care is a prerequisite for being accepted. 🙁
Either way, I need to get my crap together and get my booty into school.
Back to cooking... What does one do with 4 pounds of leftover pork loin, besides make a whole lot of sandwiches?
One makes pork quesadillas, of course!
Pork and Rice Quesadillas
adapted from Robin Miller at foodnetwork.com
Ingredients:
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup instant rice, cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups diced roasted pork loin
- 3 tbs olive oil
- ½ yellow onion
- 1 lrg bell pepper
- 1 teas cumin
- ¼ teas rep pepper flakes
- ½ teas dried oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained
- ½ cup bbq sauce
- 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 6 burrito-size flour tortillas, regular or flavored
Preparation:
Coat a stove-top griddle with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat to preheat.
Heat oil in a large skillet, saute pepper and onion for 5 minutes. Add cumin through salt and pepper.
In a large bowl, combine rice, pork, onion, peppers, beans, cheese, and tomatoes. Mix well to combine.
Arrange tortillas on a flat surface. Top 1 side of the tortillas with pork mixture. Fold the other side over to cover filling. Transfer quesadillas to hot pan and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until golden brown and cheese melts. Serve with sour cream and salsa.
These quesadillas were awesomely tasty! I almost didn't make it because I was feeling lazy and unmotivated, but I am glad I did. Super simple, super quick and a great use of leftovers.
Plus it's one of those customize-to-fit-your-needs kind of recipes. See we all win!
P.S. I love my octopus plate. 😀
Wendy (The Local Cook) says
The recipe looks yummy! I can't figure out why health insurance would be required, that's a bummer. Good luck!
Marisa says
These quesadillas look super filling!
And wth is up with having to have health insurance to study something? Very odd.
Joseph's Grainery says
I've been trying to perfect a whole wheat tortilla recipe, so this gives me something fun to use with all the tortillas I've been making. 🙂
Sophia says
I could totally eat cheese and bread in any form, especially quesadillas. They're so easy to make and they really fill me up. Your recipe looks delicious. I usually make these Quick Chicken Quesadillas. I love them!
Donna says
I made this today, it was good ,but I like my breads a little more moist. Next time I will try applesauce instead of oil, and more cinnamon & nutmeg.