Eating healthy has to be fun in order for me to change my lifestyle this is one recipe that is staying in my file!
Ingredients:
8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 med. white onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 (6-8 oz.) bag baby spinach
3/4 c. low fat ricotta cheese
1/2 c. navy beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 c. low fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch nutmeg
8 small whole wheat tortillas
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat chicken with 1 tsp. oil and season with salt and pepper. Place chicken on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 15 minutes or until fully cooked. Remove from oven and let cool.
Heat 1 tsp. olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot add onion and red pepper, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach to pan and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and place mixture in a paper towel lined bowl. Let cool.
In a large bowl combine ricotta cheese and beans, mashing beans slightly. Add mozzarella cheese, parsley, lemon juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well. When chicken has cooled, dice into 1/2 inch pieces and add to cheese mixture.
Working in small batches. squeeze excess moisture from spinach mixture with your hands. Add spinach mixture to chicken and cheese mixture. Mix thoroughly. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
On a flat surface, lay out tortillas and scoop out 1/3 c. mixture onto center of tortilla. Fold each tortilla in half, pressing gently to flatten filling evenly, until filling is about 1/4 inch from edge. Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place quesadillas on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 16-18 minutes or until tortillas are well browned and crisp. Let sit for 3 minutes before cutting.
Nutritional Information(per 1/2 quesadilla): Calories: 290, Fat: 7 g., Carbs: 36 g., Protein: 20 g.
Note:If you'd like to freeze these, simply wrap uncooked quesadillas in plastic wrap or plastic bags in packs of 2 and place in freezer. When ready to eat remove from freezer and let thaw enough so that quesadillas can be pulled apart from each other. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 24-26 minutes. Let sit for 3 minutes before cutting.
