Recipe: Veggie Quesadillas!

Alameda County Community Food Bank provides food for 49,000 people each week — so we take healthy food seriously.

One way we do this is by putting farm-fresh fruits and vegetables first. We distributed 13 million pounds of seasonal produce last year alone.

Another is through nutrition education and Cooking Matters classes, which empower our agencies and clients to shop for and prepare balanced meals even on tight budgets. This Veggie Quesadilla recipe illustrates two tips we use in the classes.

Go Meatless on Mondays: The average American diet puts animal protein first -- but meat is often expensive. Going meatless once a week is a great first step that can help you become a more creative cook, save money, and may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. (It can also help reduce your carbon footprint!)

Put a rainbow on your plate: MyPlate is a nutritional guideline that helps you control portion sizes without measuring everything you eat. Your plate should be half fruits and veggies, and your produce should be colorful (from red peppers to purple eggplants) to ensure you're getting a wide range of vitamins and minerals. Your cutting board will look like a rainbow once you've chopped your veggies for this recipe!

Veggie Quesadillas

Makes 4 servings | Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
• 1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1/2 cup chopped tomato
• 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 6-inch flour tortillas (whole wheat if you'd like!)
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar or monterey jack cheese

1. Spray a medium skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Saute bell pepper and corn until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Add green onion and tomato; cook for several minutes more until heated through; stir in cilantro.

3. Heat tortillas in a large skillet over high heat. Place equal amounts of cheese and vegetables on each tortilla; fold in half and continue to cook until cheese is melted and tortilla is crisp and lightly browned. Serve while hot with red or green salsa or light sour cream.

The best part? This recipe includes nearly all of your food groups -- with a side of beans, you'd have a deliciously balanced meal. Or you could include lean protein like beans with the vegetables inside the quesadilla (and with chicken or shrimp if it's not Meatless Monday!)

Enjoy!