It has been so hot outside these days! That is H-O-T Hot. We do not have any air conditioning in our house or van and so we suffer in the heat. In the evenings we have been going to the beach and swimming in the lake to cool down. The car ride there almost seems unbearable until we finally get there and jump on in. Swimming is my favorite form of exercise. It is so relaxing and enjoyable. The girls are also beach crazy.

Even though it is so tortuously hot, I am still baking away. I just can’t stop baking. It is my addiction. Not even so much the eating of the yummy baked goods, but the actually measuring, whisking and stirring. I just love to do something hands on in my day and after doing everything else that needs to be done, I love to bake. Cookies are especially yummy frozen too, especially on hot days. 🙂

In case you are wondering… I do cook too! Today I made a delicious lunch and I have this fantastic photo to prove it.

Vegetable and Refried Bean Quesadillas

A delicious vegetable quesadilla made with spinach, peppers, mushrooms and refried beans.

Makes 3 quesadillas, serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
• 9 white button mushrooms, diced
• 2 large handfuls fresh spinach, chopped (4 cups chopped)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• pinch of fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1 (398 ml) can refried beans
• 3 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas
• canola oil, for frying

Directions

Heat the sunflower oil in a medium skillet on medium heat. Add the diced onion and pressed garlic and saute a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the diced bell peppers and cook another 5 minutes until the peppers begin to soften.

Finally, add the diced mushrooms and chopped spinach, chili powder, lime juice, sea salt and pepper.

Stir and cook 5 minutes more, until the vegetables are soft and the spinach has wilted. Place the cooked vegetables into a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a medium skillet on medium heat with a few drops of sunflower oil. Spread about 1/4 cup of the refried beans onto a whole wheat tortilla.

Top with 1/2 cup of the fried vegetables, fold in half and place into the heated skillet.

Fry for about 3 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Slice into three triangles and serve with Sweet Tomato Salsa.

Sweet Tomato Salsa

Soooooo yummy and simple! Great with quesadillas or corn chips.

Ingredients

• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Place all of the ingredients together in a food processor and blend for 10-15 seconds, until the tomatoes are diced. I like to leave some bigger tomato chunks in there too for a more chunky salsa.