Not many days ago, I stood in my kitchen wondering what to serve my toddler for lunch. Peanut butter holds no sway over any of my children these days, unless it is surrounded by chocolate and comes packaged in an orange wrapper, so I knew a quick sandwich was out of the question. As my cupboard was almost bare and the refrigerator bereft of most edible food stuffs, I took note of the few ingredients I did have on hand.

• tortillas – not too stale
• black beans - *note to self, STOP buying so many cans of black beans
• shredded cheddar cheese - yes!

As I had a little one at my feet who was quickly losing all patience with the lack of lunch on the table, I knew I had to act quickly. In a jiffy I drained, rinsed, and mashed the black beans. I placed a flour tortilla on a preheated and slightly buttered skillet. Next, I spooned a bit of the black beans onto the tortilla and topped with a palmful of shredded cheddar. Lastly, I completed my culinary creation with the careful placement of the remaining tortilla.

Tap foot, tap foot, tap foot.

Flip.

Tap foot, tap foot, tap foot.

Cut it up – QUICK! There’s a screaming kid! – and serve it with a dollop of sour cream.

Here you go, Little Missy. The tyke loved her black bean and cheese quesadilla, and I was happy I could whip up something nutritious and delicious in about seven minutes. Could lunch be any simpler?

For the more refined palate, make this dish with sautéed green peppers and onions and add a bit of salsa and cilantro, too.