Things don’t always go the way we want them to. Sure, wouldn’t we all just love everything to go exactly as we plan right down to the nitty gritty details? But then, that would make life predictable … and that’s not good either. So, maybe having things go unpredictably is a good thing after all.

I digress. Originally, I planned to make a delicious peanut butter-banana parfait with Will this morning. But he woke up feeling ill, and Shawn (not knowing my plan) ate the last banana yesterday. My plans will have to wait until next week. In the meantime, we needed to cook something and I needed something to write about.

So, I did what any good kitchen dweller would do: I scanned the fridge. Cheese. Whole wheat tortillas. The idea came together so effortlessly and with delicious results. (See, unpredictability is a good thing!)

This isn’t the most kid-centric cooking with kids post you’ll see around here. But that’s okay. It’s not always about them getting getting elbow deep into cooking. Sometimes, you can get them involved by adding just a little more process to the process. For instance, while my kids cannot actually make quesadillas on a hot stove (toddler+preschooler+hot stove=no go), they can help me as I chop all the ingredients by transferring everything from cutting board to bowls. Sure, it adds an extra step that isn’t necessarily critical to the cooking, but it also gives them a sense of ownership in the outcome.

This particular quesadilla combination is our collective favorite. Sharp cheddar is melted with meaty black beans, sweet bits of red pepper and creamy avocado pieces. Served warm and toasty, my kids like theirs with some mild salsa. Me? It’s got to be knock-your-socks off hot.

The result is, as Will says, “Oh my goshes,” good.

Black Bean, Avocado and Red Pepper Quesadilla
serves 2

Kid Step: When you are prepping your ingredients (bell peppers, avocado, etc), chop them on a cutting board and then ask your child to transfer them to small bowls. They can also drain and rinse the black beans in a mesh strainer.

2 whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp finely diced sweet red bell pepper
1/4 cup diced avocado
OPTIONAL: salsa

Spray a large pan with cooking oil. Place one tortilla in the pan. Top with half of the cheese, followed by the black beans, peppers and avocados. Top with the other half of the cheese. Cover with the second tortilla. Spray lightly with additional cooking oil spray.

Cook, flipping once, until the cheese is melted. But be patient. The quesadilla should remain on the first side long enough for the cheese to melt so that you avoid spillage when flipping.

Alternatively, divide the ingredients between two tortillas, flipping over to form a pocket while cooking.

Use a pizza cutter to cut into wedges. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Ok, it’s not the prettiest dish ever. In fact, it might be in the running for one of the ugliest. I know - really. But sometimes, ugly things can be really delicious.

I implore you not to look past this because it’s … ugly. The flavor in this is amazing. Infused with bacony goodness, it’s rich and delicious. Perfect for warming up on a cold night.

Really, the proof is in the pudding. Try it.

Bacon and Leek Lentils
serves 4

4 slices bacon
1 bunch leeks, white and light greens chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup red lentils
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Cook bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Add leeks to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, for five minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Add the broth, lentils and water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the lentils are tender. Uncover — if there is any liquid left in the pan, allow it to evaporate before removing from heat.

Remove from heat, stir in the parsley and pepper. Then crumble the bacon over the lentils.

Serve over white rice.

When I was pregnant with Will, all I could think about for several weeks was nachos. And they couldn’t be just any nachos either. They had to be piled high with freshly grated cheddar, beans, perhaps some chili, jalapeños, black olives, tomatoes, and of course salsa and guacamole. Mmmm. But search as I did, I didn’t find what I was looking for. There was the place with low flavor that used (BLECH!) liquid cheese and nachos from Taco Bell (and a half dozen other places) but nothing met my expectations.

My nacho obsession certainly didn’t begin with that pregnancy though. For years, I would order nacho platters as entrees when eating out. My favorite? Chili’s – but back in the day when they catered to Mexican food, not American with a dash of Mexican. Back then, they were big steaming platters . . . today, when you order nachos at Chili’s, it’s about 10 chips with perfectly placed toppings. Not enough.

Anyway, I was playing around in the kitchen recently and decided to make some black beans. The cool thing about these is that they are great on nachos, but can also be used to top baked potatoes, inside burritos or in a pita pocket. They are versatile. And they have a hint of spiciness, but aren’t going to blow your mind (which is good too — you can add jalapeños to your dish for more zing and leave it off for others who don’t want that.

Easy Black Beans and Tomatoes
serves 4-6

2 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can tomatoes with diced chilies (with the liquid)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, finely dice the red onion. When oil is hot, stir in the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to get translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

Stir in the tomatoes with the juices. Bring to a boil and stir in the black beans, lime juice and salt and pepper. Cook, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes until the mixture thickens.

Serve immediately.