Around Cinco de Mayo time, whether or not you’re celebrating (and by celebrating, I mean drinking tequila), it’s hard not to crave Mexican food with thoughts of this holiday on the brain.

Enchiladas, burritos, tacos, yawn. Been there done that. That could practically be any dinner served at my house on any ol day. So here’s a recipe that gives your Mexican dinner a little twist. Try stuffing your quesadillas with black beans and either shrimp or cooked zucchini and squash.

Now before you turn your nose up at either, there are two things to keep in mind: cook ‘em spicy and cover them with cheese. How could that not be tasty? Plus with the zucchini, you’re getting several servings of veggies, the shrimp is a good source of protein, as are those black beans, not to mention fiber.

Add fresh salsa, fat-free sour cream, and a little guac, and you’ve got a fast, healthy Mexican dinner.

Note: You can grill your shrimp and veggies, and bake your quesadillas for greater calorie-reduction. This may help compensate (albeit just a little) for all those tortilla chips with queso dip.

Nontraditional quesadillas
Ingredients:
1 lb. medium-sized shrimp, no tail and deveined OR zucchini and squash, sliced and quartered
6 large four or corn tortillas
15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 C. shredded cheese, flavor your choice
2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
crushed red peppers flakes to taste
cumin to taste
fat-free sour cream
salsa
guacamole

Directions:
In a large pan, heat half of your oil over medium heat. Sprinkle shrimp or veggies with desired amount of crushed red pepper flakes until done, about 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, cover half of each tortilla with beans sprinkled with cumin on top, and then cheese. Add shrimp or veggies. Fold tortilla in half. In the pan, heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add quesadillas, cooking about 30 seconds per side. Serve with sour cream, salsa and guacamole.