Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas

Ryan and I love Mexican food, so I thought we could try making a healthier version of quesadillas.  I’ve come across vegetarian recipes for quesadillas and when I saw this one, I thought it sounded pretty good.  Plus Ryan and I just bought our own tortilla press!  I’m going to attempt to make homemade corn tortillas (the authentic Mexico kind) soon. I figured if we like this recipe then I can make it down the road when I’ve mastered the tortillas.

 

 The quesadillas cooked to perfection and came out a wonderful golden brown color.  Ryan and I both agreed they tasted quite good and wouldn’t mind adding these into our weekly meals.  The filling had a really nice texture and in all honestly I didn’t miss having meat.  I found that I enjoyed the spinach and mushrooms incorporated into the filling but because there was such a small amount the flavors weren’t very prominent.  When I make this dish again, I plan to double the amount of spinach and mushrooms.

Black Bean & Corn Quesadillas

Adapted from recipe #370331 by CaliforniaJan, food.com

Serves: 8

Prep time: 10 mins.

Total time: 20 mins.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped onions
• 1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (10 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1/4 cup fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 8 (8 inch) flour or whole wheat tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese, divided
• salsa, for garnish
• sour cream, for topping if desired

Directions:

1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, spinach, and mushrooms cooking until softened; about 2-3 minutes.
2. Stir in beans and corn.  Then add sugar, salsa, and pepper flakes; mix well. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.
3. Drizzle oil in a large skillet (enough to lightly coat the bottom) over medium heat. Place a tortilla in the skillet and sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Spoon bean mixture on top of cheese and again sprinkle with cheese. 
4. Place another tortilla on top.  Cook until golden then flip and cook the other side. Repeat process with remaining tortillas and filling.