Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas, with Guacamole

Black Beans

by Cat, May 2009 (photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

See also: 1. Basic Black Beans; 2. Legumes (About) (on my main website); 3. Beans & Other Legumes: Soaking & Sprouting; 4. Black Bean and Corn Salad

Other sites: 1. Emily Skinner Bean Recipes (2); 2. The Vegan Gourmet on dried beans & peas (great reference! (3))

I’ve not yet made this recipe, but I do love black beans and quesadillas.  And I absolutely go nuts over guacamole!

You’ll get the most nutritious result if you soak your beans overnight – or sprout them over 2-3 days – before cooking. And seek out locally-made goat cheese if you don’t make your own from raw goat milk. Or, try a Montana-made goat cheese from Amaltheia Dairy.

I do not recommend fat-free sour cream. Real sour cream by its very nature contains the fats present in real cream. So a fat-free version is not natural, but rather synthetic. If you don’t make your own, look for a brand whose ingredients are simply cream and culture (or cultured cream). Daisy (4) is one such brand. Or you can use Creme Fraiche.

Black Bean & Goat Cheese Quesadillas, with Guacamole

This recipe is adapted from Fine Cooking Magazine; original recipe is by Eva Katz. Serves 8 as an appetizer or 3 as a main course.

The original calls for flour tortillas, but since I’m avoiding wheat, I would use corn tortillas. I like their flavor better anyway. Corn tortillas are generally smaller than the flour version, so you will need more of them.

Ingredients & Equipment:

• 1 cup basic black beans
• 3 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• Unrefined sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided

Guacamole

• 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice; more to taste
• ground cumin and/or chili powder, to taste (optional)

Quesadillas

• 3 – 4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
• 6 flour tortillas, 8-inches across or more if using corn tortillas
• sour cream (optional)

Equipment

• cast iron skillet
• small bowl

Method

1. Prepare Basic Black Beans (see above, about ⅓ recipe). Rinse and drain.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in skillet until hot but not smoking. Add onion and saute, stirring, until it softens, about 5 minutes. Add beans, spices and ½ cup water; cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all the water has evaporated, 5 – 7 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
3. With back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in half of the cilantro and season to taste with salt & pepper.

Guacamole

• In a small bowl, combine avocado, lime juice and remaining cilantro. Mash to a chunky paste. Season to taste with salt & pepper, and additional spices plus more lime juice if desired.

Assemble the Quesadillas

1. Spread bean mixture evenly over 3 of the tortillas. Scatter goat cheese over, then cover with remaining tortillas.
2. Coat large cast iron skillet or griddle with oil (about 1 tsp) and heat over medium heat. Set one of the quesadillas in skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip it over and brown on the other side for another 90 seconds. Remove from pan and cook remaining quesadillas, adding more oil to the pan each time.
3. Cut each into 8 wedges (or 4 – 6 wedges if using corn tortillas). Serve each wedge with a dollop of guacamole and sour cream, if desired.

References

1. Fine Cooking recipe: finecooking.com/recipes/black-bean-goat-cheese-quesadillas-guacamole.aspx
   
2. Emily Skinner Bean Recipes: emilyskinner.com/food/beans.html; 
3. The Vegan Gourmet on dried beans & peas (great reference!) (chezbettay.com/pages/basics1/basics_beans1.html
4. Daisy brand sour cream: daisybrand.com
5. Amaltheia Dairy: find them on the Visit MT website: visitmt.com/listing/categories_NET/MoreInfo.aspx?IDRRecordID=17234