Recipe: Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas

Today was one of those days where lunch time is supposed to be in 5 minutes, the kids have been clamoring for it for the last 15, and my kitchen has no available counter or sink space to speak of.  As background I’ll tell you the reason I let this happen is because I was so engrossed in planning  my 30-meal-cooking-weekend that I have planned for this weekend that I hardly paid attention to my kids!  Ug–a tale for another day. (Btw, stay tuned for posts relating to my upcoming cooking adventure! :o)

All this because you may be wondering why I made Black Bean and Corn Quesadillas for lunch instead of a can of soup!  Well……I was just getting so inspired by the other bloggers out there who had posted great recipes and ideas from their own BIG cooking days.  I wanted to know if this lunchtime favorite would freeze well, thus landing on the upcoming menu.  Phew, now that that is out of the way….

Here’s something you can do with all those black beans you made!  And, these quesadillas do freeze well so make tons of filling, load some tortillas and you’ll have lunch (or dinner) on hand for future days like…well, like the one I just had!

This is a great time to mention that I CREATE while I cook.  I do, however, keep track of what I did in case it turns out great!  I think there is such joy in cooking this way Therefore, I’m going to present my recipes and cooking methods to you in this format.  If you’re a “direction’s follower” or just don’t like creating food (but still like to eat), check back soon because I’ll post an actual recipe page where you can print off a standard looking format that corresponds to each “teaching session”.

First off, chop up an onion while a blob of oil heats in the pan. (I have a posting in the works on how to chop onions very efficiently–stay tuned.) Saute until the onions reach the level of crunchiness you like because this is all the cooking they get.

It is important to generously salt them when they go in the pan because this draws out the moisture which has sugar in it=caramelizing=FLAVOR.

Then add in 1 or 2 cups/1 can of black beans, depending on what you have on hand.  Next, frozen corn.  As much as your little heart desires.

Now for seasoning.  I am a Penzey’s Spices freak!  It is all I use.  Even the generic bottles are filled with Penzey’s bulk spices.  That said, go to Penzey’s or order online immediately! :0) Grocery store spices will NOT taste as good.  You might make this and say, “Hmph, this wasn’t as great as she said.”  That=spice’s fault, not mine :o)  All in fun, right? Spice to taste.  I used about 1 T each of cumin and chili powder.  This all depends on how much onion, beans, and corn you used, though.  Also, freshly ground black pepper is standard for me so that went in, too. If you’re not sure, taste it. Oh, and salt if necessary. Since this lunch was for my kids, I didn’t add cayenne pepper or extra chili powder but both would have been great.

Side note: What is the role of salt in a dish?  To bring out the flavors of the ingredients.  If it ever tastes salty, you’ve added too much.  Salt as you go along  to build the flavors. At the end, here’s what I do to see if I’m good: a bit of salt…take a bite, a bit of salt…take a bite.  You’ll see what I mean.  The flavor will just get better and better.

I added about 3/4 cup of water to the hot pan right after the spices (sort of like you would with taco meat spice packets).  This helped everything blend together and coat the ingredients.  Once the moisture evaporates, you’re all done with the filling.

Use the same pan here.  Run some warm water on to clean it, wipe with a paper towel and you’re up and running again.  Spray one side of 2 tortillas with non-stick cooking spray and place them in the pan like this.  Remember cheese is the glue so the order is CHEESE–FILLING–CHEESE. Use as much filling and cheese as you prefer. Then close it up and toast on both sides. Cool and cut on the same cutting board and knife you used earlier.

Mmmmm.

If you freeze, I suggest freezing the triangles individually (like IQF chicken nuggets, Individually Quick Frozen) then toss them in a large freezer bag.  Take out as many triangles as you need at a time and bake them at 400 until hot for a crispy crust OR microwave them if you’re in a hurry but willing to settle for soft crust.

Thanks for reading.  What’s your idea?  Try this recipe and leave a comment on what you did!

–Jen

Beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot!

I’m not really inspired to write anything of value today but, I do have some fun kitchen adventures up my sleeve!  Here I’m going to show you how it is so simple (and fun!) to prepare your own beans!  It’s not scary.

VS.

It costs nearly $1 for the canned beans and I got this 4 lb. bag for under $4.  It made the equivalent of  14 cans.  Now that is good math!

First of all, don’t fret, the instructions are normally right on the back of the bag, see:

Ok, next, follow the instructions!  For 1/2 the bag (2 lb.) I need about 12 cups of water.  Pour it over the beans and swirl it around looking for odd things to float to the surface to remove.   Oh, and don’t forget to generously salt at this point, it will make your beans taste great!

Here’s where you decide how much time you have.  You can soak all night then simmer for 1-2 hours but I wanted this project checked off my list quickly.  Alas, there was an option for me!  Boil for 2 minutes, Soak for 1 hour, Simmer for 1 hour. (All right from the back of the bag–no magic formula to remember.) Perfect.

You know they’re done when they are soft enough.  Pretty easy.  Then drain them in a colander and portion them into freezer bags.

Boy, I really bagged it! :o)  I measured 2 cups of cooked beans into each bag (which is more than a can contains), labeled and froze.  Easy peezy.

What on earth would you do with all these beans?  Chili.  Black Bean Quesadillas. Black Bean and Corn Salsa.  Meatless tacos.  Refried beans. Variety of soups. Use your imagination.  I do the same for pinto beans, kidney beans, white beans, and chick peas (can you say hummus? :o)

As always, thanks for reading my blog.  I’d LOVE LOVE LOVE if you’d comment back on your own opinions or experience on the topic.  Or, just say Hi!  Oh, and SUBSCRIBE to my blog; that way, you can receive a notice when I update this blog.  See you!  –Jen