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

Recipe: Caramel Popcorn

Probably one of the best gifts I ever received was this recipe for caramel popcorn from my friend, Elaine.

My family LOVES this!  In fact, my grandpa gets a re-stocking of it every time he comes to visit and my dad will eat a whole batch in one sitting.  Then there’s my kiddos and husband–I have hidden today’s batch in the laundry room and it still managed to be half eaten by the time I wrote this tonight!  It makes a great gift for all sorts of occasions, including Christmas.  I hope your family delights in this as much as mine.  And it is pretty simple.  Takes about 15 minutes to oven.

Elaine is the super creative, artsy, musician type.  I had to show you the original recipe card.  It makes me smile every time.

Ok, now for my recipe commentary (I always change recipes to make them my own) and photo gallery :o)

I had a few helpers today…

The popcorn:  (I use air popped to save on fat–never mind the 2 sticks of butter going in! :o)

At the point where you boil without stirring for 5 minutes is where I diverge.  I found that if you boil for 4 minutes, the end result is more of a toffee crunch coating rather than a smooth candy-like caramel coating.  That is my family’s preference.  The boiling process:

I have messed up this recipe a few times by forgetting to add the baking soda and vanilla when I take it off of the heat.  TIP ALERT:  In order to remember, I nestle those ingredients right in the popcorn (wish I had a pic of that). Here it is! (I made this recipe again today!)

And now for the magical pairing of caramel and popcorn!

Stir, then in the oven.

See that toffee crunch finish? Mmmm!

More recipes forthcoming….

Please leave your thoughts in the comments section below; I’d love to hear from you!  Then, subscribe to this blog! –Jen