Black Bean & Avocado Quesadillas with Grilled Shiitake

By definition it is not a QUESAdilla if it doesn't have cheese in it.

Oh we know, Karina. :) We're portuguese, so Spanish is a language we are very well accostumed to (ES queso = PT queijo). You'll see a number of cheeseless vegan quesadillas out there, ours is just another dairy-free rendition of this great mexican classic. Stay close! xo

great base, though a little bit boring. So I fried the onion and garlic with some cumin seeds in the oil over low heat until fragrant and tranparent (about 5 min.) before i added the rest of the indredients and added a little bit of fresh, chopped jalepeno to the black beans; just anough to give it an edge. Finally a twist of crushed dried and smoked chilli flakes and a sqeeze of lemon to the shitake.

Sounds yummy! Thanks for the feedback. xo

Thank you so much for your feedback, Brittany! Those additions to the guacamole sound delicious and making beans from scratch is the bomb. I'm so glad you liked the recipe, I hope you stick around! :) xo

Could you make it easier to print? Thanks!

Hi JennJenn, thanks for pointing this out! I've been meaning to create printable PDF files for you guys, I'll do my best to see if they'll all be up here by the end of the week. :) xo

Thank you so much! We're so glad to read this Meredith. Stay close! :) xo

These are BEAUTIFUL! I adore quesadillas, but don't eat cheese, so I'm always looking for good substitutes. What a perfect combination!

I'm so glad you liked it Liz! Let us know if you give these a go.

Rita xo

Hey guys! Rita here. I feel I should start this blog post by telling you guys about the backstory of this recipe. Back in the days where I knew nothing about the benefits of a plantbased nutrition, my recipe for grilled chicken quesadillas helped me win over André's heart (and tummy!). Well, I had him already. But cooking a better version of my quesadillas every time he would come over to visit (we lived a few hundred kilometers away from each other back then) played an important part in securing my man. Fast forward a year and we were living together, we'd become vegetarian and we were both very keen on coming up with an even better, healthy vegan version of the meal that pretty much defined the first few months of our relationship.

This was not the only vegan quesadilla recipe we came up with (keep an eye open for the others) but it's definitely the one we tend to make over and over again — it is that yummy! The grilled shiitake mushrooms provide a meaty bite that really complements the creamy guacamole and the warming and spicy black beans. It is not a one-pot kind of meal, but it still is an easy recipe you can fix in no time for lunch or perhaps pair with a few other dishes and sides for a mexican themed dinner party with friends.

BLACK BEANS

1 can 400 ml. black beans, with liquid

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, center germ removed and finely chopped

4 organic sundried tomatos, roughly chopped

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp dried chili flakes

sea salt to taste

Start by gathering, measuring, preparing, chopping and slicing all of the ingredients. This will improve your dynamic in the kitchen.

Throw all of the ingredients for the beans in a small pan over medium heat and let it come to simmer. They will be ready when the sauce reduces a little and reaches a creamy consistency.

GUACAMOLE

Place all of the ingredients for the guacamole in a bowl and mash with a fork. We generally like our guac roughly mashed with a few bigger bits, but you can do as you please.

GRILLED SHIITAKE

Heat a non-stick grilling pan on the stove.

Salt the shiitake mushrooms to taste and throw them in the pan when it is screaching hot (but not smoking!).

Carefully and attentively tumble them in high heat, until they smell and look toasty. This will take only a few minutes, so do not let them burn. Cooking them with no added fat will make them extra smoky and dry.

When they are ready, set them in a bowl or plate and season with freshly cracked black pepper.

ASSEMBLING & TOASTING QUESADILLAS

Spread guacamole on a wheat tortilla, put 1/4 of the shiitake mushrooms on top and pour over a few spoonfuls of the spicy black beans.

Place another tortilla on top and allow the assembled quesadilla to toast in a wide pan on medium-high heat for a minute or two, until the tortillas turn golden brown and feel toasty and crunchy.

Flip the tortillas over calmly and carefully — there is no cheese keeping everything together!

Repeat for all 4.

We're new at this recipe-writing deal. Let us know what you think we could improve in the comment section

Original article and pictures take http://www.cocooncooks.com/blog-en/black-bean-avocado-quesadillas site