In periods of stress or uncertainty, I tend to spend more time in the kitchen. It’s one of my (few) coping mechanisms. Lately, I’ve not been necessarily “stressed”, but as I near the end of intern year I’ve certainly been questioning whether or not I’m ready for the added responsibility of a second year resident. Oh the what-ifs… And so I’ve been cooking/baking a lot. Luckily, I had a huge list of new recipes I wanted to try. Of course, I’ve also been working a lot so I’ve mostly been making the quick-and-easy ones =). Quesadillas are one of my go-to meals on busy weeknights anyway, but what intrigued me about this recipe was cooking the bean/corn/poblano mixture with some additional water (to soften up the beans slightly) and then coarsely mashing the mixture with a potato masher. Between the goat cheese and the coarsely mashed bean mixture, you end up with a delicious creamy filling and the flavor combo is pretty fabulous as well. The poblano pepper doesn’t make the quesadillas overly spicy, but it does add a lot of flavor. The perfect quick-and-easy weeknight meal. Definitely a recipe to keep in your repertoire! Enjoy!
Black Bean, Corn, and Poblano Quesadillas
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled (1 cup) (I used a bit less.)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese (1 cup)
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 small red onion, chopped fine (or more to taste)
1 ear corn kernels cut from cob (or 3/4 cup thawed frozen corn kernels)
1 poblano chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup water
4 (10 inch) flour tortillas (I used whole wheat)
1. Combine cheeses in bowl; set aside. Heat oil in 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion, corn, and poblano and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add beans and water and cook until water evaporates, about 1 minute. Off heat, coarsely mash mixture with potato masher.
2. Spread 1/4th of the bean mixture over half of each tortilla, leaving a 1/2 inch border around edge. Top with 1/4th of the cheese mixture and fold tortilla over filling, pressing firmly to seal.
3. Heat non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook 2 quesadillas at a time until golden brown and crispy, 1-2 minutes per side. Cut into wedges and serve.
*from Cook’s Country – June/July 2014
