Veggie - Black Bean Quesadillas

I generally like Quesadillas but find the restaurant versions very cheesy and quite a bit greasy, so I prefer to make them at home with healthier ingredients and lot more veggies spiced to please the Indian palate. These quesadillas are a breeze to prepare and make a balanced, satisfying meal with whole wheat tortillas, veggies, black beans and low fat cheese. I'd like to send this entry to Shaheen's Summer Express Cooking Event .

VEGGIE - BLACK BEAN QUESADILLAS

Ingredients
Whole wheat tortillas - 5
2% Shredded Cheese - 1 cup (or to taste)
Black beans - 1/2 a can, drained
Onions - 1/2 large, sliced and cut into 1inch lengths
Red Bell Pepper - 1/2, julienned
Green Bell Pepper - 1/2, julienned
Mushrooms - 5, wiped clean and sliced
Carrot - 1 small, julienned
Tomato - 1/2 medium, chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped
Cilantro - 1/4 cup, chopped
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Salt, to taste
Ketchup - to taste
Light Sour Cream - to serve (optional)
Oil - 2 to 3 tsp

Method

Minutes 0-9
1. Slice onions, mushrooms, bell peppers and carrots. Chop the garlic, cilantro and tomato.
2. Open the can of black beans and drain the liquid.
3. Get the ingredients out and by the stove.

Minutes 10-20
4. Heat a tsp of oil in a pan on med-high heat and add onions and garlic, saute till golden, then add the mushrooms, bell peppers, carrots and after a few mins, add tomatoes and salt. Next, add the turmeric, coriander powder, chilli powder and cumin powder. Cook till done.

Minutes 20-25
5. Heat a pan (one used to make rotis or dosais) on med. flame. Coat with a thin layer of oil.

6.Take a tortilla and on one half, spread about 1-2 tbsp of cheese (acc. to preference), followed by black beans, cookied veggies, another 1-2 tbsp of cheese, coriander leaves and a few drops of ketchup. Bring over the other half and cover.


7. Carefully take the assembled tortilla and slide gently onto the hot pan and cook both sides for 30 seconds each or until golden brown.

8. While one is cooking, you can assemble the next one.

Minutes 25-30
9. Cut each quesadilla (semi-circle) into 3 wedges and top with a dollop of sourcream.

10. Add a store-bought salad and a 3 minute Banana-Strawberry Smoothie to make this an even more elaborate meal. Enjoy!

This is such a versatile dish since you can change the fillings to suit your taste. Spinach-mushroom combination is a popular one and you can use refried beans instead of black beans or avoid them altogether.