First of all, I love flavors from Mexico. Some of my favorite Mexican noms? Tortillas. Melty Queso. Black Beans. Salsa. This dish has it all!
This dish also takes me back to my sophomore year college days [so yeah, I love it!]. Quesadillas are so quick to whip up and SO delicious, it’s no wonder I made them on the daily my first year living off campus. Three of my girlfriends and I rented an apartment [super fun] in a just built building close to campus [we were the first people to live there…and OH did we destroy it!]. My favorite part of our new place? The kitchen! When we weren’t consumed by our studies or, quite the contrary, embracing our college ratchet-ness (yea I just went there), we were cooking! It was so much fun to learn new tips and traditions from friends. This was the year I really started getting in touch with my passion for culinary arts.
Unlike the Quesadillas I used to make back in the day, these beauties are plant-based, better for you, and even more delicious! If you are going to make the Sour Cream, I suggest preparing it first. The longer it sits in the fridge, the thicker, creamier, and [obviously] colder it becomes.
For the cheese, I like to use a combo of sweet potato, fresh cashew cream, and nutritional yeast. Super simple and quick to pull together.
After I cook the sweet potatoes and let cool, I remove the skins. The skins at this point are so easy to remove they peel right off with almost no effort. I usually throw the skins in my pups bowl because they are both delicious and nutritious for dogs too! Needless to say, little Skittle loves when I make these quesadillas!
This dish has quickly risen to one of the most frequent meals I make. It is a crowd pleaser and people find the cheese quite impressive…which is always fun. If you have cheese left over, as I often do, I keep it in the fridge for quesadillas at a later date, or dip chips in it and eat it as a snack [so good, its like nacho cheese!].
Although the Black Bean component is not at all necessary [the quesadillas are still super delicious with just the tortilla and the cheese], they take the quesadillas to the NEXT LEVEL [bonus – they increase the flavor protein content]. I like to start by sautéing half of a Yellow Onion until translucent, adding a clove or two of minced Garlic, as well as the Cumin and Smoked Paprika [I am OBSESSED with Smoked Paprika] before adding the Black Beans.
Once you have the cheese and the black beans prepared, it is traditional quesadilla assembly time from there on out.
If you make these quesadillas, please be sure to let me know! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag me @katielopynski and use #cuisinebykatie on Instagram or Facebook so I can see. I love seeing my recipes make their way into your kitchen!
The Best Vegan Quesadilla Ever
Ingredients
- 1 medium-large sweet potato
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1/4 teaspoon salt pink himalayan
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper fine, fresh ground
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/2 cup water filtered
- 1 8oz can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter I use Miyokos brand
- 1 teaspoon sunflower or avocado oil
- 6 tortillas I use flour tortillas here
Instructions
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For the cheese - chop sweet potato into large, even chunks. Place sweet potato chunks into a pot, cover with water, cover the pot with a lid, and bring to a boil. Once you can easily pierce the potato with a fork (after about 5-10 minutes of boiling) they are done. Strain the water and set aside to cool. Once cool remove the skin (the skin will easily peel off). In a high speed blender, add the cashew and water. Blend on high for a minute or until it reaches a smooth creamy consistency. Next add the sweet potato to the blender along with the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Blend on high until super smooth. You may need to work the blender a bit with a plunger (if using Vitamix) or stop the blending once or twice to scrape the sides of the blender down to make sure it reaches the right consistency. Now the ooey, gooey cheese is done. YUM!
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For the beans - heat a medium or large frying pan. Add 1 teaspoon oil to the pan followed by the onion. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic. Next, add the smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Next add the butter and black beans. As soon as all of the ingredients are evenly mixed you can turn off the heat, the beans are done.
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To assemble a quesadilla - spray a little oil down on a medium-hot pan or smear one side of the tortilla with butter. Put the tortilla (butter side down) on the hot pan, put a few scoops of the cheese on one side of the tortilla as well as the bean and onion combo. Fold the quesadilla over. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until tortillas reaches your desired crispness.
