Beany Chilli and Mozarella Quesadillas: A recipe revisited

I will have been writing my blog for a whole year in August and I can’t believe how much I have enjoyed growing my interest and abilities in the kitchen. Writing this blog has helped me understand a better way of living and even though putting that in to practise is still a work in progress I can see positive changes in myself and Veghotpot.

So to celebrate my one year of doing this blog I have decided to revisit a few of those recipe which have always niggled at me, the ones I knew had so much more potential or weren’t quite perfect but at the time I decided to post them anyway! I’m starting with my “Spicy Kidney bean and cheese quesadillas”

9th September 2011

30th July 2012

This recipe only needed a small amount of tweaking and my main aim was to make it much fresher and healthier.  I started by adding a can of tomatoes to the original spicy bean mixture and I slightly adjusted the spices used to make it less dry and to give it more depth of flavour. This really worked, it was a little bit more time consuming as you have to let the chilli simmer to reduce down but it is worth it!! I added cinnamon which I never used to like but recently I have found a small amount of cinnamon can really enhance both sweet and savour dishes.

The Beany Chilli to fill the wraps

I also swapped the cheddar cheese for mozarella because I felt the mild flavour of mozarella would sit better next to the spicy beans. Also you need less mozarella to get a nice melted cheesy quesadilla! Finally I added slices of avocado and fresh coriander to the wraps to make the wrap have a nice contrast between spicy, creamy and fresh.

Over all I think this is a much more complete quesadilla recipe which can be eaten as a meal by itself or with wedges and salad! I put the left over bean mixture into a plastic tub in the fridge along with the left over mozarella and avacado (sliced and wrapped up) and then had quesadillas again the next day but this time it took 5 minutes to throw it all together! So it’s always worth making an extra quantity of chilli and even freezing it. This would be just as nice on a jacket potato or with rice.

Makes 4 wraps (Beany chilli is freezable)

1 Onion – diced
1 Red, Yellow or Orange Pepper -diced
1 Garlic Clove – crushed
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
1 can Kidney Beans (cooked)
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes

4 Wholemeal Tortilla Wraps
1 or 2 Avocados – sliced
1 Ball Mozarella – or a vegan substitute cheese sliced
Fresh Coriander – chopped

In a deep sided frying pan or a sauce pan fry the onion and pepper in vegetable oil for 3-4 minutes untill softened then add the garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes, stir occassionally.

Add the cayenne pepper, cinnamon, smoked paprika, kidney beans and tomatoes. Stir so it is all combined and then turn the heat down slightly and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.

After 10 minutes add half the coriander and stir so it wilts. Take off the heat and put to one side.

Take one tortilla wrap and add a few spoonfuls of the beany chilli then top with the mozarella, then slices of avocado and some more coriander. Take the top and bottom edge and fold them in over the filling and then take the left and right edge and fold it in so you have made a parcel, gently press it down to keep it all in place. Place the parcel folded edges down on a griddle pan (or frying pan) and fry for about 4 minutes on each side untill slightly crispy and browned.

Cut them in half and serve on a plate with your sides and any salsas and dips of your choice!

Traditionally you can also make these by placing one tortilla on a grill pan, topping with the ingredients and then place another tortilla on top and flipping it over half way through cooking, but I find this abit messy! By making the parcels it is easy to eat and the chilli is kept all wrapped up inside.

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