Damascus Bakeries

BLACK BEAN AND TAPIOCA CHEESE QUESADILLAS

Black bean and tapioca cheese quesadillas

 Another tasty summer appetizer inspired from Candle Café, one of Damascus Bakery’s customer. It is located on Upper East Side Manhattan, and offers enticing and various vegan and low-fat menu. Those quesadillas are quick, and easy to prepare. It is a perfect vegan dish made of grilled vegetables and black bean puree, topped with tapioca cheese, combined in a crusty Damascus flatbread to be served with a dollop of salsa sauce.

Ingredients:

• 6 Whole wheat Damascus Roll-Up
• 3 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 15-1/2-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 to 4 oz. tapioca cheese, crumbled
• 1 large or 2 small ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Preparation  

1. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Once oil is hot but not smoking, add onion and sauté, stirring about 5 minutes or until softened.

2. Add beans, cumin, chili powder, and 1/2 cup water. Cook until almost all the water has evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then. Then remove skillet from the heat.

3. With the back of a fork, break up the beans to make a chunky mash. Stir in half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine the avocado, lime juice, and remaining cilantro and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash into a chunky paste. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Spread the black bean mixture evenly over three of the tortillas. Scatter the goat cheese over the beans and cover with the remaining tortillas.

6. Lightly coat a large heavy skillet or griddle with oil (about 1 tsp.) and heat over medium heat. Set one of the quesadillas in the skillet and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

7. Flip the quesadilla over and brown on the other side for another 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from the pan, cook the remaining quesadillas (add more oil to the pan each time) and cut each into eight wedges. Serve each wedge with a dollop of salsa sauce.