This week Jacqui of Good Things Grow chose Beans 'n Greens Burritos for the food matters project recipe. This recipe fit perfectly into our style of cooking Mexican-inspired food (that we cook on a weekly basis). We love making homemade tortillas because of their fresh flavor and simple ingredients, but have found that because they lack fat or oil they don't roll well. As a result we often use them for quesadillas, where they can remain flat.
Bittman's recipe called for chard, but the spinach at our farmer's market looked great so we decided to use that instead. Combining fresh spinach with hearty beans and a mixture of fresh and spicy herbs created a great and filling meal.
We topped our quesadillas with a quick and easy dipping sauce - yogurt, lime juice, parsley, and sriracha. So easy but so good!
Turn to Good Things Grow to see Bittman's original recipe and be inspired by what you find at your local market!
Tortillas
1 1/2 cups blue cornmeal (or regular cornmeal)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup coarsely ground cornmeal
1 1/4 cup hot water
Mix together cornmeals and flour. Stir in water until just combined. Cover and let sit for 1 hour.
Divide into 12 pieces (for 4-5 inch tortillas) and press or roll into rounds.
Cook in preheated skillet over medium heat for 1 minutes on each side, or until warmed and slightly crispy.
Black Bean and Spinach filling
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups spinach
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained, partially mashed
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup cilantro or parsley, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
Heat 1 tsp oil over medium high heat. Add onions and saute until they are softened and browned. Add garlic and spinach and stir until spinach is wilted. Add remaining ingredients, remove from heat, and stir to combine.
Serve between two tortillas with shredded cheese. Heat quesadillas until cheese has melted.
