BBQ Balsamic Black Bean Quesadillas

So I thought about breaking this post up into two posts.  First I'd share a simple recipe for a dip that is always in my fridge - as a teaser for a bigger recipe to come later in the week.  A common food blogger tactic to keep you coming back for more...  Then I thought you deserved a 2-in-1 recipe post since I haven't been around much lately. So that's what you're getting.  Two recipes in one post.  Three if you count a "recipe" for caramelized onions... oh ya.. I'm feeling generous today.

I'm not really sure where I got the idea for this recipe.  In fact, I was unsure how it would come together even as I was preparing it.  For some reason I have been thinking about using a balsamic barbecue sauce for a while now.  After a few quick google searches it seemed like the common use for a balsamic bbq glaze was some kind of meat - often chicken.  But I was thinking of incorporating it into a veggie quesadilla... maybe it hasn't been done this way before!

Black bean quesadillas aren't exactly ground breaking by any means but I think the combination of flavours and veggies used in this recipe make these ones a little bit unique.  They come together pretty quickly and a lot of the prep work can be done ahead of time or come from ingredients you may already have on hand.  They are also healthy and full of fibre, protein and iron.

Speaking of protein, as a veggie girl, I often get asked the age old question "but where do you get your protein?".  I have multiple answers for this question which usually sums up to "everywhere".  Almost everything has protein and I don't need animals to get enough.  Veggies, nuts, seeds, greens, grains - all sources of protein.   Seeing as this is a pretty typical week night meal for me I decided to plug the recipe into a "nutrition fact finder" to see what I was working with.

Per 1 quesadilla

While I usually avoid calorie counting, I was curious to see what an average meal like this would boast.  Over 16g of protein and 14g of fibre - not bad!  Then if you want you can serve these quesadillas with some quinoa or a side salad you'd have a very complete meal.

Anyway, back to the recipe.....

We start these babies off with a little bit of hummus.  That's the dip I mentioned is always in my fridge.  I use it as a snack with crackers and veggies, in wraps, sauces, stirfrys, salads etc... I usually make my own but I'm also pretty obsessed with Sabra.  Do you have any favourite brands?  I know some people who swear by their hummus brands so I'm hoping that if you're one of those people, you'll branch out just a bit and give this home made version a try.  As long as you have a food processor, it comes together in mere minutes and dare I say is better than any store bought version I've tried...

Next comes the caramelized onions.  If you have never taken the time to caramelize your onions, here is your opportunity.  It takes about 20-30 minutes but isn't labour intensive at all.  The heat does all the work and you reap all the benefits... and let me tell you, the benefits are gooood.  I used a whole onion which was way more than I needed for the quesadillas but that just means I have leftovers to use in salads, stirfrys and on sandwhiches later this week :)

After the onions come the mushrooms.  I never used to be a mushroom person but after transitioning to a plant based diet, I started to slowly incorporate them into my meals again.  My boyfriend is also a huge fan of mushrooms so that may have helped....

Then it is just a matter of assembly!

All in all it took me about 35 minutes.  It went by quickly because I was watching Game 7 of the Leafs/Boston series while I cooked.  Not quite ready to talk about the way that one ended though....

BBQ Balsamic Black Bean Quesadillas
Vegan, Serves 2

For the onions:
1 medium sweet onion, sliced
1-2 tbsp coconut oil (or oil of your choice)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper, optional
1/2 tsp sugar, optional

For the BBQ Balsamic Sauce:
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp BBQ sauce

For the quesadillas:
2 whole wheat tortillas (gluten free if necessary)
1/4 cup hummus (recipe below or store bought)
4 white or cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 tbsp caramelized onions (from above)
1 cup spinach, roughly chopped
1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregeno
1/8 tsp salt
pinch, cayenne
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

1. Heat your coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large pan.  Once the oil is hot, add your onion.  Season with salt and a pinch of pepper and sugar, if you wish.  Stir to evenly coat the onion in oil.  Allow to cook for at least 5 minutes before stirring again.  If the onion sticks to the bottom of the pan while cooking, add a splash of water.   Continue to cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion achieves golden/dark brown colour.   Set aside.
2. While the onions are cooking, mix together the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregeno, salt and cayenne in a small bowl to create a seasoning.  In a separate bowl, stir together BBQ sauce and balsamic vinegar to create your glaze/sauce. Set both aside.
3. Once onions are cooked, toss the mushrooms in the same pan.  Cook for 2-3 minutes then remove from heat.
4. Now assemble! Spread a layer of hummus on half of your tortilla (about 2 tbsp per tortilla).  Then top with spinach, caramelized onions, black beans and cooked mushrooms.  Sprinkle with your spice seasoning and add a drizzle of the BBQ balsamic glaze.  Fold the tortilla and press down to close.
5. Lightly grease your pan (same pan as onions/mushrooms is fine) and place over medium heat.  Place quesadillas in the pan.  Cook for about 2-3 minutes until toasted and flip.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes then remove from heat.
6.  Garnish with parsley and more drizzles of the BBQ Balsamic glaze - serve immediately.

Hummus
Makes about 1 1/2 cups

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas - set aside about 2 tbsp of the liquid
2 tbsp reserved chickpea liquid OR water
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup tahini
2 large garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch, cayenne

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Serve with chips, crackers, sliced veggies - or better yet, on the quesadilla above :)

Homemade Toasted Walnut Butter

Nothing beats homemade.  When it comes to food, I think it is way more rewarding to eat something you made yourself.  That way you know exactly what went into it and can appreciate the effort it took to come together.

You can appreciate this homemade toasted walnut butter for the minimal effort it requires.  Your food processor does all the work for you, and you get to reap all the benefits.

Delicious, drippy, buttery nut butter.  All made by you!

Plus, it's good for you.  Walnuts are an excellent source of Omega 3's and are packed with more antioxidants than any other nuts which helps boost  heart health.

As I'm sure if the case with many vegetarians and vegans, nut butter is a staple in my diet.  It provides you with a dose of healthy fats and is a good source of protein.  I rely on it to jazz up my oats, as an afternoon snack or with plain old toast.  Whatever way you use nut butter, consider branching away from the traditional peanut.  There are so many nuts out there and they can all be made into buttery goodness.  Another favourite of mine is cashew butter... I mean who doesn't like cashews?  Turn it into butter and slather it on some bread... oh boy.

For this butter, I used a combination of walnuts and almonds.  I toasted them first as this gives the butter a unique flavour so I definitely recommend that you don't skip this step.  Plus, the toasted nuts are easier to process seeing as they are warm.

I was very sceptical before I tried making my own nut butter for the first time.  I processed for what seemed like a long time and just when I was ready to give up, you could see the nuts turning creamy.  Slowly but surely, butter was made.  This nut butter turned buttery pretty quickly, but be patient as the extra time will be worth it.  The longer you process, the creamier it gets.

Toasted Walnut Butter Vegan, Gluten Free; Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Lightly adapted from Edible Perspective

1 3/4 cups raw walnuts
1/2 cup raw almonds
2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat your oven to 325F.  Arrange the walnuts and almonds in an even layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes.  Stir once and keep your eye on them to ensure they don't burn.  Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
2. Place nuts, flax, cinnamon and salt in your food processor and process until smooth - about 5-10 minutes, depending on the quality of your food processor.  You can stop to scrape the sides occasionally.
3.  Once buttery, add the maple syrup and vanilla and process for another 1-2 minutes.
4.  Once cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

PS. I'm off to the Dominican on Friday for a week, so you may not be hearing much from me for a while.  I'll come back with that hummus recipe I promised! In the mean time, enjoy your nut butter!

Beans and Quinoa

On Monday my blog feed was overflowing with budget friendly recipes thanks to a movement called Food Bloggers Against Hunger. It was created in response to a documentary called A Place at the Table highlighting the staggering fact that 1 in 6 families in the USA deal with food insecurities - many of which use programs like food stamps.  This means they only have about $4 a day to purchase groceries.

As a food blogger myself, I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from.  I am fortunate enough to have the means to buy pretty much whatever groceries I want whenever I need them.  That doesn't mean I don't follow a budget, but I usually don't think twice about adding a few extra fresh veggies to my shopping cart or buying organic over non-organic brands.

With that in mind and with many recipes to use as inspiration (over 150 bloggers participated!), I made a budget friendly, healthy meal.  I used kind of a "back to the basics" approach.  Mind you, I understand quinoa may be an unconventional choice for the average person, but it is fairly cheap when bought in bulk.  Plus it is a complete protein, high in fiber, gluten free and packed with calcium, iron and amino acids.

I think it is important to not only address the hunger issues but also to realize that hunger and obesity often come hand in hand.  This is because many families rely on fast food and cheap snack foods as they think this is all they can afford. The problem is that this food is really only cheap calories (empty) and typically the least nutritious choice.  Food Bloggers Against Hunger proves you can eat a healthy meal for under $4 per serving.  

Take this meal for example - beans and quinoa.  A take off the classic "beans and rice" combo, but with a bit more nutritional punch.  The beans are super creamy and packed full of flavour so don't let the pictures deter you (creamy beans are really hard to photograph....).

Beans and Quinoa  Serves 4; Vegan, Gluten-Free

For the Quinoa:
3/4 cup dry quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juiced

For the Beans:
1 can organic beans *do not drain!
1 tbsp oil
1/2 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup, frozen corn
3-4 cherry tomatoes, diced (salsa could work too)
1/2 lime, juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregeno
1 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne
salt, pepper, to taste
3 handfuls baby spinach

1. Prepare your quinoa.  Bring water to a bowl.  Add quinoa and reduce to low.  Simmer until the liquid is absorbed (about 15 minutes)
2. While quinoa is cooking, heat oil in a large pan.  Add onion and garlic and cook until fragrant - about 5 minutes.
3.  Add beans (including liquid), corn, tomatoes, spices and lime juice.  Bring to a simmer and stir frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed.  Add in spinach and allow to wilt slightly.  Remove from heat.
4.  Once quinoa is cooked, add lime and cilantro and stir to combine. Season with salt + pepper.
5. Serve beans over the quinoa and garnish to your taste.

Optional garnishes:
- Lime juice
- Cilantro
- Hot sauce
- Avocado
- Green onion

As always, enjoy!