Black Bean and Corn Soup + Spicy Mexican Three Cheese Quesadillas

By ebdonahue

Ingredients

• FOR THE QUESADILLAS:
• 1 medium Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Poblano Pepper
• 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
• 1 cup sliced Celery
• 1 medium White Onion, diced
• 5-6 cloves Fresh Garlic, chopped
• 1 {14 oz} can diced Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
• 3 cups Sweet Corn {fresh or frozen}
• 32 ounces {4 cups} Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 4 {15 oz} cans of Black Beans, un-drained, divided
• 2 teaspoons Cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon Chipotle Pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
• Black Pepper, to taste
• Kosher Salt, to taste {for me it was about 1-1/2 to 2 teaspoons}
• Juice of half a Lime
• Fresh cilantro, for garnish
• 12 small {6 inch} Flour Tortillas
• Cotija Cheese {about 4 ounces}
• 4 ounces Chihuaua Cheese, grated
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, grated
• Pickled Jalapenos {optional}
• Olive Oil, for pan or griddle

Details

Servings 10
Preparation time 60mins
Cooking time 120mins
Adapted from simplyscratch.com

Preparation

Step 1

FOR THE PEPPERS: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Wash and pat dry a medium red bell pepper and poblano. Lightly spray them with olive oil. Once the grill is hot, set the peppers on the hottest part of your gill. Grill the peppers for 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally until the skin chars and blisters. Remove and place into a clean bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for 15-20 minutes before removing. Peel the skin off, remove the stem and scrape out the seeds before dicing.

Place a cup and a half of the black beans into a bowl. Smash them with a fork until only small pieces of bean remain. Set it off to the side.

In a 4 to 5 quart Dutch oven; heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the celery, onion and garlic and saute until they're just starting to soften.

Add the cumin, chipotle powder, smoked paprika and black pepper {about 1/4 teaspoon}. Stir and cook for another minute or two. Next add in the fire-roasted tomatoes, the bell pepper, poblano and corn. Pour in the 4 cups of vegetable broth and the portion of beans that are left whole. Stir and bring to a boil.

Pour in the smashed black beans and stir. Reduce the temperature to simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Taste and add salt to your preference before serving.

Garnish with freshly torn cilantro leaves.

FOR THE QUESADILLAS: Preheat your griddle to 350 degrees and lightly spray or grease with olive oil.

Lay down three tortillas and sprinkle a little of each of the cheeses over top {add pickled jalapenos if you like it spicy!}. Top each with a second tortilla and once the cheese has melted, flip. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the crispy top and add the final flour tortilla. Once the bottom is crispy and golden, flip and cook until that side is crispy.

Cut into wedges and enjoy!

YIELD: 10-12 servings PREP TIME: 1 hour COOK TIME: 45 minutes TOTAL TIME: 2 hours approximately