Review: Black Bean Quesadillas with Goat Cheese 6/01

[pmmahan]

These were good. I made them last night and they were a quick meal. I liked the goat cheese, but I might like to experiment with other cheeses. The bean mixture could use a bit more salsa.

They didn't fall apart when I flipped them in the pan - a good thing!. Having the leftovers for lunch today.

[LGBurns]

I made these again tonight for the umpteenth time and decided I definitely should post a review. This is one of the best quick meals I have tasted. I love goat cheese and black beans together and this could not be easier to make. The only changes I make are that I drain the beans because I found they were too messy if I didn't, but I leave a small amount of liquid in because it cooks off. Also, I usually use whole wheat tortillas which I think complement the hearty flavors of the black beans and goat cheese. They are also great reheated the next day for lunch (my husband even likes them cold). I'd say these are a 10 out of 10.

Oh, BTW these were in the June 2001 issue.

[Grace]

Thanks for bringing this one back out again, guys. I never made it when it first appeared, and I now have a BIG log of goat cheese I'm trying to eat up (I know, rough problem to have!) since my Foodsaver is on the blink! I will make this one for myself for lunch tomorrow (DH hate goat cheese! ).

[Julia1Pin]

Can someone please post this recipe?

[Grace]

Here you go, Miss Julia!! I made them last night for myself, and my goat cheese hating husband gave them an 8 (after he bummed a taste from mine!!!). Very good, and very easy! I only had bottled salsa on hand, but I'm thinking they'd be a lot better with fresh salsa.....

A keeper recipe.

CookWare(tm) from Cooking Light(r)

Black-Bean Quesadillas With Goat Cheese

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: June 2001 PAGE: 158

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (19-ounce) can black beans, undrained
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese, crumbled
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup salsa

INSTRUCTIONS:
"Before he tried these quesadillas, my boyfriend wouldn't eat beans. Now, he can't get enough of them! All of my health-conscious friends love this creamy, flavorful dish. The key ingredient is the cumin: It brings everything together." --Danushka Lysek, New York City

1. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa, cumin, and beans, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick. Mash the bean mixture slightly with a potato masher. Remove from heat; stir in the cilantro and goat cheese.

2. Spread the bean mixture evenly over 4 tortillas; top each with 1 tortilla, pressing gently.

3. Heat 1/4 teaspoon olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 quesadilla, and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Repeat the procedure with the remaining olive oil and quesadillas. Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges. Serve with fat-free sour cream and 1/2 cup salsa. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 quesadilla wedges, 1 tablespoon sour cream, and 1 tablespoon salsa).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 279 (24% from fat); FAT 7.3g (sat 2.8g, mono 2.6g, poly 1.4g); PROTEIN 12.8g; CARB 41.3g; FIBER 5g; CHOL 13mg; IRON 3.2mg; SODIUM 662mg; CALC 152mg

[greysangel]

Thanks for mentioning this!

I had flagged it as a recipe to try but never got around to it!

YUMMMM! I will be putting these on next week's menu

JeAnne

[Julia1Pin]

Thank You for posting. I think it just might be tomorrow nights dinner

[Jewel]

Originally posted by Grace
since my Foodsaver is on the blink!

Why is your FoodSaver blinking Grace! Does it refuse to suck or did some little doohickey break off??? I didn't think much could go wrong with these things??

[Grace]

No Jewel, nothing fell off, and actually, it sucks fine!

The problem is it won't seal anymore after it sucks. The strip heat strip must have burned out or something, or maybe there was a defect. But I've had mine since May of 1999, with nary a problem til now, and I use the thing every day. And despite the fact that I think it's beyond the warranty period, Tilia is taking care of it for me, albeit a bit slowly, but beats having to go buy a new one!

Boy do I miss that thing already! Don't realize just how much I rely on it until it's not around!

[kima]

Grace- your avatar is hilarious!!!I almost had a "Depends" moment. You are too much!!

[Lynn B]

OK... here's the sad scoop...

I...

• Happily and excitedly receive each issue of CL...
• Diligently POUR over them...
• Read and RE-read them...
• Cook from them... (often!)
• Refer to them...
• Read them again...

AND STILL I MISS THINGS!!! How DOES this happen?!!!

I swear, I NEVER saw that recipe! And it sounds delicious and RIGHT up my alley!!!

Grace, I have a huge log of goat cheese, too, and was wondering what to make with it! Woo Hoo! I am VERY excited!

Lynn

[Peggy]

This is a great recipe! In fact, I avoided goat cheese like the plague until I made this. This was a goat cheese turnng point for me and my DH. Unfortunately my DD can still detect goat cheese from 20 paces and won't go near the stuff, so my experimentation is limited to nights she is slumbering at a friend's house.

Peggy

[sunberst]

i made these last night in an attempt to make the cubs win. i figured if i ate GOAT cheese during the game it might bring some good luck.

these were very good, but i expected them to be stellar since beans & goat cheese are among my top foods.

i LOVE goat cheese, but i felt that the goat cheese flavor was a bit overwhelming here (i am surprised i am saying that). next time i would cut back a little or try a different brand of goat cheese that is milder.

i also want a little more spice & tomato flavor. at first i was thinking of adding more salsa, but i worried it would make it too watery. maybe draining the beans (so there is no bean liquid like the recipe asks for) & doubling the salsa to make up for the lack of liquid.

don't skip the cilantro. i like what it added to the mix.

these were a great dinner, something unique. i also used fat free flour tortillas.

i will make these again because they have great potential & are so easy to make. i am glad i made them. yum.

[leightx]

Bumping this back up, since I had some goat cheese that I needed to use up (purchased in quantity at Costco ). I also cooked a boneless skinless chicken breast (seasoned with Northwoods fire and cooked on the Foreman grill), diced it and added it when I was assembling the quesadillas. Per Sunberts' recommendation, I drained some of the bean "juice" and added about 2/3 cup salsa (HEB makes an awesome fresh roasted salsa). It was pretty quick and easy, I had everything on hand, and DH enjoyed it. I'd definitely make it again if I needed something quick.

Oddly enough, I LOVE goat cheese, but I think this would have gone better with a more melty cheese like cheddar or monterrey jack...

[Robyncz]

I have nothing to add to the quesadilla review, but I wanted to say hello to leightx. I just pm'd you!

Robyn

[leightx]

For all of you HEB shoppers, I forgot to add - I made mine with the new HEB low-carb tortillas (60 cal, 3.5g fat, 4g fiber, 4g protein). They make them fresh in the store. They aren't nearly as good as the normal fresh homemade tortillas, but I'd still rather eat these than the regular tortillas in the bread aisle.