Smoky Black Bean Quesadilla

So proper Mexican cooking has finally hit the UK -  much to our delight! We love the colours and the combo of simple ingredients - beans, herbs, squash or sweet potato, corn, garlic and chillies, with an excuse for avocado as a garnish. I have to admit that quesadillas are a little bit Tex-Mex but you know what ... they are a great quick and easy, store cupboard standby for dinner in a dash or something a bit different for a vegetarian lunch.

Most 'Mexican Toasties' as I like to call them are loaded with hard cheese - and of course this is fine for flavour, but I rather like using goats cheese instead. It's higher in vitamin A and short chain fatty acids (good for your gut!) and lower in saturated fats so you can class this as a truly healthy meal!

Ingredients

1 large (or 2 small)  sweet potato (approx 200g)

75g black beans, drained (pinto will do)

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

½ fresh lime, juice only

¼ small red onion, thinly sliced

½ red pepper, finely diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 green chile, finely chopped (use a spoon to scrape out seeds if necessary)

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground cumin

1½ tsp hot smoked paprika

75g sweet corn (blanched)

75g soft goats cheese

2  x 10” multi-seed wraps (please don't use own brand - they are soooo rubbery)

To serve

1 small avocado mashed with 1 tbsp lime juice

50ml plain yoghurt (or sour cream if you prefer)

Serves 2 for supper

Method

Hey ....I know it looks like a lot of ingredients but it's mainly spices which you should by now have stocked up on if you're testing our recipes! First of all bake the sweet potato(es) for 30 minutes until soft (gas 6 or 200C). Scoop the flesh out into a bowl and season.

Then mix the beans, lime juice, coriander and onion together. You should be able to find black (turtle) beans in tetrapaks or cans now - yes even in UK supermarkets.

In a large frying pan sauté the pepper for 10 minutes until soft (the colour isn't vital, it's more for texture). Add the chilli, garlic and spices and cook for a further 2 minutes. Stir in the sweet corn making sure everything is well coated with the pepper and spice mixture. Cook for a further 2-3 minutes.

Take one wrap and spread the sweet potato mixture onto the base, leaving a small border around the edge. Place the vegetable mixture on top and then the beans and onion. Finally scatter over the cheese (using a teaspoon if necessary) and cover the filling with the second wrap so you have a ‘toastie’.

To cook either place on a baking tray, brush with oil, cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes turning once. Or using a large frying pan, fry lightly with 1 tsp oil on both sides (if you have a steady hand this is my favourite method). Serve hot.