Wild Mushroom Quesadillas with Warm Black Bean Salsa

This tip brought to you by our Dad Guru John Valadez on Oct 13, 2009

This week’s cooking with Dad recipe comes from Rachel Ray. Ray’s recipes are always easy and time efficient – think 30 minute meals. This one is no different. I’m a vegan, so I substitute all the animal proteins for healthy veggie alternatives. Enjoy.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, plus some for drizzling


• 16 crimini mushroom caps, baby bella’s, with stems, trimmed and thinly sliced


• 12 shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, stems discarded


• Coarse black pepper and salt


• 1 tablespoon (a few sprigs) fresh thyme leaves, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried


• 4 large flour tortillas, 12 inches in diameter


• 2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (I use Vegan Block Cheddar Flavor or Rice Vegan Block Pepper Jack Flavor from Galaxy Nutritional Foods).

Salsa:

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 2 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped


• 1 can black beans, drained


• 1 cup frozen corn kernels


• 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped


• 1/2 cup smoky barbecue sauce


• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the sliced mushrooms to the hot skillet. Season mushrooms with black pepper, salt and thyme. Sauté the mushrooms 10 minutes or, until dark and tender, then remove from heat. Transfer the mushrooms to a dish and return the skillet to the stove over medium heat.
Add another turn of extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet and add the onions, garlic and jalapeno pepper; sauté for 2 or 3 minutes, then add beans and corn to the pan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and barbecue sauce, then season salsa with salt and pepper. Transfer warm salsa to a serving dish.
Heat a griddle pan or large nonstick skillet over medium to medium high heat. Add a drizzle of oil to the pan and 1 flour tortilla. Cook tortilla 1 minute, and then turn it over; sprinkle 1/2 cup sharp cheddar over 1/2 of the flour tortilla. Cover the cheese with 1/4 of the cooked sliced mushrooms. Fold the plain 1/2 of the tortilla over top of the filling and gently press down with a spatula. Cook the filled quesadilla 30 seconds to a minute longer on each side to lightly brown and crisp the quesadilla and melt the cheese. Remove the quesadilla to a large cutting board or transfer to a warm oven to hold, and then repeat with remaining quesadilla ingredients.
Cut each quesadilla into wedges and serve with warm salsa for topping.