Mexican Night: Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Black Bean & Kale Quesadillas

I'm going to Mexico for the first time ever in November. This makes me more excited than I can possibly express to you because I. LOVE. MEXICAN. CUISINE. Chances are good I may not even see the beaches while I'm there for all the eating I plan to do, and it's also very possible I'll gain at least 10 lbs. while South of the Border. 

That's what you're supposed to do on vacation, right?

In the aftermath of booking flights, I decided to start my culinary adventure early by whipping up some Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Black Bean & Kale Quesadillas! I stumbled across this gem on one of my favorite sites YumUniverse, and I have to tell you... from one Mexican fanatic to another, don't be stupid. Go home right now and get to cookin'. It's muy excelente!

Now you might be thinking, "How can I enjoy a good quesadilla in the absence of cheese? It's what makes a quesadilla a quesadilla, right? Well, my friends, the vegans have figured this one out and they are right on the money - Cashew Cheese Spread! It's so simple to make and really does give you all that creamy, "cheesy" goodness that a quesadilla requires. It has the same effect that raw cookie dough has on a person when left lying around (ie. it's DANGEROUS!).

Here's how you make it... 

You'll need 1 1/2 cups of organic whole, raw cashews, 1 lemon, 1/4 cup of water, 2 cloves of garlic and a tsp. of sea salt.

Now get out your food processor or high-powered blender and pour everything in.

Blend the ingredients until it reaches a smooth consistency. It's that simple, you're done!
Now refrigerate until ready to use!

Now for the main course. I used the basic recipe as a guide, but altered some of the ingredients using whatever I had in the house. Let's give it a go...

Dice 1 small red onion.

Dice one small pepper. I had a Hungarian Wax Pepper on hand from our CSA, but you could always skip this step or add a jalapeno for some kick.

Dice half a bell pepper - any color will do. 

Wash and remove the stems from about 7-8 leaves of kale. I love Lacinato kale...

...then slice into thin ribbons and finely chop.

Now add 2-3 Tbs. of coconut oil (or oil of your choice) to a saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the diced onion, pepper and bell pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes until cooked through.

Now add 1 tsp of ground cumin and 1 tsp of ground coriander.

Add 1 can of black beans - make sure to rinse them thoroughly before adding.

Once the beans have cooked for a few minutes, add in the kale and saute until wilted.

Turn off the heat, set the pan aside and grab your brown rice tortillas (you can find these at Whole Foods).

Spread your homemade cashew cheese spread on one half of the tortilla, then place 1 tortilla at a time in a clean skillet over medium-high heat. Let the tortilla and spread warm up for about 2 minutes.

Now add your black bean/kale mixture to the other half...

...and use a spatula to flip the cashew cheese side onto the black bean/kale side. Press down on it lightly with your spatula so it gets nice and warm (and both sides get to know each other better!). 

Remove your delicious quesadilla from the pan when it's a nice golden brown. Cut into 3 pieces and serve!

I like mine drizzled with hot sauce...

...or served with a side of salsa and limes!

Give this meal a try. I guarantee it will make you come dangerously close to booking yourself a one-way to Mexico!

The Advantages of Avocado: Love It, Hate It...Either Way, Eat It!

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

My favorite holiday is Cinco de Mayo. Well, maybe Christmas... but Cinco de Mayo is definitely a close second. I adore Mexican food. In my 'former life', when I lived in Atlanta and was surrounded by cheap Mexican restaurants, I would sometimes go for lunch and order queso (my death row dish of choice) twice a week. It's really a miracle I didn't gain 1,000 pounds. I made people take me for Mexican on my birthday every single year. Sometimes I wore a sombrero. Mexican food is serious business in my book.

With all that said, I'm sad to admit that I have an extreme lack of enthusiasm for guacamole (Earth to Lauren! You LOVE Mexican. Get with the program!). Something about avocado just doesn't sit well with my taste buds. Frankly, I'm disappointed in them.

Despite their lack of enthusiasm, I've been trying to incorporate avocados into my diet because, well, they're just packed with so many good things! I hate to miss out on a good nutrient party.

Image courtesy of merchantcircle.com

There are more than 80 varieties of avocados, the most common in the United States being the Hass avocado or the 'alligator pear', a reference to it's dark green color and bumpy texture. Avocados have the highest protein content of any fruit, making it a great choice for people who want to incorporate plant-based protein into their diets.

• Avocados are packed with 'good' fats, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated.These fast help lower your LDL (bad) cholesterol and help raise your HDL (good) cholesterol.
• Avocados contain more potassium than a banana, the 'potassium poster-child'. Potassium plays an important role in metabolic function and muscle growth.
• Avocados are rich in B vitamins (which help the immune system fight disease and break down protein), vitamin C (for growth and development), vitamin E (for healthy skin and hair and free-radical fighting) and vitamin K (which is responsible for blood clotting).
• Avocados contain folate, which is instrumental in the development of healthy cells and tissues (folate is very important for pregnant women and infants).
• Avocados are an excellent source of fiber, which aids in proper digestion.

Avocados can be a bit intimidating when it comes to picking them out and knowing when they're ripe. Here's a fantastic chart explaining what the avocado looks like in each stage of the ripening process... http://www.avocadocentral.com/how-to/how-to-pick-how-to-buy-avocados  You'll know it's ready to eat when it yields slightly to firm pressure, and if you need to speed up the process, you can put it in a paper bag as it ripens. 

My friend Katie found this amazing recipe for tilapia burgers with watermelon salsa and avocado http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/05/tilapia-burgers-with-watermelon-salsa-avocado/  It met my standards for sufficiently disguising the taste of avocado and tricking my taste buds into submission. Here's a play-by-play on how to make them (minus measurements...that's what the recipe link above is for!).

To make the watermelon salsa, finely dice the garlic.

Remove the insides of half a jalapeno and...

chop finely.

Wash and chop a small head of cilantro.

Finely chop a red onion.

Dice the watermelon into small pieces.

Combine all the ingredients and set your salsa aside.

Finely chop the tilapia (or use a food processor).

Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl (bread crumbs, spices, eggs).

Add the tilapia to the bowl of remaining ingredients...

and form burger patties (try not to make them too thick).

When the olive oil in your skillet is piping hot, cook the burgers for 3-4 minutes on each side or until brown.
When they're done, they'll feel firm when you press against the top.

Toast your wheat buns, layer with the burger, avocado slices and watermelon salsa. Ta-da! You're done and look
how impressive this looks! 

And if you just can't get enough avocado, here are some more amazing recipes to try...

ANCHO CHICKEN TACOS WITH CILANTRO SLAW & AVOCADO CREAM:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/ancho-chicken-tacos-50400000111963/

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com

ROASTED CARROT AND AVOCADO SALAD:

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/08/03/roasted-carrot-and-avocado-salad/

Image courtesy of smittenkitchen.com

SPICY TORTILLA SOUP WITH SHRIMP AND AVOCADO:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/spicy-tortilla-soup-50400000110406/

Image courtesy of myrecipes.com