Quesadilla

Vegan

A Quesadilla is a stuffed or filled tortilla which is then fried. We were inspired by a Sophie Dahl recipe, which we promptly veganised by using dairy-free sour cream and vegan cheese (and vegan guacamole) One of the Viva! team served this to a mixture of vegans, veggies and meat-eaters and it went down a storm.

Serves:

4-6

Time:

60 minutes or less

Ingredients:

Each of the different layers and dips are easy, it just takes a little time to make.
Have all your ingredients ready before you start
Make the two dips first
Grate the Cheezly (or other vegan cheese) and mix in the coriander
Make the two fillings
NB: a large bunch of fresh coriander is needed (it is in the guacamole, grated Cheezly mix and also the garnish)

Guacamole

2 medium-large ripe avocados, skinned, stone removed, mashed with a fork
1 lime, zest and juice
1 medium tomato, seeds removed, finely chopped
½ red onion, peeled, finely chopped
large handful fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped
Few drops Tabasco
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Lime sour cream dip

2 tbsp vegan sour cream (use Tofutti Sour Supreme OR 1 tbsp each of plain vegan yoghurt and vegan mayo)
1 lime, zest and juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cheezly layer

150g Redwood’s melting Cheezly, grated
3 medium carrots, grated
1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped (about 2 good handfuls)

Tofu Scramble Layer

4 tbsp olive oil
300g semi-firm tofu, crumbled
¼ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped

Refried Beans Layer

400g can black beans in water, drained
2 large roasted red pepper from a jar, sliced
few drops Tabasco

4 plain tortillas or wraps – Discovery and Old El Paso brands are vegan
A little plain oil or low-cal spray
Any leftover fresh coriander, chopped, for garnish

Method:

1. Guacamole. Place all the ingredients in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir together, or use a potato masher/hand blender if a smoother texture is required. Cover and set aside.

2. Lime sour cream dip. Mix together all the ingredients and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and set aside.

3. Grate the Cheezly and mix with the grated carrot and chopped coriander in a container. Set aside

4. Preheat oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2-3 – you need to keep one quesadilla warm while cooking the other.

5. Tofu Scramble. Heat half the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu with the turmeric, cumin and smoked paprika for 4-5 minutes, then add the spring onion, chilli and garlic and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

6. Refried Beans. Heat the remaining oil in a small saucepan. Stir in the black beans, peppers and Tabasco/hot pepper sauce and cook over a low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until warmed through. Mash slightly but retain some texture. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then remove from the heat.

7. To assemble the quesadilla, oil or spray a frying pan and place one of the tortillas into a frying pan over a low heat for 1-2 minutes to warm through. Spoon some bean mixture on half of the tortilla then top with the tofu mixture, followed by the cheese and coriander. Fold over and gently press down. Do the same with another tortilla.

8. Fry each of them in the pan for 2-3 minutes on either side, or until golden-brown and crisp. Don’t worry if a bit of the filling comes out when you turn them – just shove it back in again! Repeat the process with the other two tortillas.

9. To serve, cut each quesadilla into two or three and arrange on a serving plate. Serve with the vegan guacamole and lime sour cream dip on the side.