WBW: Southwest Sweet Potato Quesadilla

today I will be sharing my favorite southwest recipe with you: sweet potato quesadillas 🌶️ This is one of my favorites because it is easy, filling, very affordable and everyone I have shared it with loves it (even die-hard meat eaters like my dad).

I love to budget, and this recipe can make a lot of meals; I worked it out to around $3 a plate, maybe $4 if you add a side salad. This is vegetarian, but you can easily sub-in plant based shredded cheddar cheese (I like Daiya cheeses) to make it vegan. You will need cheese to get the quesadillas to hold, but it is comfort food season, so embrace it 😊.

Despite the cheese, sweet potatoes 🍠 are high in fiber and low-glycemic, offer lots of vitamins and minerals including A, C, B6, and potassium, and are filled with antioxidants which make this root veggie a staple in an anti-inflammatory diet. So without further adieu, the recipe!

Southwest Sweet Potato Quesadilla

Makes 6 quesadillas

Time: roughly 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato (cleaned but not peeled)

• 1 tbsp cinnemon

• 1 tsp chili powder

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 2 tsp olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped

• 2 cloves of minced garlic

• 1 can black beans

• 6 medium tortillas

• 1 - 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (sub vegan cheddar cheese works, too)

• Fresh cilantro

• Salsa

1: Cut sweet potato in small cubes and, in a large pot, boil in hot water for approximately 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain, return to pot and mash the potatoes.

2: Separately, mix all of spices together, then stir into the mashed sweet potatoes.

3: In a medium pan cook the chopped onions until translucent and fragrant. Mix in the minced garlic. Drain black beans and add to pan, cook until beans are well heated. Stir into the sweet potato mash. Add salt to taste.

4: Assemble! Fold a tortilla in half, place on a warm pan on the stove. Put cheese on 1/2 of the tortilla (just enough to cover, or more if you shamelessly love cheese).

5: As the tortilla is heating up (careful not to burn yourself), put about 1/4 c of the sweet potato mash mixture on the cheese half. Then, put more cheese on top of the mash. Immediately fold tortilla so it makes a 1/2 moon shape.

6: Once the first side is golden, crispy and cheese is melted, flip tortilla for the other side to do the same.

7: Remove from heat. Cut in 1/2 or quarters. Serve with your favorite salsas.

**If making many quesadillas, pre-heat oven to 200°F, place in oven safe dish and leave finished tortillas in oven until ready.

Enjoy! 😋