Three Sisters Quesadillas
By the Gracious Vegan
For many Native American communities, corn, beans, and squash are known as the Three Sisters. For centuries these three have been inter-planted because they thrive together. The corn stalks provide poles for the beans to climb. The squash plant’s large leaves shade the ground, retaining soil moisture and preventing weeds. Beans provide nitrogen to fertilize the soil, and their roots stabilize the corn during windy weather. Luckily for plant-based eaters, the sisters also taste delicious together. I take advantage of that in these delicious and easy quesadillas.
Makes 5 servings
Water-sauté the grated zucchini in a large skillet (start with 1/8 cup water and add more if needed), until the zucchini starts to get tender, about 5 minutes. (What is water-sauté?)
2 medium zucchini (about 12 ounces), grated (do not peel)
Stir in the corn and black beans and cook until the zucchini and corn are tender and the mixture is relatively dry.
1.5 cups corn (fresh from 2 ears of corn, or frozen)
1.5 cups black beans (if canned, drained and rinsed), mash them a bit if desired
Stir in the spices.
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
Spread a fifth of the mixture onto half of each tortilla, then fold the tortillas in half. Cook the quesadillas on a griddle or in a dry skillet until light brown on the first side, then flip them and cook them on the second side until light brown. (Spray with oil if you want more brown color.)
Five 8” whole wheat flour tortillas
Serve with garnishes (or add them into the quesadilla itself if desired).
Salsa, Vegan Crema, Gracious Vegan Guacamole, chopped green or red onions, cilantro leaves, chopped tomatoes, sliced olives
Hands-on time 20 minutes; Total time 30 minutes
Nutritional information per serving: 244 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat, 43g carbs, 520mg sodium, 8mg fiber, 9g protein
Gluten-free if gluten-free tortillas are used