Adu(z)ki Sprout Quesadilla by Colleen Guenther

Tired of the 'ol black bean quesadilla? Try using an Adzuki or AKA Aduki bean. The Adzuki bean is native to Asia and is used primarily is Asian cooking. So, to try and be fancy, I would call this recipe a Asian/Mexican fusion:) The beans themselves are about 1/2 the size of your average black bean which is most commonly used in Mexican cuisine. They are a bit sweeter, as they say, but seeing that I am not sweet fan, I would tend to disagree. They are a bit light in texture though compared to the black bean which makes for a nice paste and makes this recipe a bit less heavy in the tummy.

Be careful with this recipe because I turned one 10" whole wheat tortilla into one serving, which I generally do by cutting it in half. Usually this is enough, but I was craving more after I ate it due to fact that the melding of flavors here is extremely addictive. 

One more thing, I am trying to add as many fresh vegetables to each of my recipes as I can. My goal is to have at least 51% of every recipe be of the fresh varieties. I believe this is important to obtain optimum health. As the saying goes "you ARE what you eat". Enough of the lecture, on to the recipe.

What you need:

Bean Paste:

1 15oz can of Adzuki Beans rinsed and drained (I like to rinse and drain all of my canned beans to eliminate any extra sodium)

1 Fresco pepper (deseeded - or a as many seeds as you like it hot)

1 tsp of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of Mexican cilantro

1/2 teaspoon Chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Salad mixture:

1 diced Avocado

1/4 cup Alfalfa Sprouts

1 small white onion diced

1 Roma tomato diced

1 freshly squeezed lime

Additional:

Whole wheat tortillas (as many as you plan to make)

Freshly shredded Monterey Cheese

1/4 cup chopped Cilantro leaves

Butter

Directions: 

Put all of your ingredients for the Bean Paste into a food processor and mix until it resembles refried beans. Set aside. Mix all of your salad ingredients into a bowl. Lightly butter (butter's not that bad for you folks) the outer sides of your whole-wheat tortillas and put one side down in a pan at medium heat. Spread your bean paste on top, and then add your shredded cheese, fresh salad and cilantro. Then, top with your other whole-wheat tortilla with the buttered side up. Cook for several minutes until browned and flip. Cook for another several minutes until brown again. Top with your favorite garnishes such as sour cream and/or salsa.