Baked Black Bean Taquitos

Wow.

Several weeks ago, Drew took me on a date to the Chicago Diner.  I had been wanting to try it for a long time, but the non-vegetarians don't so much want to go out to eat vegetarian when that's what they get at home.  Anyway, off we went, and it was totally worth the wait.

Drew wanted to order black bean taquitos as an appetizer.  I protested, of course, because I can't stand black beans.  He ordered them anyway, and as it turns out, they were fantastic.  This is actually similar to what happened when we went with some friends to a popular pub.  The ONLY vegetarian item on the menu was a black bean burger, so I ordered it even though I knew I wouldn't like it, because I didn't have any choice.  It ended up being good.  Very very good.  I think it's time to face that fact that I've been in denial about black beans all these years and that I actually do like them.  I have no idea when or how this happened.

Today I set about attempting to create my own version of the black bean taquito.  Mine turned out remarkably similar, but they were far more healthy.  Chicago Diner's taquitos were deep fried; I'm not about to deep fry ANYTHING, no matter how good it may be.  I'm all about the health AND the taste over here, and I don't believe you have to sacrifice one for the other!  The filling is adapted from a recipe from Vegetarian Times.

I'm awfully proud of these; they turned out so yummy!

Baked Black Bean Taquitos

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dry black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced (or more if you're like me and subscribe to the "no such thing as too much garlic" school of thought!)
• 2 large leeks, finely chopped
• 1 large red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 TBSP cumin

Directions:

1.  Place beans and five cups cold water in bowl.

2.  Soak at least five hours and as long as overnight.

3.  Drain, reserving soaking liquid.

4.  Spray large stock pot with olive oil or cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat.

5.  Add leeks and bell pepper, and sprinkle with salt. Cover, and cook five minutes, stirring occasionally.

6.  Add garlic and cook one minute.

7.  Stir in cumin, and cook one minute more.

8.  Add enough water to soaking liquid to make four cups, and add liquid and beans to the leek/garlic/pepper mixture. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer one hour, or until beans are soft, adding water if necessary.

9.  Drain any excess water from beans; then put beans into a bowl and mash.  I used a regular old potato masher, but I suppose you could use an immersion blender or the food processor.  Mash them up until the texture suits you.  I left mine with a few whole beans, but that had more to do with the fact that I was tired of mashing than it did anything else.

Next you have to put together your taquitos.  I always have the best of intentions when it comes to tortillas, but I never seem to quite manage to make my own.  I did, however, use authentic stone ground, preservative free corn tortillas from the Hispanic market.  That counts.  Right?
 
1.  Preheat oven to 425°.
 
2.  Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels or a damp dish cloth and microwave for a minute and a half.
 
3.  Place a spoonful of the black bean filling into the middle of the tortilla.  If you're using cheese place it down before the beans or it will melt out all over everywhere.
 

 
4.  Roll it up like a little burrito, except do NOT tuck the ends.  Leave them open.
 

5.  Place it seam side down on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray.

6.  Finish rolling the rest of the taquitos and placing them on the baking sheet.  Mine made 18.  You could get more or less, depending on how much filling you used in each tortilla.

7.  Spray each of them with olive oil or cooking spray and bake for eight to ten minutes.

8.  Turn over and cook for an additional eight to ten minutes or until crispy and golden brown.

I had to cook mine for about 25 minutes total, but our oven isn't really the best, so just watch them.  You'll know when they're done.

Drew commented that he would like his a bit more spicy.  Yes!  Me too!  Yet, I don't spice things up very much, because the boy won't eat anything that he even suspects has a hint of spice.  My next mission is to come up with some sort of spicy dipping sauce, in order to solve this problem.  However, if you want to add some spice directly to your black bean filling, you can add a small, chopped jalapeño with your leeks and pepper at the beginning.  You can also add a couple of dashes of Mexican chili powder with the cumin.  A pinch or two of cayenne would work, as well.  Just play around with it.

Lastly, these were too full, and some of the tortillas kind of exploded in the oven.  Lesson learned.  Make them smaller, and make more.  It didn't compromise the taste at all though.  I'm calling these a success.  Anything that the picky picky child eats is pretty much a success!  Because of the high fiber count, these are quite filling, as well.  I ate three, with a modest sized salad, and I was a bit too full.  I should have had a smaller salad or only eaten two.

Enjoy!