Fast Food: Mexican

I cheat sometimes. Sometimes, I don’t make my black beans from scratch. Sometimes, I don’t make my own corn tortillas. Sometimes, I don’t roast my own tomatillos. What can I say? I cheat.

Last night’s meal was a cheater’s treasure…all the taste of home-made goodness in just a few short steps. I prefer to bake my flauta-ish rolls, partly because I’ve been trained as a dietitian, and the little voices in my head cry out, “Don’t fry! Don’t fry!”, and partly because I’m scared of oil at really high temperatures, with all the popping and jumping and possible burning. At any rate, these turn out crunchy and tasty, without all the greasy mouth feel (which, I understand, some people really enjoy, so if you do, you might want to skip this recipe).

I also used good-quality corn tortillas from Central Market, and La Costena brand green sauce, because it’s fairly spicy and very yummy. I served the flautas with cilantro-lime rice, which is just steamed brown Texmati rice with a squeeze of lime and some chopped cilantro stirred in. At this point, I have to publicly thank my friend Leti for letting me adopt her rice steamer. I’m in love with it.

Okay! On to the recipe.

Baked Black Bean Flautas with Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • Cooking spray
  • 3/4 cup grated Colby-Jack cheese
  • 1 can (7-oz) La Costena Green Mexican Salsa
  • 1 avocado, seeded and scooped out of its shell

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, mash black beans and their juice with a potato masher or a fork.

Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray (line it with foil first for easier clean-up). Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave for about 1 minute, wrapping them in a moist towel, until they are soft and pliable. Spray both sides of one tortilla with cooking spray. Spoon a few tablespoons of the beans down the center of the tortilla, and top with a sprinkle of cheese. Roll up the tortilla tightly, and lay, seam side down, on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until tortillas are crispy and slightly browned.

Meanwhile, puree the salsa with the avocado in a food processor until smooth.

Serve the flautas topped with the Tomatillo-Avocado Sauce.

Makes 8 flautas.

Source: poco-cocoa.

2 responses to “Fast Food: Mexican”

  1. This sounds delicious b/c I love Mexican but this is healthier than take-out. Plus the ingredients are ones that I usually have on hand.

    Also thanks for adding me to your sidebar! I really appreciate it!

  2. That looks so good! I’m definitely going to give this one a try.

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