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Today is a total root veggie delight. Start with carrots quickly roasted with coriander, then puree a chunk of nutrient-rich sweet potato with irresistibly meaty pinto beans and three kinds of chiles (of the dried and ground variety, for maximum convenience).
Top all that with a little onion and cilantro, throw a deeply comforting grilled flour tortilla in the mix, and you have a tasty, easy, totally sunny weeknight dinner. Or weekend breakfast.
Roasted Carrot Quesadilla with Spiced Pinto-Sweet Potato Puree
serves 4
1 lb carrots, peeled, trimmed, cut into thirds lengthwise (halved, if small), and cut into 4-inch strips
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp ground coriander
generous pinch fine sea or kosher salt
8 oz sweet potato (1 small or half of a large), cut into 1-inch dice
2 15-oz can pinto beans, drained well, but not rinsed
1 TBSP lime juice
1 tsp mild chile powder, such as ancho
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt
4 10-inch flour tortillas
thinly sliced red onion
chopped cilantro
Heat oven to 400.
Toss the carrots with oil, pinch salt, and coriander. Roast until tender but not soft, about 20 minutes, tossing halfway through.
Add sweet potato dice to a medium pot and cover with water by a couple of inches. Cover, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and continue to cook, covered, until tender, 15 minutes. (Reduce heat further if needed to keep the pot from boiling over.)
Meanwhile, add beans, lime, chile powders, and 1/2 tsp salt to a food processor. When the potatoes are done, drain and add them to the food processor. Process until thoroughly combined and fairly smooth, stopping to scrape the sides as needed. The mixture will remain rather thick.
Heat a closing countertop electric grill (alternately, bake in the oven or toast on a griddle). Spread about 3/4 cup of the bean mixture over a tortilla, leaving a 1-1 1/2-inch border (to avoid seepage). Add roasted carrot strips to half, and top the carrots with onion and cilantro, to taste. Fold tortilla in half and grill, press closed (press only gently on the grill cover when closing, and do not apply further weight) and cook until crisped and browned, 5-7 minutes. Let cool a few minutes before eating, as the filling will be very hot.