Black Bean Soup & Quesadilla

Quick & Delicious Black Bean Soup with Chicken Quesadillas

For the black bean soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup yellow onion, small diced

½ cup red pepper, small diced

½ cup green pepper, small diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon Sazon Completa (or your favorite complete seasoning)

¼ cup dry white wine

½ bunch cilantro, roughly chopped

1-2 bay leaves

2 large (29-ounce) cans black beans (do not drain)

1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

½ teaspoon granulated sugar, or more to taste if desired

¼-½ cup chicken stock

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For serving:

crumbled queso fresco

cilantro leaves

Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, red and green bell pepper and garlic cloves, cook until soft and translucent. Add the spices and toast until fragrant. Add the white wine and reduce almost all the way down. Add the chopped cilantro, bay leaves, black beans, vinegar and sugar into the pot. Add about ¼-½ cup chicken stock to thin the soup a little to a soupier viscosity. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Puree about 1/3 to 1/2 of the soup to reach your desired consistency. You can use an immersion blender and just pulse the soup or puree in a blender. If using a blender, work in batches, and be carefully as hot soup can splatter. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Serve topped with queso fresco and cilantro leaves.

For the Chicken Quesadilla:

large flour tortillas

grated cheese blend, we used a Mexican style blend on the show

rotisserie chicken, skin and bones discarded, meat pulled

thinly sliced scallions

Heat a large cast iron pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add a little butter or oil to the pan for a crisper tortilla.

Place a tortilla down in the pan. Sprinkle a layer of cheese on the tortilla, add some shredded chicken and sliced scallions. Top with a little more shredded cheese and another tortilla. Let cook for 3-4 minutes until crispy and golden brown on the bottom side. Flip the tortilla and cook another 3-4 minutes. Let cool slightly before cutting.