Quick Black Bean and Veggie Sopes #MasecaNosGusta

I am still on a roll making dinners that take almost 30 minutes to prepare and cook. It is very easy to get in a rut and going out to eat instead of making something fresh and wholesome for the family. One of the cuisines I like preparing but usually take a whole bunch of time to prepare is authentic Mexican food.

One of favorite dishes to make are tamales and mole’ so I called my grandmother in Mexico so that she could send me her recipe. She told me that it was WAY to much work and that I should proceed going to the store to buy the bottled mole base to make at home. What?

Has your relative ever done that? HA! I sought recipes high and low until I was able to come out with one that tasted like my grandmother’s in southern Mexico but yes, it took TOO long to make. One of the things I have enjoyed doing is learning how to authentically cook Mexican food even though I did not grow up in Mexico.

When I got married I believe my husband had not tasted some of the foods I started preparing which allowed him to find out that most Mexican restaurants were not really serving authentic food but food catered to American tastes.

One of the dishes I quickly knew we would love was sopes. They are smaller than a corn tortilla and it consists of a lot more dough than a regular corn tortilla. It is heartier and you can fry it on a cast iron pan very quickly.

In comes Maseca corn masa flour. It is instant corn masa flour to make the favorite Central American or Mexican dishes. It consists of only corn masa flour and calcium hydroxide making it an ideal gluten-free product!

When I go to Mexican restaurants I do not usually see so many vegetarian options so I love making them at home so that we can eat on our meat-free days. Here is a delicious recipe consisting of only beans, mushrooms and other veggies to make for a quick, easy, and tasty dish for all your family.

Oh, and did I mention you can eat it with your hands too?

Quick Black Bean and Veggie Sopes

by Noelle Kelly

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (8 sopes (2-4 servings))

Sopes

2 cups Maseca corn masa flour
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil for cooking

Topping

2 avocados, mashed
2 teaspoons lemon juice
a dahs of salt
1/2 cup black beans, cooked
1 cup mushrooms, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 small carrots, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Garnish

crema or sour cream
queso cotija or feta cheese
tomatillo salsa

Instructions

Sopes

In a large bowl, combine flour, water, salt. Mix thoroughly until forming soft dough.

Preheat an cast iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat.Drizzle with 1 Tbsp of oil.

Divide dough into 8 equal-sized balls. Press each ball between the palms of your hand and flatten to discs 3″ in circumference.

Cook each disc for 3 minutes on each side until each side begins to toast.

Place on a serving plate and cover with cloth napkin to keep warm and soft.

Topping

Remove avocado from skin and seed and mash really well and add lemon juice and salt. Set aside.

In the same cast iron pan and on medium heat add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the veggies, beans, and spices except for cilantro and cook for 7-10 minutes until softened. Add cilantro at the end.

Assembly

Spread 1 Tbsp of fresh guacamole, then top with 2 Tablespoons of the veggie topping on each sope and garnish with cheese, salsa, and crema. This can serve two hungry adults or 2 adults and 2 children.