My cooking club theme this month was “Finger Foods”, and I decided to make a vegetarian version of this summer’s hit taquitos.  I found this recipe for black bean taquitos, and merged the concepts to come up with the following recipe.  The bean filling was good and fairly mild, and the cheese helped the beans to stick together.

Unfortunately, the corn tortillas weren’t very pliable, even after being heated in the microwave.  So that made the taquitos difficult to roll, and some of them cracked.  I forged ahead, and they ended up OK, but I need to refine the technique a bit.  Or perhaps try a few different brands of corn tortillas, to see which ones work best.  I also made a dipping sauce for the taquitos that is very similar to enchilada sauce.  The dipping sauce (not pictured here) had a little bit more kick, and was a nice addition.

We ate a lot of great things with our fingers, including butternut squash crostini, roasted vegetable pizza, and twice baked small potatoes.  The evening ended with frosted cupcakes and hot tea.  No utensils were required to fully enjoy this great meal.

Black Bean Taquitos

2 t canola oil
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cumin
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
16 corn tortillas
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Dipping Sauce

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/3 c. water
2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
Dash cayenne

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan.  Add onion and pepper, and cook until softened.  Add garlic and spices to pan, mix well, and cook for 2 minutes.  Add beans and cook for 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Heat 5 tortillas at a time by microwaving on high for 30 seconds between two damp paper towels.  Spread 1-2 T of black bean mixture on a tortilla, top with 1 T cheddar, and roll tightly.  Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.  Repeat until all bean mixture is used.  Bake taquitos for 12-15 minutes at 400F.

To make dipping sauce, mix tomato sauce, water, and spices in a small saucepan.  Cook on medium heat for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through.

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