Flatmate Meals: Black Bean and Plantain Wraps
serves four
The ‘Old El Paso’ Fajita kit has legendary status in many a student kitchen. The combination of ‘Fajita seasoning’, tortilla wraps, chicken strips, onions and mixed bell peppers (everyone knows the green and yellow pepper are significantly less tasty than their crimson counterpart, yet the ‘mixed selection’ is far friendlier on the pocket) amalgamate into a crowd-pleasing, minimal effort dish. Yet, I often empathise with the vegetarians or vegans present at the table, who get a sub-par offering of the above, minus the chicken. Vegetarian and vegan food requires more imagination and care than simply cutting out an ingredient from a dish, therefore I present you with a solution to satisfy both carnivores and vegetable aficionados alike.
Pricing: Using Ingredients from Morrisons (if you brought a whole pack of the following ingredients: onions, garlic, limes and chilli’s) the cost per person would come to £2.37 (= £9.49 in total).
Ingredients:
Pack of shop brought tortilla wraps (white, wholemeal or seeded – whatever takes your fancy)
Black Beans - 2x tins of black beans
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of smoked paprika
Tablespoon of oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Plantain - 2x plantains, chopped into coins on a diagonal slant
Tablespoon of oil
Guacamole:
2x avocados
1 lime, juiced
1 chilli, finely chopped (remove the seeds if you are heat averse)
Salt to taste
Toppings:
200g feta, crumbled
Bunch of coriander, roughly chopped
Method
Put a frying pan on a medium heat and fry the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil for approximately 10 mins until sweet and starting to turn golden brown
Add the crushed garlic and smoked paprika and fry for 2-3 minutes until well combined with the onion.
Drain the black beans and add to the pan. Lower the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Get on with the rest of your preparation whilst the beans cook.
To make the guacamole, halve the avocados and scoop the flesh into a bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, adding the chilli and lime juice, along with a generous pinch of salt. Set aside to serve later with your wraps.
Heat a second frying pan with a tablespoon of oil and butter. Wait until the pan is REALLY hot and then add the plantain coins. Fry for a few minutes on each side until soft and golden brown. When finished, add a good pinch of salt.
Once the beans are bubbling and softening, use a potato masher or fork to mash half the beans in the pan, in order to create a thick sauce. Ensure to leave half the beans un-mashed. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dry fry in a pan or warm the tortillas in the oven.
Once the tortillas are warm, serve alongside the black beans, plantain slices and guacamole. Top the wraps with crumbled feta and chopped coriander for extra zing.
Tips:
You can use any cheese here – I like feta but grated cheddar cheese would also be good
Again, sub in whatever spices you have – ground cumin, chipotle or fajita seasoning would work!
My preference would be to fry the black beans in oil and the plantain in butter but work with what you have.
Image from Unsplash
