While cooking, listen to this: I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You) - John Mayer

I successfully made it through 5 years of living in New York without a mouse problem. Sure, there were the pantry moths and that teeny-tiny roach infestation in my building and a rogue “what the FUCK IS THAT” every once in a while, but as far as I knew, I had gone through my life here without a single Mickey or Minnie in sight.

Until last week.

Of course these things happen when my partner is literally anywhere but our apartment and I’m home alone. I was minding my own business, enjoying an evening alone at home. I lit a candle, did a face mask, made some dinner. All was well.

Until I walked out of my bedroom to go pee and a FURRY BLACK MASS SCUTTLED ACROSS THE FLOOR.

That’s right. SCUTTLED.

I calmly backed away, went into my bedroom and shut the door.

Just kidding.

I screamed, called my parents, texted Alyssa and cried through it all.

How was I supposed to know it was a tiny mouse? It could have been a scorpion wearing a fur coat or a cockamouse or something!

It then had the AUDACITY to try to come into my room while I was on a very important phone call to my parents about how I, an adult, was losing it over a mouse in the house.

So long story short I now have a mouse living behind my oven, and that is one lucky mouse because we cooked an insane amount of food for the blog and I am sure something fell into whatever home he has built for himself.

I was trying to get one of these quesadillas on the plate when some of the filling fell out onto the floor, and my partner and I went into a cleaning frenzy immediately. That mouse isn’t paying rent, it sure as hell isn’t getting a vegan sweet potato quesadilla for lunch.

So, yeah. I have a mouse in my house. But I also have these quesadillas, so maybe it evens out? Unclear. But whether or not you have freeloading critters shacking up with you, make these. Add cheese if you want, but they really don’t need it. They’re super satisfying (read: HEFTY) and are ideal for meal prepping, since you can make the filling in advance. Load them up with guacamole, salsa and whatever you’re in the mood for and enjoy! Just make sure to thoroughly clean your kitchen after.

Love and meows, Rina

VEGAN BLACK BEAN SWEET POTATO QUESADILLAS

Yield: 4 (these are HEFTY)

Active Time: 10-15m | Inactive Time: 45m

Category: Main, Vegan, Mexican

Source: very lightly adapted and veganized from Don’t Go Bacon My Heart

Note: feel free to treat this recipe as a base and to add on to it. The original uses cheese in the filling - if you’re craving all of the dairy add cheese inside and dip in sour cream.

Ingredients

sweet potatoes:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and 1-inch cubed

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

other things:

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

1 teaspoon olive oil OR some cooking spray

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 large flour tortillas

½ of a 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Anything else your heart desires

extras:

Avocado

Jalapeno, thinly sliced

Salsa

Pico de gallo

Cilantro leaves

Instructions

Prep: preheat oven to 425 F and lightly oil a baking tray.

Prepare the sweet potatoes: add the cubed sweet potatoes to your baking tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle in the cumin, paprika, ground coriander, chili powder, salt and pepper. Using a wide-set spatula or your hands (my favorite kitchen tool), toss until evenly coated. Roast for 20 minutes, flip, then roast for another 15-20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are caramelized but aren’t burning. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then lightly mash - you want to make sure the crispier outsides don’t totally disappear because they’re the best part.

Roast the corn: while the sweet potatoes are in the oven, add some oil to or spray a large saute pan and place on high heat. When hot, add the corn in an even layer. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then toss and add some salt. Cook until the kernels have a good char on them, then add to a bowl to get out of the way.

Assemble! take the large saute pan you used for the corn and give it another spray/a bit more oil and place on medium-high heat. When hot, add a tortilla and spread some mashed sweet potato on top to get an even layer. Sprinkle on some black beans, corn and anything else you feel like using. If you aren’t using any cheese, spread a little sweet potato onto the second tortilla first so that the filling gets encased. Cook for a few minutes, until the bottom is a nice golden brown. Flip with a wide-set spatula and cook for a couple more minutes, until the second side is golden as well. Transfer to a plate, allow to cool for a minute, then use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut into quarters. Top with extras of your choice and go to town.

To keep: these should be eaten immediately, but the mashed sweet potato and roasted corn can be kept in the fridge for a few days - ideal for meal prepping.