Spicy Black Bean Quesadillas

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven, then preheat to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Wash, dry, and peel the carrots. Halve lengthwise; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Place on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange in an even layer. Roast 17 to 19 minutes, or until lightly browned and tender when pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven.

While the carrots roast, wash and dry the remaining fresh produce. Peel and thinly slice the onion. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Drain and rinse the beans. Grate the Monterey Jack cheese on the large side of a box grater. Halve the lime crosswise. Pit, peel, and medium dice the avocado. Place in a medium bowl. Top with the juice of 1 lime half; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cut off and discard the ends of the radishes. Halve, then thinly slice. Roughly chop the peppers. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. In a bowl, combine the sour cream and the juice of the remaining lime half. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 9 minutes, or until browned and softened. Transfer to a plate. Wipe out the pan.

While the onion cooks, in a small pot, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, white bottoms of the scallions, and as much of the chile paste as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the beans and ¼ cup of water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes, or until thickened. Turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle the Monterey Jack cheese onto 1 side of each tortilla. Top with the cooked onion and cooked beans; season with salt and pepper. Fold each tortilla in half. In the same pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil on medium until hot. Working in batches, add the quesadillas; cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until browned and the cheese has melted. (If the pan seems dry, add a drizzle of olive oil.) Transfer to a cutting board; cut in half. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with half the green tops of the scallions.

While the quesadillas cook, stir the roasted carrots, radishes, peppers, remaining green tops of the scallions, and a drizzle of olive oil into the bowl of avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the Cotija cheese. Serve with the cooked quesadillas and seasoned sour cream. Enjoy!