Last week, I was invited to a potluck, and I really wanted to go but I didn’t know what to make!

I could have brought a salad, or a dessert, or maybe made a dip like guac, but since so many people were invited, I wanted to make sure I brought something unique!

Then, I remembered how easy it is to make delicious empanadas, and to my luck, I had all of the ingredients already in my fridge/ freezer 😍!!

They were such a hit at the potluck, that I decided to make them again today, and take notes on the recipe!

Time to prep: 50 minutes (only because I am a perfectionist — this could easily be cut in half)

Time to cook: 15 minutes (on 425 Fahrenheit)

I’m not sure where the original recipe came from, since my cousin taught me to make these years ago, but I found a similar recipe on Epicurious.com, so I figure it’s safe to give them credit!

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/banana-black-bean-empanadas-231062

this is their ingredient list:

I add a few other ingredients to my black beans. Often, I have them made already from scratch — my family in Cuban, so:

• onion
• garlic
• bell pepper
• tomato
• cilantro
• cumin
• bay leaf
• salt
• black pepper
• chilli pepper
• a tiny bit of something sweet (sugar/molasses)
• and honestly anything else in my garden that inspires me — I even considered putting eggplant in it this time.

For the banana element, I just chop up 1 banana into 18 pieces and fry them on medium heat in butter... usually I do this to 2 bananas because I can not possibly resist eating them while I’m cooking.

Next, I grate a big mountain of sharp cheddar cheese (or pepper jack sometimes).

The puff pastry element could potentially turn this meal prep into a full day affair, but since puff pastry is extremely difficult to perfect, and extremely delicious from the store, I typically opt to just buy it frozen!

(Some brands are better than others, but I’ve never had a brand I was unhappy with — this time, I used these^)

I cut the puff pastry into 18 squares, and then use a rolling pin to make each square slightly larger and thinner (this is where my perfectionism shines **it is not necessary to do this, but I prefer them with a bit more filling and a thinner pastry crust)

Next, I put a spoonful of the beans, a pinch of cheese, and a slice of banana on each square, and fold them in half along the diagonal.

I use a fork to seal the edges!!

Lastly, I glaze them with a beat egg, put them in the oven for 15-20 minutes and voila!

bon appétit!!
xx Monique