Mexican Vegan Flauta's

Mama Schmoo from the vegan lunchbox made some of these in March. She mentioned getting fresh corn tortillas, even watched them being made (awesome!). I didn't do that, but I finally had the opportunity to see how corn tortillas could be used. I have tried them before in various casseroles but never liked any of the ways I used them... making these flautas with their crispy corn coating dipped in a commercially prepared chili sauce was a pleasing meal. I love it when I hear my family take a bite and say, "mmmmm". Here's some info I got from an internet dictionary...

SYLLABICATION: flau·ta
PRONUNCIATION: flout ä
NOUN: A corn tortilla rolled around a filling, such as beef, chicken, or cheese, into a thin cylinder and sometimes deep-fried. (okay mine are none of these!)
ETYMOLOGY: Spanish, flute, probably from Old Provençal flaüt. See flute.

For the filling of my flauta's I used Spicy Mexican Bean Dip,
taken directly from The Fiber For Life Cookbook by Bryanna Clark Grogan.
Whirl in the food processor for several minutes until a light texture is achieved:
4 1/2 C cooked beans (3 - 15 oz cans) of choice
1 small onion
2 Tbsp cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground oregano
3 cloves garlic or 1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp chili powder (I use mild, but a good dark variety)
2 tsp pureed canned chilie chipotle in adobado sauce (opt)

I spread about 3 Tbsp of filling down the center of the warmed corn tortilla and folded in the sides (to make the "flute" shape). On a hot lightly oiled griddle (like for pancakes) I pan "fried" these fold side down until they were spotted brown and crispy (flat griddle, non stick coating lightly sprayed with oil). If they started browning to fast I turned down the temperature. Cook the flauta for 3-4 minutes (adjust time as needed) and flip to cook the other side.

I noticed that sometimes the corn tortilla would flake on the surface or crack along the side. I just kept cooking it until it was good and crispy and then it held it' shape. The "flaking went away when I cooked the side that was flaking. I served this with a shredded romaine salad, sliced bell peppers, and my favorite sweet mustard salad dressing.