(sidenote: do the kids today even know the song ‘high hopes’? Other than the Phillies fans, who sing it every time the team wins. Am I officially old by cultural standards?)
There’s no great conspiracy that prevented this post from existing yesterday. I was going to do it, and then I forgot and had a snack and went to bed. Simple! To apologise to you the reader, I present my latest dinner success: veggie burritos!
First an admission: these would more likely be called soft tacos, not burritos, but I like the sound of burritos more.
The inspiration for this meal came from the metric ton of romaine lettuce hearts I bought from Costco to make a giant greek salad. Even after making said salad, I had an armada of lettuce heads to use. The solution was to use them in place of the tortilla. I still have 2 and a half heads left, but at least I put a dent in it.
Ingredients:
bean filling:
mushrooms (about a pan full, after slicing)
Can of black beans, rinsed.
Cumin, cinnamon, salt,pepper
hunk o’ butter (you could replace with vegetable broth, if you really wanted to)
salsa:
4-5 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
generous handful of cilantro, diced
1/2 a bell pepper, diced. (use a spicy pepper if you’re so inclined)
1 clove of garlic
lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
along for the ride:
rice
romaine hearts
avocado slices
Cheese and/or sour cream if you’re so inclined.
Bean filling:
Start by sauteing the mushrooms in the butter until they gain a healthy golden brown colour. Add the beans and spices and fry for a few more minutes until the beans start to fall apart.
Cook some rice (I used basmati, but your rice is your business) while the sauteing is going on.
The salsa is easy:throw the ingredients together and taste. Is it delicious? If yes, success! If no, add more seasoning. (in the case of too much salt, add more tomatoes until you get back to a sensible place)
Dismember the romaine hearts into their composite leaves. Put a layer of rice in the middle of the leaf, followed by bean filling, then salsa. top with a couple of avocado slices, and cheese/sour cream if you’re using it. Each person should get 3-4 portions. These burritos fall precariously between appetizer and full meal, due to their limited storage capacity. Don’t try to make huge gonzo burritos and then come crying to me when the toppings end up in a pile on your plate.
