Like most newly-weds (and most people nowadays) we are on a budget...a Meatless Monday kind of budget. Since most things I make for dinner are intended to feed more than 2, our leftovers from Meatless Monday tends to turn into Meatless Wednesday and Friday too, which is even better for our budget. We like our meat and like to eat a lot of produce, which gets expensive. We had to find a way to cut back. Going meatless once a week and a little smarter shopping has dropped our grocery bill quite a bit (about $100/month)! What inspired us to start cutting our grocery bill was our desire to be debt free (can you say 7 years of college/graduate school loans?...barf)! After reading Dave Ramsey's book on financial peace, we've decided to get our debt snowball moving...but I'll save those details for another day.
I was a little nervous about running this idea past my husband. We are both very much carnivores, and I didn't know how he would take the idea of a meatless dish once a week. Turns out he was all for it if it saved money, so we decided to go for it. This was our second meatless dish, and it's been our fav so far. Eating a good dinner is a big deal to us, so after each meal we tend to have a debriefing of what we thought about the meal (if we'd make it again, what we liked, what we would change next time...no kidding...we're that big of nerds). Nathan told me after eating it, "that's a keeper". Hope you enjoy it too!
Just a heads up...this makes A LOT (about 14-16 burritos). We chose to freeze half the mixture for another week and only make 8 burritos for this week.
BEAN BURRITO RECIPE
adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe http://www.melskitchencafe.com/2010/01/super-bean-burritos.html
Ingredients
1 cup brown or white rice, uncooked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced
2 packets reduced sodium taco seasoning
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) reduced sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 can less sodium whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeds and membrane removed, diced
2 packets reduced sodium taco seasoning
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cans (15 oz. each) reduced sodium pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups water
1 can less sodium whole kernel corn, drained
6 green onions, white and green parts finely chopped
16 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
Cook rice; set aside. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion (not the green onion), garlic, jalapeno; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and golden, being careful not to let the garlic burn. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring for 1 minute.
Add one can of beans and mash gently in the pan (I used a fork, but a potato masher would work as well). Add the second can of beans and the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 10-12 minutes, being careful not to let the mixture stick to the bottom of the pot. Add corn; cook to heat through, 2-3 minutes. Stir in taco seasoning. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and cooked rice.
Heat tortillas in microwave for about 30-45 seconds or until all are warmed through.
Fill each tortilla with about 1/2 cup bean and rice mixture and 1/8 cup cheese on one side of tortilla. Fold, and hold in sides. Starting from filled end, holding sides in as you work, tightly roll into a bundle. Place on a baking sheet, seam side down, and prepare remaining burritos.
I topped mine with reduced fat sour cream and a little salsa :)
Nutritional Information: Calories 347, Total Fat 11.1g, Total Carbohydrate 56.09g, Protein 12.96g
