May 5 2012

Oh Cinco {Recipe Edition}

Merusi’s Benevolent Burrito.

We went into our archives and pulled out a great little recipe Nicole Merusi shared with us as part of her Modern Mom interview. Because it’s so easy, you can prepare this dish for Cinco de Mayo this weekend – Perfect! What we love most is that it’s hands on {the kiddos build their very own burrito} and delicious. 

“Benevolent Burritos!! It’s our family fave!! It’s healthy, vegetarian, and filled with flavor. I’m a little hesitant to share our little secret, but here goes. The short version uses 10 minute Uncle Ben’s Brown Rice and the sweet potatoes get thrown in the Microwave for 8-10 minutes. When I have extra time, I’ll slow roast the sweet potatoes in the oven for added flavor – but we don’t usually have that extra time during the week.” – Nicole 

Ingredients:

1-2 Sweet Potato(s)

1 Can low Sodium Goya Black Beans

Cooked brown rice

Shredded  Mexican Cheese Blend (prepared)

Avocado, sliced

Lettuce, chopped

1-2 Tomato, chopped

Cilantro (optional)

Lime juice (optional)

Chipotle Hot Sauce

Package of Whole Wheat Tortillas

Nicole’s Prep: 

Start the brown rice. Throw the sweet potatoes into the Microwave (8-10 mins depending on size) until they’re soft. Cook the beans in their liquid until hot – I like to season mine with Cumin and pepper. Shred the lettuce, dice up the tomatoes and slice the avocados. I add chopped cilantro and fresh lime juice to the rice. Soften the tortillas in the toaster oven or microwave (between a moistened paper towel works best). My favorite part is that it’s total hands-on. We put all ingredients out in small serving dishes on the table and each of us builds our own burrito. Take a tortilla, mash some sweet potato on the bottom, pile on the rice & beans, then throw on some cheese (has to be next to the hot stuff so it’ll melt). Add on the rest of the cold ingredients as you like – we like it all. The chipotle hot sauce isn’t mandatory, but the flavor combination with the black beans and sweet potato is unbelievable. Roll it all up (carefully – cuz if you’re like me, you overloaded the tortilla) and enjoy!