Burritos (And They're Vegetarian!)

Our entree this week in our Cinco de Mayo fiesta was something I've never made before, but have wanted to for a while. Now that I eat (and love!) black beans, and have been working more with meatless dishes, I thought I would make a nice black bean burrito with some soy chorizo and corn.

I ate the most delicious vegetarian burrito at a Mexican restaurant a couple weeks back, and it inspired me to try making one of my own. The burrito that I ate before contained flavorful rice, corn, squash, and black beans, so mine is very loosely modeled on that one. I liked the idea of the meatless sausage for heat, and I figured I can always try making the squash variation later this summer, when Andy's parents start sharing their bumper crop of summer squash and zucchini with us!



For the rice, I simmered mine in some salsa and added onion and garlic to the pot for flavor. When it came time to cook my meat, I did half soyrizo and half non-spicy veggie crumbles. The soyrizo by itself would have been pretty spizy, so I wanted to cut it down a bit. After the meat had a chance to cook, I added some ground cumin, a can of black beans, and some thawed frozen corn.



I read somewhere that it makes the burrito-rolling process much easier if you warm the tortillas first in the oven, so I used that method and it worked beautifully. My rolling skills still leave an awful lot to be desired, but I was at least able to roll mine up so that nothing fell out and the sides were more or less tucked in. The burritos were baked in the oven for about 10 minutes, just enough to lightly crisp the tortillas and warm the filling through. These were so good dipped in some of my Salsa Verde, and Andy slathered sour cream all over his and loved it. He had cheese mixed in with his filling, but I did not. Try the cheese if you love it; I was just trying to cut down on my calories! And I loved these burritos, cheese or no cheese.

Black Bean and Soyrizo Burritos
recipe by Bri
makes about 10-12 burritos

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 a red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water (you can use vegetable broth)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. salsa (any variety, any heat level)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 oz. Soyrizo (vegetarian chorizo sausage), casings removed
4 oz. Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles (or any combination of meat/veggie meat that adds up to a total of 8 oz.)
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 1/3 cups frozen corn, thawed
10-12 (large or burrito-size) flour tortillas
Cheddar cheese, optional, for filling
Hot sauce, optional, for filling (we like Cholula)
Sour cream, optional, for serving
Salsa, optional, for serving

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic; cook for another minute, stirring frequently. Add the rice and stir occasionally to toast the grains, about 2 minutes. Stir in the salsa until it coats the rice. Add the water (or broth), bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover with a lid. Allow to cook, covered, for 20 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. Fluff with a fork and let stand 5 minutes before using.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet turned to a medium heat, heat the (frozen) veggie crumbles until hot, stirring frequently. After about the first 5 minutes of cooking, add in the soyrizo and continue to cook. Keep stirring; the meat mixture should take about 10 minutes until it reaches the fully cooked stage.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 and place the tortillas on a large piece of foil. Sprinkle the tortillas with just a few drops of water and cover completely with foil. Warm the tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes (this makes them pliable and easier to handle when filling).

4. After the meat mixture has had a chance to fully cook, add in the ground cumin, the black beans, and the corn. Cook just until the beans and corn are completely heated through, and remove from the heat.

5. To assemble the burritos, place a heated tortilla on a work surface. Add about 1/4 cup rice mixture and 1/4 cup meat mixture to the tortilla; top with cheese and/or hot sauce, if desired. Roll the tortilla over the filling, then tuck in the sides. Roll all the way up, and transfer to a greased bakin sheet, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.

5. Bake the burritos in a 350 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes, until the tops are starting to crisp and the filling is very hot. Note: this step is optional, but we really enjoyed the burritos warmed up this way. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or anything else you'd like!