Spicy beans and rice burrito (vegan friendly)

Okay so I love Mexican food, and since becoming vegan I have found a new appreciation for all things bean related. Weirdly my sense of taste has been amplified and I’m pretty sure it’s to do with the new diet. In appreciation for the new and improved taste buds, I have been using a lot more spice in my cooking. Fragrant or spicy I’m incorporating it.

Before I write out the recipe, I must add a disclaimer. I did not roll my burritos properly, even with assistance from multiple YouTube videos. Also I used beetroot and acai wraps instead of regular flour tortillas and to my surprise they are a bit more fragile than their counterparts. With all of this in mind, the flavour was incredible, and even though my food photography is still budding, the photos do not give justice to the taste of this dish. It really is in the top 10 tastiest things I’ve made. It was adapted from the vegan burrito recipe from lovingitvegan.com. If you are interested in something less vegan, substitute the cashew sour cream for regular sour cream. I’m sure it will be just as delicious.

Bean and rice burrito (vegan friendly)

Makes about 6 burritos.

• 400 g               cooked basmati rice. (I used Spekko basmati, hoorah for low gi)
• 2                      fresh avocados, mashed with a fork
• 1 packet          vegan tortillas or vegetable wraps
• 2 large             white onions, chopped relatively fine
• 2 cloves           garlic crushed or finely chopped
• 3 large             tomatoes, chopped into smallish pieces
• ¼ cup              sliced jalapeno, fresh or bottled.
• 2                      limes, zested and juiced
• 1 handful         fresh coriander roughly chopped
• 1 cup               raw cashews
• ½ cup              water
• 1                      lemon, juiced
• 1 TBS              apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBS              nutritional yeast
• 1 can               black beans
• 1 can               corn
• 80 g                 sundried tomatoes
• ½ head            fresh lettuce, shredded
• 1 Tsp               cayenne pepper
• ½ Tsp              ground cumin 
• ½ Tsp              dried chili flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Firstly, make your sour cream. Add your cashews, water, lemon juice, vinegar and yeast into a blender and blend until smooth. Decant and set aside.
2. Make your salsa, in a bowl add the chopped tomatoes, 1 of the chopped onions, 1 glove of garlic crushed, the juice and zest of 1 lime, jalapenos and the fresh coriander. Season with salt and pepper, mix and set aside.
3. In a large saucepan, fry the remaining onion and garlic until onion is translucent.
4. Add the cayenne, cumin, chili flakes and the remaining lime juice. Cook for ± 5 minutes until fragrant.
5. Add the sundried tomatoes and cook for another minute or 2.
6. Add your black beans, including the water, and your drained can of corn to the pan, stir through and cook until most of the water has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
7. Heat up a large frying pan, heat each wrap for 10-15 seconds each side. I suggest heating and building each burrito as you go.
8. In your heated wrap, place in succession a helping of Spekko basmati rice, the bean and corn mixture, some shredded lettuce, 1 or 2 tsp of avocado, a spoon of the salsa and a spoon of the sour cream.
9. Fold in the edges on the shorter side, then roll from the longer side until fully enclosed. Place back in the hot pan, seam side down, to seal.
10. Cut in half and serve or wrap tightly in foil. They can be kept in the refrigerator for 1 or 2 days. I wouldn’t suggest keeping them longer.

If you struggle to wrap your burritos tightly (like I did!) don’t worry because the foil will keep them tight.

With whatever fillings you have left, mix them all together in a big bowl and just like that you have a Mexican rice bowl! Mine made dinner and lunch for a day or two.

I hope you enjoy making this as much as I did!

Thanks for reading, love and health to you all!

N xx