There really is a burrito under this salad.
Burritos are quick, satisfying, and a great way to use up leftovers and disguise matchstick cut veggies. Kids can personalize them and you can cut them into fun “pinwheel” slices for playdates.
When I cook brown rice I always make a large batch and then freeze it in 1 cup increments. I also freeze that last piece of meat or fish, just opening the tupperwear container with the brown rice and throwing it on top then putting it back in the freezer. It only takes minutes in the microwave to defrost if I’ve forgotten to put it in the fridge the night before.
Super Power Pinwheels for Kids
For pinwheel style burritos spread the rice very thinly and evenly over most of a tortilla, nori, Greek pita or lefse (leaving the edge furthest from you free), cover that with any sauce you like (flavored cream cheese, mayonnaise or yogurt, caesar dressing, tzaziki, lemon/tahini, refried beans mixed with chili powder or taco seasoning, mango chutney, curry sauce, salsa, peanut sauce, teriyaki, etc.), then place other stuffing in a thin row horizontally in front of you and begin rolling tightly. Wet the outside edge furthest away from you with some water to seal. Now slice thinly into pinwheels. Chicken Little’s favorite pinwheel is a tortilla with mayonnaise, turkey ham and a pickled asparagus stalk in the center.
Salad Style Burritos
Burprag used to try to stuff as many veggies into burritos as humanly possible and then finally gave up on that and started building a huge salad on top of the burrito. You can use salsa as “dressing” and top with a dollop of light sour cream or plain yogurt. Eat the burrito with a knife and fork.
Burprag’s salads on top consist of raw spinach, arugula, sometimes chopped kale (ribs removed), thinly sliced red cabbage, grated carrot, cilantro or parsley and chopped fresh avocado, tomato and jalapeno. Kids love these because they can build their own.
Chicken Burritos
Use individually frozen chicken breast tenders for the fastest results, adding right to a lightly oiled nonstick pan without thawing. With the pan on medium high add chopped celery, onion, garlic, generous shake of cumin, generous shake of oregano, generous shake chili powder, sea salt and freshly grated black pepper. Cook for several minutes with the lid on the pan, until the chicken thaws. At that point you can begin breaking the chicken up and continue frying for several minutes until the chicken and veggies are cooked through and the flavors are melded. Once off the heat squeeze the juice from 1/2 lime over the filling and begin to build your burritos. Once the burritos are filled, microwave them until the cheese is melted. Now build your salad and serve.
Fish Burritos
Use individually frozen thinner fish fillets like tillapia or sole for the fastest results. Use the same ingredients and cooking method as for the chicken burritos, ommitting the chili powder. Instead of red salsa we prefer green salsa and yogurt sauce with these. If you are really in a time crunch you can microwave frozen fish sticks but that’s not Burprag’s favorite way. It’s Chicken Little’s favorite way.
To make the Yogurt Sauce:
combine 1/2 cup plain yogurt with 1/2 t dijon mustard and a pinch of tarragon, ground between your fingers.
Black Bean Burritos
No recipe here - simply open a can and drain them. Fill your burrito with whole or refried beans, rice and grated cheddar or mozzarella. It’s the easiest no-cook complete protein meal ever!
Flank Steak Burritos
Marinate thawed flank steak in the refrigerator for 24 hours prior to barbecuing. For the Marinade:
1/2 cup red wine or stout beer such as Guiness
3-5 minced garlic cloves
1 t mesquite smoke seasoning
2 T brown sugar
1 T red wine vinegar
1 T dried oregano
Allow gas grill to pre-heat on high for 5 minutes. Grill flank steak 5-6 minutes each side until done. Slice very thin on the bias (against the grain).
This recipe also works with chicken breasts as long as you use a lager or pilsner style beer rather than the red wine or stout beer.