Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wrap

Is there anyone else that cannot believe that it's already Lent?!? This year is just flying!

When we lived in Omaha, one of the things we were able to experience was a true fish fry. During Lent, several of the Catholic churches put on these huge fish fries every Friday evening. With adult beverages available for purchase, fried foods of all types, and lines that are several hours long, these fish fries turn out to be quite the gathering. The only bad part is you go home smelling of fried fish. We are not Catholic and I don't even eat fish, but I will admit that I have trudged through the snow to stand in line for one of these!

In reviewing the recipes that I have saved up to post, I realized that many of these are meatless. Perfect. I'll do a Lenten meatless dinner series. Some of these recipes will be quick and easy, others will take a bit more time, but all will be meat and seafood free. If there are others out there that despise eating things that swim as much as I do, hopefully I can save you from subsisting on fried hush-puppies and sides of macaroni and cheese as I did at these fish fries!

Disclaimer: Many of these are tex-mex or southwestern in flavor (but not all!), so if you also are adverse to Mexican foods, I may not be of much help :)

First up, creamy avocado and white bean wraps. This recipe comes from Eating Well, and I will admit that it made my menu due to the ease of the recipe. If you can chop up some cabbage and mash some beans, you can make these wraps. In the past, I have had mixed feelings about using cabbage in tacos and Mexican dishes, but in these wraps, it works. For one, it holds up much better than lettuce would in delivering the flavor from the chipotle peppers, but most importantly, it gives these wraps some crunch!

Would this recipe wow in a 5-star restaurant? Probably not. Will it provide a good, quick, and healthy meal for your family? Absolutely. Note, it only makes 4 wraps, so if you have a bigger family, you may need to double the recipe. For us, dinner plus lunch. By the next day, the avocado mixture had turned a little brown, but nothing that greatly affected the taste.  Overall, I can tell you that we were actually really impressed with this recipe despite its simplicity. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipes)

Creamy Avocado and White Bean Wraps
From Eating Well July/Aug 2009

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. canola oil
2 tsp. finely chopped and seeded chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (keep the extras!)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 (15oz) can white beans
1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. red onion, minced
4, 8- or 10-inch whole wheat tortillas (we like La Tortilla Factory's tortillas)

Whisk vinegar, oil, chipotle chiles, and salt in a medium bowl. Add cabbage, cilantro, and carrot. Set aside. If possible, let marinate for 20-30 minutes. If not, it can be used right away.

Mash beans and avocado in a separate medium bowl. Add shredded cheese and onion; mix well. 

To make the wraps, spread about 1/2 cup of the bean mixture down the center of a tortilla. Top with about 2/3 cup of the cabbage mixture. Fold in the ends of the tortilla and roll-up burrito style. Repeat to make remaining wraps. Can cut the wraps in half to serve, if desired.