Chipotle Bean Burritos

Last but not least. The final meatless, seafoodless recipe. Hope you have been able to find some meatless recipes in the last couple weeks whether it is for meatless Fridays or just the occasional meatless meal.  

I ran across this recipe on Annie's Eats, but it is originally a Cooking Light recipe. It seems pretty simple and definitely is quick. Beans mixed in a skillet with some seasonings and wrapped up in a tortilla with your standard round up of sour cream, lettuce, tomato, etc. I definitely learned one thing in making this recipe. A mixture of mashed up beans does not make for very pretty photos!

Can't go wrong with simple, quick, and delicious. As this is the last meatless meal, I'll be back tomorrow with a decadent dessert :) Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Chipotle Bean Burritos
Adapted from Cooking Light (Seen on Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce
1 tsp. cumin
dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/3 cup chicken broth (or water)
1 (15oz) can black beans
1 (15oz) can pinto beans
6 Tbsp. fresh salsa
6 whole wheat tortillas
shredded Mexican blend cheese
diced tomatoes
shredded lettuce
chopped green onions
Low-fat sour cream

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and spices through the salt. Stir constantly and cook until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Add the beans and broth to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the the heat and allow to cook for about 10 minutes or until the beans are softened. Remove the skillet from the heat. Roughly mash the beans leaving some pieces whole. Add the salsa and mix well. 

Spoon about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top with desired toppings. Fold the ends of the tortilla in and roll-up lengthwise. May cut in half if desired. Serve immediately.

Mediterranean Wrap

Finals. Check. Marathon. Check. Woo hoo! What a week. I finished my first marathon in 4 hours and 26 minutes which translates to just over 10 minute miles. I'm still a little bit in awe of the race. I really didn't start "feeling it" until mile 23. It was about that time that I swear I had the best slice of orange that I've ever had in my life from one of the aid stations along the course :-)

Even with all the stuff going on, it's no secret that we try a lot of new recipes. Good or bad, it seems that we rarely make things twice. Many of these recipes come right out of the blog world, but I also have that stack of cooking magazines that I'm sure most of us do. However, I don't really seem to make recipes out of the magazines as often as I would like. They go into my pile and the recipes unfortunately get forgotten once menu planning starts.

When I got the June 2010 issue of Eating Well, I knew we needed to make this recipe right away. Before this recipe, I had never cooked with couscous. It had been on my list of things to make, but much like the magazines it got pushed aside. 

Well, I'm glad we didn't wait to long on these wraps because these were amazing! The hubby is still talking about them a week and a half later. I'd recommend splurging on the fresh mint if you don't already grow your own. We don't always cook with fresh herbs because we live in an apartment and have limited growing space, but the fresh herbs really make these wraps! The magazine suggests that these wraps be served with a green salad and a crisp glass of white wine. Sounds great to me!

Try them out next time you are looking for a lighter meal. We loved them!

(Printable Recipe)

Mediterranean Wraps
Adapted from Eating Well June 2010

Ingredients:
1/2 c. water
1/3 c. whole wheat couscous
1 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 c. chopped fresh mint
1/4 c. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 lb. chicken tenders
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 c. chopped cucumber
4 sun-dried tomato FlatOut Flatbreads

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside. 

Meanwhile, combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Toss chicken tenders in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Place the tenders in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Cut into bite-sized pieces when cool enough to handle.

Stir the remaining parsley mixture into the couscous along with the tomato and cucumber. To assemble wraps, spread about 3/4 cup onto each wrap. Divide the chicken among the wraps. Roll the wraps up like a burrito, tucking in the sides to hold in the ingredients. Serve cut in half.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

This is actually the 3rd time that we have made these wraps. The recipe was adapted from this one here at My Kitchen Cafe. The first time we made them my husband and I were looking for a quick chicken recipe to make for my in-laws right before Christmas. We wanted a quick, lighter meal since we knew the food coma that was coming with Christmas, and these definitely fit the bill.

The biggest change we made to the recipe was to use flatbread instead of tortillas. We are minorly obsessed with these FlatOut flatbreads that we found at an area grocery store and have been using them for everything from lunch wraps to thin pizza crusts. They are fairly low-calorie compared to the large tortillas and have a fair amount of fiber too.

This past time, we actually used the sun-dried tomato flavor, and it went really well with the flavors of these wraps. The flatbread is nice when you're making a wrap like this because it will not crack like a tortilla will.  It's just a little bit thicker than a tortilla would be, and this helps hold everything together. I'm sold on them anyway.

Try these wraps out. They also make a great meal when you only need to feed a couple people. Mix up the filling and keep it in the fridge. That way you can use it to only make the number of wraps you need. Enjoy!

(Printable Recipe)

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps
Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe

Ingredients:
1 c. cooked brown minute rice
1 c. cooked, shredded chicken
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
2-3 green onions, sliced (white and green parts)
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2-3 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 c. shredded Monterrey jack or cheddar cheese
fat-free sour cream
6-8 flatbreads or burrito-sized flour tortillas

Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over the flatbread, leaving 1/2-inch boarder around the edges. Dot with sour cream. Arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. Fold end the ends of the flatbread and roll up the long way. 

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Spray pan with cooking spray. Arrange 2 wraps, seam side down, in the pan and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.