Chipotle Bean Burritos

As much as I love cooking, I don’t like having to coordinate a bunch of dishes at once or cook multiple nights in a row, so meals that consist of one dish and make lots of leftovers are a favourite around here. And these burritos fit the bill perfectly!

I consider these a fairly healthy version of a burrito with beans instead of meat, some veggies, low-fat sour cream, not too much cheese, and whole wheat tortillas (which taste just as good as regular tortillas in my opinion!).

These also involve fairly minimal effort to make, and make six servings, which meant lots of leftovers for us!  To prepare them, a mixture of black beans and kidney beans gets cooked with some onion, garlic, vegetable broth, spices, chipotle sauce, and salsa to give it lots of flavour. It’s then rolled up with lettuce, tomatoes, mashed avocado, cheese, sour cream, a few pickled jalapenos, and some chipotle hot sauce for a packed and flavour-filled meal-in-one.

We ate these three nights in a row this week and liked them more each time. That may have to do with my getting much better at rolling them with more practice (the last picture was the third night’s burrito which I thought looked much better than the first!)

Ryan commented on how good these are each time too and said they’re way better than beef burritos, and I’d have to agree! (though I don’t like beef anyway, so I’m a little biased)

Chipotle Bean Burritos

Adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For the bean mixture:

1 teaspoon canola or olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 small yellow onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder*

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 (540mL) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (540mL) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup chunky salsa – Mild or medium depending on your preference.  You could also use a chipotle salsa for more chipotle flavour!

2 teaspoons chipotle chile in adobo

Remaining burrito ingredients:

6 large (10-inch) whole wheat tortillas

2 large or 3 small ripe avocados

~1 cup shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese (or a blend of cheese)

3 plum tomatoes, diced

1-1/2 to 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

~1/4 cup pickled jalapenos, optional

~6 tablespoons low-fat sour cream

Chipotle or regular hot sauce, optional

*I get chipotle chile powder at the bulk store.  If you can't find it, you can use a combination of regular chile powder and some cumin for spice.

Directions:

Heat oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium heat.  Add onion and saute about 5 minutes, stirring often, until translucent and starting to turn golden brown.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add chile powder and salt and stir to coat for another 30 seconds.  Stir in vegetable broth and beans and bring to a boil.  Let simmer about 7-10 minutes, or until no liquid remains. Remove from heat and stir in salsa and chipotle sauce.  Partially mash mixture.

Warm tortillas up for about 30 seconds in the microwave, wrapped in damp paper towel, so they are easier to roll.  To form burritos, spread 1/6 of the bean mixture (so it divides evenly among 6 burritos) onto one half of the tortilla, leaving about a 1-inch border.  Top with avocado, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, and hot sauce (again dividing evenly among 6 burritos).  Roll up the side closest to the filling, then fold in each end, and roll the burrito toward the empty side of the tortilla, wrapping the filling completely.  Others prefer to fold in the sides of the burrito first, then roll up from the bottom.  I've also seen starting with the filling in the middle.  Use whatever method works for you but make sure to roll tightly and keep the filling in!

Serve while filling is still slightly warm.  I like to warm my completed burrito up in the toaster oven for a couple minutes before eating to make sure it's warm throughout.

If you have leftovers, keep everything separate.  Warm bean mixture up in the microwave and then prepare burrito as before.

Greek Yogurt BBQ Chicken Pasta Salad

This past weekend was a long weekend for us Canadians, meaning the summer has (unofficially) begun!  And it has definitely felt like summer the past few days; yesterday the temperature went up to about 28°C (around 83F) here in Southern Ontario and I was reminded what it’s like to sweat just standing outside (and in my case, just sitting in your apartment too)!  It was perfect weather for sitting outside for a barbeque on Sunday and laying on the beach Monday (though with the lake still freezing cold, we didn’t last long on the sand without having a way to cool off)!

With the long weekend for my American friends coming up next, I thought this would be a good time to share a pasta salad recipe – the perfect thing to take with you to a summer bbq or picnic.  And feel free to bring me along too, I need another long weekend already!

This pasta salad is made with all whole wheat pasta, non-fat Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise, with veggies for nutrition and chicken for protein - but with the delicious creamy BBQ flavour, no one would ever guess it’s healthy!  I loved the crunch of veggies and the kick of spice in this pasta salad that’s unlike any I’ve tried before; my boyfriend loved this too and couldn’t even tell the pasta was whole wheat or had Greek yogurt.

You could leave out the chicken if you wanted this to be a lighter side dish, but we loved the flavour and texture the chicken added.  And if you’re vegetarian, I think black beans would give this a fun southwestern twist!  

The Tuesdays after a long weekend are the worst, but thankfully this day's already almost over and I can start counting down the days until the next long weekend!

BBQ Chicken Whole Wheat Pasta Salad with Greek Yogurt

Recipe inspired by Gonna Want Seconds (who adapted a dish from Cook’s Illustrated)

Makes around 4-5 large servings or 8-10 side dish servings

Ingredients:

1 375g (13oz) box of whole wheat macaroni

1 teaspoon hot sauce

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 small shallot, minced

1 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt (you can replace part of the yogurt with low-fat mayo if desired, but I used all yogurt)

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

4 green onions, chopped

2 cooked boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded and seasoned with salt & pepper, and tossed with a bit of bbq sauce if desired (or use around 12-14 oz of rotisserie chicken and shred it)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Cook macaroni according to package directions.  Drain and rinse thoroughly with cold water until cool.  Let drain in colander then transfer back to a large bowl.

Add hot sauce, garlic powder, salt and pepper, chili powder, brown sugar, vinegar, and shallots to the pasta and toss to coat.  Let stand for about 2 minutes to absorb.  Next, mix the Greek yogurt and BBQ sauce together in a small bowl, then add to the pasta and toss to coat.  Stir in diced peppers, green onions, and shredded chicken.  Mix and adjust any seasonings if necessary.  Serve cold or at room temperature.

*Note: Feel free to add a bit of BBQ sauce to leftovers before eating if the sauce dries up at all in the fridge (I didn't really have this problem, but I still liked to stir in a little extra sauce to my leftovers)

Chili Lime Yogurt Dip with Salsa Pita Chips

I wasn't planning on posting any more Super Bowl recipes after my big recipe round-up on Friday, but when Danone Canada offered Canadian food bloggers the chance to win some free yogurt by making a recipe with Oikos Greek yogurt, I couldn't resist!

I often eat yogurt for breakfast, snacks, and dessert, so I go through at least a couple tubs of yogurt a week. Greek yogurt makes for one of my favourite breakfasts, with its high protein, low fat, and minimal ingredients list, but there never used to be a lot of options for different flavours here in Canada. I used to have to stock up on Greek yogurt when I made trips to the US, but lately the selection has greatly improved here, which makes my breakfasts a lot more enjoyable!

I'd never really thought to use yogurt in savory snacks, so I was very curious how a chipotle lime yogurt dip would taste. It looked like an easy and healthy snack to whip up, so I bought another tub of yogurt yesterday to give it a try!

I have to admit I was skeptical about adding things like chili powder and Worcestershire sauce to yogurt, so I was surprised when I finished mixing everything together and tasted the dip - the flavour was amazing! The Worcestershire sauce and chili powder add depth of flavour that is balanced out perfectly by the sweetness from the honey and acidity from the lime, and the whole thing has just the right amount of kick from the spice. And the best part is that this dip is actually healthy for you, especially if you pair it with veggies as dippers.

I've been enjoying this dip with baby carrots, but also decided to try out the salsa pita chips from the recipe. I've made pita chips in the oven before, but had never thought of flavouring them with something like salsa. I was worried that they wouldn't bake properly after being soaked with salsa, but while mine required a bit longer of a baking time than what was suggested, they still crisped up fine and were delicious! They made a great pairing for the chili lime dip, but were even great on their own.

If you're still looking for last-minute Super Bowl recipes and want something healthy to snack on among the other not-so-healthy food that will likely be served for the big game, try this dip! Or if you want to indulge today, you could make this later in the week when you're craving snacks that you can feel good about eating. You guys know I love dips from the amount of hummus recipes on my site, and I think this is going to be one of my new go-to dips to have around when I want something fresh and light to snack on.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

Chili Lime Yogurt Dip with Salsa Pita Chips

Adapted from Danone Oikos Greek Yogurt

Serves a group as an appetizer

Ingredients:

For the Pita Chips:

2 large pita pockets (I used whole-wheat)

1/2 cup salsa

For the Dip:

2 cups non-fat plain Greek yogurt (about one 500g tub)

1 tablespoon honey

2-3 teaspoons chili powder (start with less for less spice)

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (optional for more spice)

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional - I liked the dip with and without cilantro)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Cut through the edges of each pita pocket to separate it into two circles. Cut each circle into smaller chip-sized triangles. Use a cooking brush to brush salsa onto both sides of each pita chip, then place pita chips onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 15-20 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Baking time may vary depending on type of pita, size of chips, and amount of salsa on each chip, so keep an eye on them and adjust time accordingly.

Meanwhile, mix all ingredients for the yogurt dip in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients to your liking.

Keep dip refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve with salsa pita chips and veggies.

*Note: Make as many pita chips as you like – you may wish for more than what’s stated in the recipe if you are not serving any other dippers like vegetables. But, I have found that they are not as good the next day, so only make as much as you will need that day.