Refried Bean & Veggie Burritos

This almost isn't a blog-worthy entry, but I've been making these on the regular and they are good and cheap and easy! 6+ months into the pandemic (good lord), I at least don't get anxiety any more about grocery shopping, but we still try to keep it to a minimum - a big shop every 2-3 weeks and we're still getting a weekly fresh produce delivery from Hungry Harvest. These burritos are good eating for when you're just down to pantry staples...the sauteed veggies are optional and you could just bean/cheese/rice/salsa it up.

I've never been a big refried bean person...I will eat them when they come as a side at a Mexican place, but I've never bought them regularly. Black beans are usually my legume of choice. Then we discovered these Safeway brand spicy jalapeno refritos - and man, they've got a kick! And for burritos I think refried beans hold things together a bit better.

The store was out of them on a previous trip and we tried El Paso brand spicy refried beans...sadly there was distinct lack of kick, so I doctored those up with chili powder and hot sauce. These store brand ones are also vegetarian, without the lard that's in "traditional" refritos. I'm not opposed to lard in the right applications...but anyhoo these beans are good 'n spicy! One can will make 4 burritos.

I am still not very good at rolling burritos, but they get into our bellies nonetheless. My husband eats his with a fork & knife anyway (I think it's a beard thing?) and I wrap mine in foil. There are different schools of burrito rolling (yes, I researched this). I've been putting the ingredients on the lower half, folding that over almost in half and then squishing/compacting, then folding in the sides and rolling. I also toast the burritos in a hot pan and that seems to seal the bottoms a bit. 

Obviously put whatever you like in or on these: sour cream, avocado/guac, other veggies/meats, etc.

The players:

- Refried beans: I use 1/2 can at a time for 2 burritos, and nuke them for ~30 sec. You can mix a splash of milk in to make them a little creamier. If your beans are bland, you can add chili powder / hot sauce.

- Cooked rice: optional, but I like it. You don't need much, just a couple spoonfuls per burrito.

- Grated cheese

- Sliced onion & bell pepper: saute these until tender, then add some frozen corn. Season with chili powder.

- Salsa

Nuke your tortillas for a few seconds and then layer ingredients - don't overfill! I spread the beans on first, then cheese, rice, salsa, and the sauteed veggies. Roll up and toast in a hot pan for a few minutes on each side: 

Wrap in foil if you like. Not photogenic, nor fancy, but it's good!