Clean Eating Recipe of the Week- Clean Eating Vegetarian Burrito

Clean Eating Vegetarian Burrito

If you're craving Mexican food, here's a healthy version of a bean and cheese burrito.

Black beans are a wonderful source of dietary fiber which has been shown to naturally help lower cholesterol. In addition, the high fiber content in black beans helps keep blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, which will leave you feeling satiated instead of craving more. When black beans are prepared with whole grains such as brown rice, the combination provides a virtually fat-free, high quality source of protein. But that's not all, black beans are rich in antioxidants as well. Antioxidants destroy free radicals, and when eaten regularly, have been shown to offer protection against heart disease, cancer and aging, so eat up!

1 Red Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 Green or Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 Vidalla Onion or Maui Onion, sliced thinly

1 cup dry Quinoa or Brown rice, cooked

2 cups water

½ small red onion, diced

1 - 15oz. can Organic Black Bean

½ c. Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes

3 tsp ground cumin

1 TBL Chili Powder (Mexican style blend)

1 tsp Sea Salt

Pepper to taste

2 TBL. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 Pkg. Sprouted or Whole Wheat Tortillas

Extras (optional):

Avocado

Cheese (preferably non-dairy)

Plain Yogurt

Salsa

To Prepare:

Rinse quinoa or brown rice, and prepare according to package directions.

While quinoa/rice is cooking, heat 1 TBL of the Olive oil in a large skillet. Add peppers & onions and sauté until soft – about 3-5 minutes. Add 2 tsp. cumin, Chili Powder, ½ tsp. sea salt and continue cooking for 2 more minutes, stirring to incorporate all the spices with the peppers & onions. Add Tomatoes and stir to mix. Lower heat and cover, cooking for about 5 minutes until peppers are really soft.

To prepare beans, heat remaining TBL of olive oil in a saucepan and add red onion. Saute the onion until soft. Add remaining 1 tsp of cumin and ½ tsp. salt, stir together. Add black beans and stir to incorporate all ingredients. Let cook for 1-2 minutes longer until beans are heated through. Add 1 cup of cooked quinoa or rice to the beans and stir together. Season with fresh ground pepper and remove from heat.

To Assemble:

Heat Tortilla shell over low open flame on stove to soften. Place the tortilla on a flat surface. Spread a very small amount of grated cheese over entire tortilla. Add 1 scoop of pepper & onion mixture to bottom 1/3 of tortilla. Top with 1 scoop of quinoa/bean mixture. Add avocado (optional) and Roll!!!

Enjoy your burrito topped with heart healthy Salsa or a bit of guacamole!!

Makes 6-8 Burritos

Recipe created by Missy Costello of Karma Chow

Click HERE for a printable version.

Nicole