Cheesy Rice & Black Bean Burritos

… and a game of “tag” … I was tagged twice, first by Good Cooks and then Chef in Disguise tagged me again …

I don’t know that I even think of this as a recipe … it is one of those throw-it-together kind of lunches, something I could almost do in my sleep. You could add a sauce over the top if you like. My sister has a great recipe for homemade red sauce that would be awesome on these.

I was making my burrito for lunch, so I just wrapped my burrito in a napkin and munched away on it while I worked … but it’s a great quick meal to throw together for a hearty Meatless Monday meal, or if you have some meat you want to toss in, chop it up and add it with the beans and rice.

Cheesy Rice & Black Bean Burritos

Add in other stuff as you please … or leave out anything you don’t like. This is a very forgiving recipe.

• Black beans, cooked and drained
• Cooked rice (I used basmati rice)
• Large flour tortillas (whole wheat or regular … )
• Your favorite salsa (I used my funky kiwi, kumquat, and mango salsa … the salsa you choose is going to really impact the flavor so pick a good one!)
• Optional: chopped jalapenos or green chile
• Chopped onion & avocado
• Shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend + some shredded sharp cheddar)
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Directions:

First, make sure the black beans and rice are good and hot.

For each burrito, heat a large tortilla in the microwave briefly until it’s warm. (Warm tortillas fold better.) Put a couple spoonfuls of beans in the center of the tortilla in a rectangular-ish shape and mash them roughly with a fork. (You could use refried beans too in place of the black beans … that works well too …) Top with a few spoonfuls of salsa and the rice.

Sprinkle with the shredded cheese and microwave on high for a minute or two until the cheese melts, then toss on some cilantro.

Now fold over the short edges of the burrito and then fold over the long end.

and then just roll it up …

If you were going to add sauce, this would be where you would pour the hot sauce over top, maybe add a little more cheese, then microwave it a bit more to get that cheese on top all melty.

(Instead of microwave-melting the cheese, you could make a bunch of these, put them in a baking pan, cover with sauce and a bit more cheese and bake for 20 – 30 minutes or so or until everything is all hot and bubbly.)

Now for the tag game … I’ve been tagged, so I have to answer the following questions, then tag 5 other bloggers who are supposed to do the same.

Describe yourself in 7 words…

Foodie, Tree Hugger, Geek, Empath, Mother, Dreamer, Friend

What keeps you up at night?

Usually I sleep well, but sometimes I worry. Sometimes I stay up too late talking to my best friend … or out on a date. I’m divorced, yes, so I worry about men and love and where things are going in my life. My mind can also get busy wondering, pondering, fearing for my childrens’ future. Sometimes I can’t sleep because I think of a really good idea for a recipe and I’m so excited to make it. Sometimes I stay up late to finish writing up a blog post. Sometimes I stress over stupid things like how to make an ugly food look good. Once in a while I stress over work.

Who would you like to be?

I want to just be me and not let anybody get in the way of that. Being an empath, that’s hard to do because I feel what other people feel and I care so much about my friends and family. I guess, though, that is who I am.

What scares you?

Global warming and how people take our earth for granted. What’s going to happen in my children’s lifetime … and their childrens’ lifetime. Will our earth be able to recover from what we are doing to it?

Sometimes the thought of being alone scares me too. But since I started this blog, really, I never am alone …

What are the best and worst things about blogging?

The very best thing about blogging is the wonderful friends I have made along the way. I cannot even begin to describe how amazing it feels to wake up every morning to this fantastic group of caring, loving people. Foodies are the most generous, sweet, kind people you will ever meet, and having a food blog has brought me friends from all over the world I would never have met or even known of if I didn’t have this blog.

The worst thing about blogging … I suppose it is the time, because it does take a lot of time. But every moment I’m blogging or cooking for the blog is pure joy. I blog because I love it.

What is the last website you looked at?

I went to my sister’s food blog: She Eats Pork and Fishes … to find the recipe for the burrito sauce.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To love and respect myself more. To be kinder and more forgiving to myself. To stand up for myself and say no sometimes, rather than trying to please so many people. To be a stronger, better mother.

Slankets, yes or no?

Seriously? You want to know that? No, really, you don’t care. This is not important … (um, what’s a slanket anyway?)

Tell us something about the person who tagged you…

Samah (Good Cooks) is a mother from Palestine who lives here in the US now. Her photographs and recipes are just phenomenal. She is adventurous and brave in the kitchen and tackles all sorts of different recipes, and although I’ve not met her in person, I am sure that is how she is in real life too. Everything she cooks makes me drool …

Sawsan (Chef in Disguise) is a wonderful cook, a talented photographer and a sweet, sweet person. She is a mother and a doctor, but she is also my friend. She has so many good things to say. I love the variety of foods that she makes–she teaches me about foods I had never heard of. She has a heart of gold.

Tag, you’re it!

Now to pass on this game to five other bloggers … it’s so hard to choose … but I pick:

1. Bobbi’s Cozy Kitchen
2. Cooking with Mel
3. Debi at Recipes for my Boys
4. Bia at Rich and Sweet
5. Melissa at ChinDeep

This recipe was shared at Meatless Mondays, Totally Tasty Tuesdays, Midweek Fiesta, Newlyweds Recipe Linky, Cast Party Wednesday, and Fit & Fabulous Fridays.