Southwest Burritos

Several weeks ago I was trying to come up with a healthy, fiber-filled lunch for The Honey to take to work. He was getting tired of soups and it was too cold for salads, so I started thinking about filling a tortilla with some yumminess. I started with leftover chicken and black beans, and went from there. The result? "Blog-worthy" were the exact words used by The Honey.

I have finally made them again and tweaked my recipe to get it just right.

Southwest Burritos
(serves 6)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 c. frozen corn
½ c. instant brown rice (uncooked)
1 c. water
1 ½ c. leftover cooked chicken, chopped
½ c. roasted red bell pepper, chopped
2 Tbsp. fajita seasoning
2 Tbsp. picante sauce or salsa
½ c. shredded sharp cheddar
6 tortillas

Bring beans, corn, rice, and water to a boil in a medium saucepan and simmer, covered, until rice is done (about 10 minutes).

While this is simmering, pull out your leftover chicken. As long as it isn't BBQ chicken, it doesn't really matter how it's seasoned. I have used garlic chicken and grilled basil chicken - both are fabulous. You could also use leftovers from a roasted chicken if you have it. Just chop it up and use it!

Now set aside the chicken and chop up those roasted red peppers. I usually buy the strips so minimal chopping is required.

At this point your rice should be about finished. Remove the lid and add the chicken and peppers to the saucepan, along with the fajita seasoning and picante sauce. If you prefer, you can use salsa, but we are picante sauce fans around here.


Stir it all up and let it simmer till everything is heated through.



Now remove from heat and stir in the shredded cheese.





Spread 1/6 of filling on tortilla of your choice. This time it just so happened that we had some jalapeno tortillas lying around that my sister bought. They add a little kick if you like it spicy! If not, just use regular or whole wheat tortillas.



Roll it up like a burrito and cook for a couple minutes on each side in a medium-hot frying pan. This makes the outside of the burrito a little crunchy and helps it hold its shape better while serving and eating. (No oil or cooking spray required!)



Finally, be sure to wrap up those leftovers in foil to take for lunch! Store in the refrigerator. When reheating, simply unwrap and discard the foil. Place the burrito on a paper towel and microwave for 45 to 60 seconds.