Quinoa Veggie Burritos

I am excited to join the Culinary Goods blog.

For my first recipe I wanted to share one that is tried and true.  I have been making these Quinoa Veggie Burritos for several years.  I make a big batch and then Freeze them for easy lunches.  Mike loves to take these to work.  The filling is very versatile.  They make a really good Nacho dip & Taco Salad. (Place into a baking dish for making a dip.) I rate these an 8. 
Enjoy...
Quinoa Veggie Burritos:

• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans
• 1 (15-29 oz.) can of Hominy (I can only find the bigger size at my grocery store.) 
• 1 (15 oz.) can black eyed peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup red quinoa, cooked
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 4 green onions
• 1/2 cup yellow onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 (11.5 oz.) can V8 Juice
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/4 tsp. oregano
• 1 small lime
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 or 2 avocado's (save half to go in Ranch dip, shown below)
• 2 1/2 cups pepper jack or Monterey Jack cheese, grated
• Whole Wheat Tortilla Wraps (Papa Tortilla or Ole Extreme Wellness High Fiber tortilla wraps brands both taste good and fold easily.)

Method:
Drain cans of black beans, white hominy, and black eyed peas into a colander.  Add frozen corn.  Rinse well with cool water. 

Finely chop jalapeno pepper.  Dice or chop green onions, yellow onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and cilantro, and avocado.  Reserve 1/2 of the second avocado for dip if desired.  Mince the garlic.

In a large mixing bowl combine red quinoa, black beans, hominy, black eyed peas, and corn.  Add jalapeno, green onions, yellow onion, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, and cilantro.  Stir together.  Pour V8 juice over the top.  Add cumin, oregano, and juice from the lime.  Mix together.  Gently fold in the chopped avocado and pepper jack cheese. 

Place 2/3 cup of burrito filling in the center of a whole wheat tortilla wrap.  Fold burrito style securing with a toothpick if necessary.  This recipe makes enough filling for 12-16 burritos.

Spray a large cookie sheet with no-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.  Place burritos about 1 inch apart from each other and lightly coat tops with butter or spray w/ cooking spray.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 -12 minutes, until the top of the burrito is toasted golden brown.  Turn burritos over and coat again; then bake for 10 additional minutes until all the burrito is toasted and filling inside is hot.  If serving right away, Slice burritos on the diagonal with a bread knife.  Serve with avocado ranch dip and garnish with cilantro.  Wrap leftover burritos individually in aluminum foil.  Tip: Wait for the burritos to cool before wrapping to avoid them becoming soggy.)  Reheat in oven set at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Avocado Ranch Dip 

• 1 Cup Ranch dressing
• 1/2 avocado

Puree avocado in a small food processor.  Stir into 1 cup of ranch dressing until smooth.

This recipe is by Joy Ercanbrack (Love to Cook at Kitchen Kneads whole grains class.)