The beginning's of a true love story....

... Alright!.... 

First thing's first... perhaps our celebration and oh-my-gosh-what-am-I-going-to-make freak out session and idea makin' was a wee-bit premature...

Late night + some bubbly = gritty photos

.... cause' instead of this Monday, my TV appearance is postponed.  
But don't you fret!!!!!... cause' is many ways this is actually a huge relief cause' it gives me time to really P-E-R-F-E-C-T (muawahaha) and tweak my "chosen recipe"... and finished my policy brief for my class once my mind cleared from going to topic to topic in my head: health policy to food to policy brief to TV to healthcare to what-am-I-going-to-wear to oh-yeah-I-have-a-meeting-at-3pm!!!)  

For now, to my loving family and friends who set their DVR's, thank ya' for your beyond kind words, and the day will come, just not this comin' Monday!..... (which 

For when the day comes, the recipe will be on the blog at some point, I'm just not tellin' ya' when or which one it is (so sneaky.... I know!) ;)

Maybe we'll have a guessing contest the week before?! Ha! LOVE.IT.

Anyhow.. when Alex we first started dating, he was "livin' the budget life, so I'll be eatin' beans, rice and Ramen Noodles" style as he'd said and I'd witness, but he did always seem to have ingredients on hand to make some DE-LISH burritos. 

Even before I knew I loved Alex (I'm talkin' like 2 months of dating at 19, let's be honest now!), he served this concoction to me and I knew I loved this baby! ;)

To our first GOOD picture... Helllooo throwback Thursday!

Our first picture as a couple... and yes, I knoww!! 

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... And this "recipe" has constantly changed and molded over time (especially while Alex was makin' it!), and is still a simple staple that can easily be changed around with what you have on hand at the time and be oh-so-DELICIOUS!

When I'd come over to his apartment and he'd asked:

Alex: "Are you hungry"

Me: "Yeah" and he ate as SUCH crazy times that he'd be asking about "dinner at like 10:30 and I'd be stomach grumbling, but didn't want to be rude and say, GOSH-DARNIT I'M HUNGRY, ya know? Oh, the beginning's of a love story

Alex: "What are you hungry for?"

Me: "That burrito you made was really good. 

Alex (after the 4th 10th hint): Again? I'm getting a bit sick of those....

So now, I eat those when I want and eating perhaps a few too many in a given week sometimes... but when ya' love somethin's THIS much, it becomes a common craving. Sometimes, I'll be thinkin', OH MY GOODNESS, it's been 3 weeks since a craving?! Let's call the doctor Something is obviously wrong ova' here!

Once I became a vegetarian, this baby that I came to lovvvvee even before becoming a vegetarian, has always been a consistent craving!..... And also a great example to answer anyone who wonders, "If you don't eat meat, where do you get your protein?"... This recipe, sans any alternative meats (for those who don't like the idea but want to cut out or down on meat), was extra loaded with protein, spice and as always... healthier than that Taco Bell run I know you want to make right now! FTW :)

Black Bean Burritos
Serves 2-3 burritos

In the line up!
- 2-3 burrito sized tortillas
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
 - 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
 - 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon (or less) cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons enchilada sauce
- 1 Tablespoon onion, minced (per burrito)
- 1 Tablespoon sweet pepper, finely diced (per burrito)
- 1 Tablespoon cherry tomatoes, finely diced (per burrito)
- 1/4 teaspoon jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and finely diced (per burrito)
- 1 Tablespoon shredded yellow cheese, per burrito
- 1 teaspoon reduced fat sour cream, per burrito
- 2 teaspoons reduced fat cream cheese, per burrito
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- Non-stick spray
- Aluminum foil

Coach's Orders!

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Drain and rinse a (15-ounce) can of black beans (WAH-BAM, 7 grams of protein in a serving)! Let the water rinse off and grab however many burritos you plan on makin' (Confession: Mine was can-you-super-size-that style!... that'll be evidence later....)

.... And yes, I use flour tortillas, which aren't as healthy as whole wheat, but they fold and hold with ripping that I just can't resist anymore!

2. Lay each tortilla on a very lightly sprayed piece of aluminum foil so the burrito doesn't stick to it when you unwrap it's Broadway premiere ;)

3. Spoon out as much of the black bean fillin' as ya' like into the middle/center of the tortilla (my super-sized style burrito) had was approximately 1/3 cup.... then again, super-stuffed, yet low in calorie + high in protein, YESSSS! FTW

4. Sprinkle as evenly as you can across the beans your chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, seasoned salt and  cayenne pepper.

Now for the spice!


5. Add 1-3 packets of your favorite enchilada sauce evenly over the beans (or what would be around 2-3 teaspoons), which will vary based a. how spicy do ya' want the thang! and b. how super-sized your fillin' is!

Spicy goodness right there!

GUILTY!.... I'm the person that orders a $0.75 nacho side
just to fill the to-go bag their DE-LISH hot sauces



6. Prep your veggies at this point to get ready for assembly time, and add an even layer of the tomatoes, peppers (from our garden BTW!), onion across the beans!

NOW FOR THE CHEEEEEEEESE!.. which in all honesty brings this baby home :)


7. Add a layer of the shredded cheddar, an even dollops of the sour cream and cream cheese across the burrito (extra protein, extra heavenly delicious FLAVA!) You can thank me later... 


... And as you can tell below, I'm not afraid to use that sour cream and cream cheese #sorrynotsorry

If you are thinkin' I'm off my rocker by adding cream cheese, absolutely the absolute. G-E--N-I-U-S brought to you my Alex... of the two, I'd go all cream cheese and skip the sour cream before I'd ever do the flip side!

8. Fold one side over the filling in the middle,  then folder up both ends and folder other side over
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9. Repeat with slightly sprayed aluminum foil wrapping ----->










10. Bake at 425 degrees on the top wrack for about 25-30 minutes so veggies get cooked, cheeses melt and tortilla gets perfectly crunchy!

Take out and since you sprayed the foil, should slip right out and I always keep a knife and fork on hand cause' things can get messy.... especially super-sized style!


WARNING: LET THIS COOL FOR A GOOD 5-10 minutes on a plate/bowl, then I suggest cutting in half and letting cool another 5 minutes or else you may burn your tongue straight outta' your mouth.... cough:::not that I've experienced that or anything::cough...... 

Seriously.... this has been my little "blankie" of veggie's best comfort food...

There for me when I was cramming for finals and needed a re-fuel midnight snack....

There for me when I knew going to Taco Bell for the "Veggie Bean Burrito" was just as disheartening as sitting down to a New York Strip steak....

... You get the picture!

And when you go super-sized style, expect massive amounts of this is going to fall apart after 2 bites so have that fork and knife handy!!!

Oh dear.... not anything craving already?!.....

Protein, deliciousness, warm beans, perfectly cooked veggies with the needed crunch factor from the tortilla (... draining and rinsing the beans helps the tortilla not get soggy I've learned as over these past 6+ years!)

... And seriously, just trust me on the cream cheese.  It adds this sinfully subtle "sweet" factor that plays so well with the spice and heat of the peppers and sauce.

I'm pretttty sure I could live off of this.... plus a couple other's staple items and be perfectly content for a LONGGGG time!... No joke!

Time to go water the front lawn and porch to keep our flower's peeeeeerdy :)

ENJOY MY FRIENDS!

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