By Bianca Tamburello, Dietetics Student, Sargent College

Next time you visit your favorite burrito joint take a close look at the assembly line of ingredients. You’ll probably find the usual suspects of rice, beans, cheese, meat protein, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. The majority of restaurants offer the same underwhelming options, with a small number of exceptions.

Now that you’ve realized the dullness of your former favorite burrito, Sargent Choice is hear to pump up the flavor, creativity and nutritional value of your new favorite burrito. Yes, this recipe is that good!

With chipotle, adobe sauce and cumin, you cannot help but be tempted to try this recipe. The Indian spices give it a warm explosion of flavor, and the cilantro, lime juice and fresh tomatoes make it fresh, light and summery!

Recipe Recap

First, we wrapped the whole-wheat tortillas in aluminum foil and warmed them in the oven at 250 degrees. Then we made fresh salsa by tossing quartered plum tomatoes with fresh lime juice, cilantro and salt. We didn’t have pepitas so we omitted step 3 in the recipe.

Next, we blended the chipotle, adobe sauce and cumin into the olive oil and added black beans and 2 tablespoons of water. The beans simmered for about 2 minutes; then we mashed about half the beans with a potato masher. Lastly, we stirred in cheddar cheese, cilantro and lime juice.

Wrap it up!

Finally, we spread the bean mixture on the warmed whole-wheat tortilla, topped it with baby spinach and tomatoes and wrapped the burrito.

Try dipping the burrito in a dollop of Greek yogurt to slightly cool down the adobe, chipotle and cumin!

Don’t know how to wrap a burrito? Find out here

Sargent Choice Smoky Black Bean & Cheddar Burrito with Baby Spinach

Yields 4 burritos (8 servings)

Ingredients:
4 burrito-size (9 to 10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered length-wise
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon seeded and minced chipotle plus 1 teaspoon adobe sauce (from can of chipotles en adobe)
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
3 cups black beans, drained and rinsed (from 2 15.5-oz cans – will have extra)
½ cup grated low-fat Cheddar cheese
2 cups baby spinach
½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt (optional)
Guacamole (optional) * recipe follows

Directions:

1.  Heat the oven to 250º. Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and warm in the oven.

2. In a small bowl toss the tomatoes with 1 T of the lime juice, 1 ½ T cilantro, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 T of the olive oil and the pepitas in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until they are puffed and some are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pepitas to a plate lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with ⅛ teaspoon salt and toss.

4. Return the pan to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 T olive oil. Add the chipotle, adobe sauce, and cumin.  Stir to blend into the oil, and then add the beans and 2 T water to the pan, stirring to blend. Simmer until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Mash about half of the beans with a fork. Stir in the cheddar and the remaining 2 ½ T cilantro and 1 T lime juice. If the beans seem too thick, add a tablespoon or two of water to thin to a soft, spreadable consistency.

5. Working with 1 tortilla at a time, spread about 14 of the beans along the bottom third of a tortilla. Top with ¼ of the spinach, and sprinkle with ¼ of the tomatoes and pepitas. Optional: top with 2 T Greek yogurt and/or guacamole. Fold the bottom edge over the filling, fold in the sides, roll up the burrito, cut in half and serve. Enjoy!

Simple Guacamole:

1 ripe avocado, peeled and mashed
1-2 tsp lime juice
¼ tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Peel and mash the avocado in a small bowl.
2. Add the lime juice and garlic powder.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

By Bianca Tamburello, Dietetics Student, Sargent College

This Wednesday we kicked off the first Karen Jacobs’ Sargent Choice Test Kitchen of the semester! Karen, the “regulars” and I were thrilled to have about 35 people in Karen’s 100 square foot kitchen.  Although it was a bit cramped, we had a fantastic time making SC Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza and playing Apples to Apples on the sidelines.

Everyone at the KJ SC Test Kitchen is always ready to cook and get their hands dirty, but to no surprise, the only task dreaded by attendees is CUTTING THE ONIONS. Four daredevils boldly volunteered to chop 18 cups of onions for 9 pizzas.  As they chopped away, we discussed silly techniques to prevent their eyes from burning and watering.

While chopping onions, BU students recommend

1. wearing sunglasses
2. holding a piece of bread in your mouth (my favorite)
3. wearing goggles
4. breathing out of your mouth (instead of your nose) and
5. chewing gum

The Recipe

First we warmed the oven to 450 degrees F and caramelized the chopped onions until golden brown. Next, we rolled out the whole-wheat pizza dough into about a 12-inch circle and let it bake for about 5 minutes to crisp the crust.

With many people and too few rolling pins, we got creatively used glasses to roll out the dough.

Instead of using plain jarred tomato sauce, we mixed the sauce with drained chopped sun-dried tomatoes and were also inspired to add fresh basil to the sauce mixture. The sauce mixture was spread evenly over the crisped dough and topped with caramelized onions and crumbled goat cheese.

Instead of the recommended 10-minute bake time, we found that the pizza cooked perfectly in exactly 13 minutes. Before we dug in we sprinkled  the pizza with fresh basil and cut it into 6 slices.

We sprinkled half the pizza with fresh basil to please the basil lovers and non-basil lovers.

Most importantly, how did it taste?

The slightly sweet caramelized onions paired beautifully with the rich goat cheese. The addition of the sun-dried tomatoes jazzed up the tomato sauce and added a slightly salty contrast to the onions and goat cheese.

Join us next week 9/12 for Sargent Choice Mocha Cupcakes with Mocha Cream Cheese Frosting

Sargent Choice Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

Yield 6 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onion, separated into rings (about 1 large onion)
1 prepared whole wheat pizza dough
White whole wheat flour for dusting work surface
½ cup pizza sauce
¼ cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomato halves
2/3 cup (3 oz) crumbled goat cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 450ºF.
2. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick stilled over medium-high heat.  Add onion; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook for ~11 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently.
3. Stretch the dough into a 12 inch circle on a lightly floured surface.
4. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet or pre-heated pizza stone
5. Combine the sauce and tomatoes.  Spread the sauce mixture over pizza crust.  Top with onion and cheese.
6. Bake at 450º for 10 minutes or until crust in golden brown.
7. Sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.