Blend That Burrito!

When I was little, I was an "FFS". And I guess I still am. This is my newly made up term for "Food Fork Stacker". I did this most often with ham, peas, and potato. You just can't take a bite of ham alone and swallow it, then take a bite of potato alone and swallow it, and then scoop some peas and swallow. You must take ALL three items onto the fork at the same time. Now, it's a little tricky with peas that have a mind of their own. See, you have to grab the mashed potato, squish the peas into the potato so they wont roll off your utensil, and then you stab that piece of ham and direct all flavors of goodness to your mouth at once. In one single mouthful, you get a hint of ham as you bite, then you get a pop of pea in another bite, all blended well with those creamy mashed potatoes. That, my friends is happiness on the tongue.

Now, onto our current recipe. A sweet potato has a flavor that doesn't quite excite me, but I agreed to try this recipe this week because I like beans and I like all the other flavors that went into the mixture. If it has cumin, and some hot pepper, it's bound to be yummy. This cooking adventure was pretty smooth sailing I must say! All the items inside the burrito blended nicely together and every bite gave me a bit of something else. It reminded me of food stacking minus the fork! I took one bite and tasted the bean mixture and then I took another bite and tasted a pop of sweet potato. I had a perfectly blended burrito. Neither ingredient was made to feel more important than the other and I think that's crucial when cooking. You don't want your food choices to feel inferior or superior to the others. I shall now call myself a "Blazin' Burrito Blender!"

Cook Outside the Box

I like things that fall into the "think outside the box" category. Perhaps this comes from being an artist. Perhaps it comes from loving creativity. Perhaps it simply comes from wanting to escape the monotony of everyday life. Whatever the case, the allure of "out of the box" items is strong, and perhaps that's why I loved this week's recipe so much.

Sweet potatoes in a burrito. I, for one, found this to be a highly creative idea. The sweet-potato-lover in me thought the concept was brilliant. And once it was put into practice, my taste buds quickly agreed. The recipe itself was uncomplicated. The creation process went smoothly, with no drama to make this story more interesting (save for a few burnt and sticky fingers as I squished the baked sweet potatoes out of their skins and into a bowl for mashing). The intrigue came in the tasting. The contrast of the potatoes' sweetness against the Mexican-inspired bean mixture was lovely. And adding plenty of ooey, gooey cheese made my mouth even happier.

As I savored the first few bites, I began to wonder, however, if Mandi and I have an abnormal attraction to recipes involving wraps. Or perhaps we've just gotten into a bit of a rut with our recipe-choosing. We've been blogging for less than 2 months and already three out of our eight recipes have involved some sort of flour tortilla. That's not very out of the box, now, is it?

But, I'm telling you, these burritos really are...out of the box, that is. So, as skeptical as you may be, just humor the nonconformist in me, and give them a try. Push those taste buds toward culinary creativity.

The Recipe: Sweet Potato Burritos

"Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos"
from Allrecipes.com (adapted slightly)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups canned black beans, drained (4 cans)
2 cups water
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons soy sauce
4 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
12 (10 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Heat the oil in a medium skillet, and saute the onion and garlic until soft. Add the chili powder and cumin and saute for another minute or two.
3. Mash the beans in a large bowl, and then add them to the skillet with the onions, garlic, and spices. Gradually stir in the water, and heat until warm. Remove from heat, and stir in the mustard, cayenne pepper, and soy sauce.
4. Divide the bean mixture and mashed sweet potatoes evenly between the warm flour tortillas. Top with plenty of cheese. Fold up the tortillas burrito-style, and place on a baking sheet.
5. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven, and serve.

Note: This makes a lot of burritos. The recipe can easily be halved.