Goodbye to Nasty Microwave Burritos

Matt and I have decided to eat healthier since we have been gaining weight like crazy since we moved to Kentucky.  There is just so much good food here, but most of it is not really good for you if you know what I mean.  Cooking for both of us presents somewhat of a challenge because Matt works at nights, so he needs a dinner that he can take and microwave.  It seems like most microwave meals are not very good to eat or very good for you.  So, I have been on a mission to create my own healthy microwavable burrito.  As of yesterday, I believe that I have finally struck gold with my black bean, chicken, and quinoa burrito topped with Costco's mango peach salsa and light sour cream.  I have even figured out how to make a bunch of these yummy burritos freeze them, and microwave them for an amazing and healthy dinner for me and Matt.  Not only is this meal healthy, it is very economical as well.  So, without further ado, here is the recipe.  (The pictures are not my own but they are from a site where I learned some valuable information on how to freeze and reheat homemade burritos.

Ingredients

Quinoa:

2 cups of uncooked white quinoa (I bought mine at Trader Joe's, but Costco also sells it.)
4 cups of water
1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp of lime juice (I used the bottled kind, but you could certainly use it from fresh limes.)
Salt to taste

Black Beans:

6 cans of reduced sodium black beans (I used Bush's brand)
1 cup of water
1 sweet onion diced
4 cloves of garlic diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup cilantro
1 packet Sazon Goya Con Azafran seasoning (this is an amazing seasoning from the Mexican food aisle. If you can't find it, you can substitute a teaspoon of paprika, and a teaspoon of chile powder.)
2 tbsp lime juice (I used the bottled kind again, but you could certainly use it from fresh limes.)
Salt and Pepper to Taste



Additional Fillings:

1 Costco rotisserie Chicken skin removed and shredded
1 2 cup package of shredded Kraft sharp cheddar cheese
1 2 cup package of shredded Kraft mozzarella with a hint of cream cheese


8 inch flour tortillas (You can use whole wheat tortillas if you like.  They are better for you, but they are also more expensive.  I bought ours from Costco, you get a lot for a really good deal.)
Aluminum foil


Toppings:
Reduced Fat Sour Cream
Costco's  Peach Mango Salsa (This is so yummy and it really makes the burrito taste great!)

Optional Toppings
Chopped Tomatos
Chopped Romaine Lettuce
Whatever Creative Item that you can come up with. :) (As long as it's healthy.)

Cooking, Assembly, Storage and Reheating Process:

Place the 2 cups of quinoa with the 4 cups of water in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Once the quinoa and water have come to a boil, cover and let simmer on low for 15 - 20 minutes.  Always check to make sure you are not burning up your quinoa, once the water is gone, it is done.  

Now, mix in the 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tbsp of lime juice and salt with the quinoa.  That's it, your quinoa is done.  Just set this aside, and now you can work on your black beans.

Rinse all six cans of black beans thoroughly.  Add the 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large pot.  Once the oil is hot add your chopped onion and minced garlic.  Cook this until the onions become translucent (about 5 - 10 minutes).  Now you can add your six cans of rinsed black beans, your cup of water and your Sazon Goya seasoning.  Bring this all to a boil and then allow to simmer for 20 - 25 minutes uncovered.  After your pot of beans is done simmering add the 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro and the 2 tbsp of lime juice,  along with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir all of these ingredients together and than remove from the flame and now you are ready to assemble your burritos.  

In order to assemble your burritos, first place 6 of your tortillas in a slightly damp tea towel and microwave them for 1 minute and 45 seconds.  This will allow the tortillas to be more pliable.  For a more traditional approach you can cook your tortillas on the stove if you like, but this takes a lot of time.  While the tortillas are warming in the microwave tear off six sheets of aluminum foil.  You will use these sheets to wrap your burrito in for the freezer.  Now, take a warm tortilla, place it on a sheet of foil and put a scoop of black beans down, and then a scoop of quinoa, then about 5 pieces of your shredded rotisserie chicken topped with a little sprinkle of sharp cheddar and a little sprinkle of mozzarella.  Now you can roll your tortilla around your filling.  If you don't know how to roll a burrito,  click here to view a video tutorial from you tube.   Once your burrito has been rolled up, wrap the foil around it and place it in your freezer.  Repeat this process until you have no more items to fill your tortillas with.  

This recipe will make about 50 8-inch burritos.  This is enough for Matt and I for a month.  Yay!!!!  When you are ready to eat your burrito, simply take it out of the foil and wrap a damp paper towel around it.  Place it on a plate and microwave it on high for 3 minutes.  When it is done add a dollop of sour cream and a side of Costco's peach mango salsa.  This burrito tastes so amazing, you would never guess that you were eating something healthy and that had been microwaved.  I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I have enjoyed creating it.  Happy cooking. :) 

I'm not sure how long these burritos will last in the freezer, but I probably wouldn't keep them longer than a month.  I don't think that ours will last longer than a month. :)