Listen, I am not one to deface the convenience that frozen and prepackaged food has brought to our modern society. After all, if not for frozen vegetables, in winter we would be eating green beans from a can! ( blech!) the question of the day is, "is our food culture here in America, becoming defined by convenience alone? If we have our way at Utensils Cooking School, we will answer with a resounding NOOO!!!!!!
I will admit, in years past, I have purchased these exact frozen burritos. My husband comes home from work for lunch every day and needs something quick. After all, one does get sick of sandwiches. These can be thrown in the microwave and done in nothing flat. Problem is, they taste just like that..... Nothing and flat! I was about to pick up a package of them while shopping the other day but instead, I decide that this can be done better by me. I can make these at home, freeze them and they will be ready for a quick lunch. Because I won't be cranking them out on an ensemble line, I won't have to make the filling the consistency of baby food. I can reduce the amount of salt and fat easily and ramp up protein and give great texture by adding my favorite, quinoa!
So I picked up the few things I needed and got to work. The bean cooking process is called refried because the beans will require cooking them twice. Dried or canned will work. For these, I used some of each because that's what I had in the pantry. I cooked them the first time in beef stock but chicken, beef or veggie stock will do. After adding all of the onions, garlic and dried herbs, I puréed them and cooked them again. The quinoa, which is cooked about 3/4 of the way is added right to the bean mixture for texture.
The rest is really quite simple. If you use any fresh veggies ( and you certainly can) I suggest cutting them into a small dice and draining and pressing as much water as possible out. I used sliced jalapeños (jarred, again not all convenient food is bad!) use really good cheese. You only need a pinch . Roll them up nice and snug and freeze them. Done!
These have fat only from the cheese. The sodium levels are almost nonexistent by comparison to the frozen ones. I used fresh beef stock (yes I do keep it around all the time!) so I can control the seasoning myself with a pinch or two of kosher salt. Be sure to check seasoning frequently and season at every aspect. . As the bean mixture condensed, seasoning will become more intense. When you add in the quinoa it will water down a little. Go slow. You can always put salt in. Can't take it out! These are little protein bombs too! Beans and quinoa are great sources of protein along with the cheese. The use of fresh veggies give great texture as well as fiber and vitamins.
Let's talk for a second about the cost. One pound of dried and one can of hydrated beans along with 1 cup of uncooked quinoa made enough filling for 20-24 large burritos. That makes them certainly a bit more expensive than the frozen ones but only by pennies per piece and the difference in the taste and nutritional value are very much worth the slightly increased cost.
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