Fast Meal: Black Bean and Cheese Burrtios

This meal was created one night out of desperation - it was dinner time and I had no plan and no meat thawed. Elena requested black beans and I made "cheese tortillas" to go with them and this really fantastic, incredibly simple, and quick meal was born. I was really surprised at how tasty and filling it was.

Now, I can only vouch for the awesomeness of the meal if you use the exact same ingredients I did :), so I'm listing those, but I'm sure it'd still be great with other types of tortillas, another brand of cheese, etc.

Black Bean and Cheese Burritos

First, start the black beans, as they'll need to cook for 20-30 minutes depending on what texture you like. (1 can of black beans is enough for two adults and 1 black bean loving kid, with about a spoonful or two left over. Double or triple as needed.)

Black beans

-1 can black beans (including liquid in can)

-1 handful of brown sugar

-1 tsp to 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic, to taste (hint: use the jarred minced garlic from the grocery store - it saves a TON of time!)

-1 generous squirt of lime juice (probably about 1 1/2 tsps worth)

-A few shakes of onion powder (this is what I use when I'm in a hurry, when I have time, I mince an actual onion -probably about 1/3 of an onion.)

-Dash or two of salt

-Handful of finely chopped cilantro

Pour beans and liquid in saucepan, over medium heat. Stir in each ingredient. Heat until beans are bubbly and boiling, stirring often. Then turn heat down to low and let simmer for about 20+ minutes, depending on how done you want them. The longer you let them go, the softer and less saucy they'll be. Stir often. If you want to cook them for a while (30-40mins), you might need to add a little water. If all else fails and you aren't sure when to take them off, watch the "sauciness". When they start to run out of liquid to cook in, they are probably done.

"Cheese Tortillas"

-Tortillaland Uncooked Tortillas (these are available at Costco, Walmart, etc.)

-Cache Valley Finely Shredded Medium Cheddar Cheese

Cook the tortillas on the stove top, as indicated on the package. Remove to cookie sheet and lay out in single layer (usually like two to a cookie sheet). Sprinkle with cheese to cover tortilla. Turn oven on to "broil". Cook tortillas "open-faced" for a few minutes until the cheese gets melted and is the "doneness" that you like. (You'll need to keep an eye on them.) I like my cheese to get crisp and brown. For Eric's, I brown it slightly, but it's still very melty and soft. Remove from oven. Serve immediately with black beans. Fill cheese tortillas with beans and roll up into a burrito. Serve with fruit on the side and you've got a meal!