Smothered Burritos

This recipe was all about the trial and error.  We seriously eat SO much Mexican food that I was looking for a new way to make an old favorite, thus- the Smothered Burritos.  What I love most about this recipe is that not only is it vegetarian, but that most folks already have the ingredients in their kitchen.  No need to grocery shop just for this recipe mmkay....

Smothered Burritos
*Will make approx 16 soft taco size burritos

1-15 oz can red enchilada sauce

2 cans pinto beans, drained
1/2 small can diced green chili's
1 onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced *I use a combo of colors
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
splash Tabasco
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
salt, pepper
1 cup sour cream
10-14 flour tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar
2 cups shredded mozzarella


Step 1: Saute onions, garlic and bell peppers in a little bit of coconut or olive oil.  When translucent, add in your spices and salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Add in your enchilada sauce, beans, sour cream, Tabasco and liquid smoke.  Allow to simmer on low while you prep your burritos.

Step 3:  Place cheese in flour tortillas and roll up.  I use 2- 9X13 glass pans (SPRAY FIRST!!!) and then simply fill both pans with your cheese filled tortillas.  Depending on the size of your tortillas, you may have more or less burritos in each glass pan.  I had about 8 in each one when using the soft taco size tortillas.

Step 4:  Pour your sauce evenly over the top of each pan of burritos.  Your tortillas should be completely covered.

Step 5:  Bake 325 for approx 30 minutes.   You're seriously just melting cheese here so just keep an eye on it and remove from oven when done.

Step 6:  This step is optional.  Place another layer of cheese over the top of your burritos after you've removed them from the oven.  I opt out of this one since we don't need more cheese but either way is good!

Serve with shredded lettuce, olives, green or red onions, sour cream, salsa, avocado...seriously the sky is the limit here!

Crock Pot Refried Beans

These beans are perfection.  Simply throw all the ingredients in your crock pot in the morning and by dinner time you've got a healthy dish without all the added chemicals and junk found in the canned refried beans.  Plus- they taste AMAZEBALLS good!  Trust me on this one!

If you don't have a crock pot, you can easily cook these on your stove top.  Simply simmer on low until your beans are cooked all the way through.

Homemade Refried Beans

1 bag dried pinto beans
1 jalapeno, seeded & cut
1 onion, quartered
4-6 garlic cloves
1 bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 small handful fresh cilantro
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
6 cups water

Step 1-  Toss everything in your crock pot.  I like to use a combination of bell peppers depending on what I have on hand.  So many times I throw in lots of different colors- red, green, yellow...really, you can't go wrong here!  Another tip- you do NOT need fresh cilantro.  You can leave it out or substitute with dried- but we always seem to have cilantro on hand so I typically just toss in a small handful, stems and all!

Step 2- Cook on high for 8-10 hours.

Step 3- Drain out almost all of the water.  Reserve about 1 cup for adding back in later.

Step 4- Get out your immersion blender and blend baby, blend!  Add in some of your saved bean water to get the consistency you want.  Remember that the beans will naturally thicken up over time.  So a little watery is OK because when you eat them the next day, they will have thickened overnight.

And that's it.  Now you're enjoying delicious, homemade refried beans without any added junk!  PLUS- you've just made them healthier with all those added veggies!  Yeah Buddy!