The Basics No. 2: A Batch of Burritos

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Another new year, another basics post (last year's is here). They feel good right as the calendar turns.

Fresh meals are great, but there's serious value in having a small stack of burritos tucked into the freezer for effortless meals at any time of the day. These are made with pillowy potato, fluffy seared tofu, creamy avocado, and seriously spiced pinto beans. They're filling enough for lunch or dinner, but their convenience works especially nicely for breakfast, since savory breakfasts tend to take a little more effort than sweeter grain-based ones.

Any meal you choose, this is a session of batch cooking that really pays off. There are a few items to prepare separately, so it's wise to wait until you're in the mood to cook to put these together. Even so, there are no advanced moves here, and you'll simply cook the tofu and beans in shifts while the potatoes take care of themselves in the oven—read through the recipe before beginning to anticipate a little multitasking that really helps. Roll them up, bake them off, and eat breezily for days.

Tofu, Potato, and Pinto Bean Burritos

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yields 8 burritos

3 cups frozen hash browns (look for a brand that contains nothing but potatoes)

salt

1 15-oz can pinto beans

2 TBSP olive oil, divided

14-16 oz firm tofu

1 TBSP nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp garlic salt

black pepper

1/2 cup vegetable broth (not tomato-based)

1 TBSP reduced-sodium tamari

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP maple syrup (grade B preferred)

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp applewood smoked salt (or fine sea or kosher salt)

3/4 tsp ground cumin

8 10-inch flour tortillas

1 avocado, pitted

to serve, salsa of choice

Heat oven to 350. Spread hash browns over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle lightly with salt and bake until browning around the edges of the pan, 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse beans in a fine sieve. Set aside to let drain thoroughly. Drain tofu. Heat one tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the tofu roughly through your fingers into the pan. Spread into roughly one layer. Top with nutritional yeast, oregano, garlic salt, and a generous amount of freshly cracked black pepper, to taste. Let cook, undisturbed, five minutes. (While the tofu cooks, measure out the spices for the beans into a small bowl.) Toss. Let cook another three minutes, undisturbed. Toss and cook another two minutes. Toss and transfer to a bowl. Set aside.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the remaining tablespoon oil to the same skillet. Carefully—the skillet will be quite hot—add beans, broth, tamari, vinegar, maple syrup, paprika, smoked salt, and cumin. Let cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has cooked off, 5-7 minutes. While the beans cook, use a sharp knife to cut the flesh of each avocado half into eighths. Scoop the slices from the skin with a spoon and set aside on a small plate for assembly. When the potatoes are done, move the parchment off the baking sheet (you'll use it to bake the burritos now) and onto your assembly work counter.

Increase oven temperature to 375. To assemble, heat tortillas (microwave works quickly for this, if you have one). Assemble using about a scant quarter-cup potato, one-quarter cup tofu, a generous tablespoon of pinto beans, and two slices of avocado for each burrito. Roll up and place seam-down on the baking sheet. Bake until crisped and beginning to brown at the edges, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve with salsa.

Spicy and Smoky White Bean-Tomatillo-Sweet Potato Burritos

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Where there's smoke there's fire. In this case, a pile of smoked paprika pureed into filling sweet potatoes paired with nourishing, creamy white beans slow-cooked with jalapeno and herbs. (And really, you'll overcook the beans a bit to ensure a very creamy finished product.) Throw in a little tomatillo for brightness, and you have one seriously satisfying dinner. Plus, leftover burritos make great next-day breakfasts or lunches, too. We suggest you garnish these with fresh cilantro and gently briny black olives (hit a grocer's antipasto bar to buy only as many as you need--they're much better than canned) to balance out the sweet potatoes, but you can keep these as simple (or stuffed) as you like. And if you can stand a little more heat, a vinegary hot sauce will finish these off nicely.

The white beans will be fairly fiery alone, but know that the heat does mellow a bit when combined with all the starch of the potatoes and the tortilla. If you're sensitive to heat, remove the seeds from the jalapeno, or try replacing it with half of a small poblano for a milder dish.

And finally, the baking isn't necessary if you're in a hurry, but we always bake our burritos to toast the tortillas and help the flavors mingle.

Spicy and Smoky White Bean-Tomatillo-Sweet Potato Burritos

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yields 6 medium burritos

8 oz dried navy beans, soaked 8 hours

1 medium jalapeno, thinly sliced

1 dried bay leaf

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

1 lb (1 very large) sweet potato, scrubbed and cut into 1-inch dice

4 oz (a few small-medium) tomatillos, husks removed

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp fine sea or kosher salt

6 8-inch flour tortillas

sliced black olives (optional)

freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

vinegar-based hot sauce, such as Cholula brand (optional)

Add the soaked beans, jalapeno, bay leaf, oregano, onion powder, liquid smoke, and water to a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until very tender and creamy. Remove bay leaf, stir in 1/2 tsp salt, turn off heat, and let sit with the lid cocked while you prepare the rest of the recipe (the beans will thicken a bit as they stand).

Add the diced sweet potatoes to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, maintaining a steady boil, and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a medium pot of water while you wash the tomatillos. When the water boils, carefully add the tomatillos and boil 3-4 minutes, until they turn from brilliant lime to a darker olive color. Carefully remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until broken down and saucy. Scrape the food processor out well (no need to wash it) and set the tomatillos aside.

Preheat the oven to 375.

When the potatoes are ready, drain and add them to the food processor. Add about 1 cup of the white beans (they should now be a little saucy, but not drowning--if you have a lot of extra water, drain them), the smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp salt. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Stir the tomatillos into the remaining beans.

Heat the tortillas (steaming for about 15 seconds each, as you go, works best for us) and assemble the burritos using about 1/3 cup each of the potato and bean-tomatillo mixtures (the potatoes, you may use slightly more than 1/3 cup, the beans, just a bit less), plus garnishes, if using. Roll up and place seam-side down in a baking dish. Bake until hot and a bit crisped, especially at the ends, about 25 minutes.

Serve with hot sauce, if desired.

Savory Citrus-Blueberry Collard Dolmas with Spiced Roasted Edamame

Many of our favorite dishes successfully cover the spicy-salty-sour-sweet spectrum of flavors, and are therefore immensely satisfying (Thai food, we're looking at you). These flavorful, portable wraps achieve something similar. Brilliant green leaves are stuffed with fluffy brown rice as a canvas for salty and savory umeboshi and liquid smoke, tart lemon juice, and sweet blueberries and orange juice. Serve up your spice on the side by roasting shelled edamame in a simple, irresistible blend of spices.

If you've never made collard wraps before, don't be shy. Blanched collard leaves make gorgeous bright green wrappers that are surprisingly sturdy and easy to work with.

Savory Citrus-Blueberry Collard Dolmas

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1 small/medium red onion (5-6 oz total weight), peeled and finely diced

2 umeboshi plums, pitted and minced

1 tsp liquid smoke

2 cups water

1 cup dry brown basmati rice (or rice of your choice)

10-12 small/medium collard leaves (collard leaves can be quite large, so even small leaves won't actually be small--look for leaves about the size of your hand with your fingers spread wide), or about 6 large, if you can't find smaller leaves

1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

juice and zest of 1 lemon

large handful parsley (scant bunch)

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP orange juice (from a carton/bottle is just fine)

pinch fine sea salt or kosher salt

Combine the red onion, umeboshi, liquid smoke, and 2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, bring back to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 45 minutes.

While the rice cooks, prepare the edamame (see below). While the edamame cooks,  trim the collard leaves: With scissors, cut out the thick middle stem by cutting a "v" upwards into the leaf. You won't get rid of the middle vein entirely, but you do want the thickest, tough portion gone. You'll cut about a third of the way up into the leaf; halfway, if it's necessary. Stack them, neatly spread out, on top of each other.

Bring a pot of water to boil (large enough to fit all your leaves with several inches of space left at the top of the pot). Carefully submerge the stack of collard leaves into the boiling water and cook until very bright green and tender, 1-2 minutes. (Note that they'll brighten very quickly, but keep cooking for a minute to ensure your leaves are tender to the tooth.) Drain well and set aside.

Combine the blueberries, lemon juice and zest, and parsley in a chopper or small food processor and process until finely chopped. When the rice is finished, stir the blueberry-parsley mixture into the rice and set aside. 

To assemble, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, and salt. Lay one collard leaf flat, brush with the oil-juice mixture and place a scant 1/4 cup of filling down near the top of the "v" you cut into the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll it up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Spiced Roasted Edamame

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/16-1/8 tsp ground cayenne, to taste

1/8 tsp salt

1 TBSP vegetable oil (we used peanut)

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss all ingredients together well and roast until edamame is browning and has crisped a bit, 35-40 minutes. (Alternately, you can continue to roast until crunchy, but be very carefuly not to burn.)

Party Animals No. 2: Gochujang Spring Rolls and Sweet Potato Pie with a Brandied Date Swirl for a Potluck with Pals

Gochujang Spring Rolls

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1 cup water

1/2 cup dry brown rice

1 TBSP oil of choice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small head purple cabbage, shredded

1 lb carrots

double recipe  [see note] gochujang sauce, recipe follows

9 8-inch dried rice paper sheets

Bring the cup of water to a boil over high heat, add the brown rice and cover. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low and let cook 25-30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the garlic for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the shredded cabbage, stirring to coat the cabbage with the oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook while you peel and shred the carrots, 7-10 minutes. 

Once the carrots are shredded, put on a full kettle of water over medium heat. 

Add the shredded carrots to the cabbage, stir well, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Cover the pot again, turn off the heat, and let sit while you whisk together all of the gojuchang sauce ingredients. When the rice has finished cooking, add it to the vegetables.

Stir the sauce into the vegetable mixture. When the water in the kettle is hot, but still cool enough to comfortably put your hands in, transfer the water to a large bowl.

To assemble, take one sheet of rice paper and dip it into the hot water, rotating to wet the circumference until the sheet is flexible enough to submerge completely, then hold under until very soft, transparent, and pliable. (Each sheet will take about twenty seconds to soften, beginning to end.) Transfer to a cutting board and cut the circle in half with a pizza cutter. Place 3-4 TBSP of the filling along the flat, cut edge of the paper. fold in the sides and roll up. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling. 

yield: 18 spring rolls

Single recipe gochujang sauce (taken years ago from Closet Cooking) :

[Note: If making this recipe for ourselves to eat at home, we'd probably go with a lighter, subtler version and use only a single batch of the gochujang sauce, which, like any other incredibly wonderful condiment, isn't exactly health food. But when entertaining, feel free to splurge on the double batch of sauce. It's good stuff.]

1 TBSP gochujang (this paste is available, if nowhere else, at Oriental Super Mart on Sutherland)

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 tsp turbinado/brown sugar

1 tsp sesame seeds (optionally toasted)

1 tsp low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce) 

1 tsp sesame oil

Sweet Potato Pie with a Brandied Date Swirl

This pie is simply Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's (totally great, definitely getting made this Thanksgiving with a chocolate swirl) pumpkin pie recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, substituting mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin puree.

For the brandied date swirl: 

10 dates, pitted

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP brandy

1 TBSP orange juice (optional) 

about 1/2 cup water, for blending

Simmer the dates in the 1/2 cup water for about 5 minutes, until the dates are very soft. Remove from heat and to the pot add the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor/blender if necessary, but be careful of the hot ingredients). The result should be a loose paste that will not pour, something like a thick apple butter (add more water by the tablespoon if your paste is still too thick and sticky).

Fill a prepared pie crust with the sweet potato filling. Spoon the brandied date paste in a large spiral on top of the unbaked sweet potato pie and use a chopstick to swirl the two fillings together. Bake as directed. Serve warm or at room temperature.