Sunday, October 28, 2012

Satisying a craving: chipotle breakfast burrito

I was reading Vegan Sandwiches Save the Day last night when a breakfast burrito craving hit me. BAM! It was their Scrambled Burrito recipe that inspired me, but it calls for tempeh, which I can't find without making a major effort--and on a dreary, rainy October day, I didn't feel like straying too far. So I went on a major grocery mission to the store about a 5-minute walk away, and came back with, among other things (many other things), onion and red pepper to supplement the ingredients I already had.

One of the first breakfast burritos I had was in New York, at 'Snice, a veg cafe near my hotel both times I've been to NYC. It had turmeric (making the tofu yellow) and black beans and favoured crumbled tofu. I prefer to cube it (I find it easier than crumbling) and my flavour palate tends toward Mexican-style spices most days. So while I was cooking, I found myself myself reaching for cumin, chili powder and chipotles, knowing I could top it off with some salsa when assembling the the deliciousness. So here's what I made, with the addition of kale to help me get my veggies* for the day. Enjoy!

Chipotle breakfast burrito
Makes 2 to 3 burritos,  depending on how large your shells are and how much stuffing you cram in

a dollop cooking oil 1/2 red pepper
1/2 a medium onion, diced
1 block extra-firm tofu, cubed or crumbled, as you like
1/2 teaspoon dried chipotle peppers, or 1/2 chipotle in adobo sauce
cumin, paprika, and chili powder and black pepper, to taste
a few dashes liquid smoke

1/2 cup cooked kale (about 1.5 to 2 cups chopped raw kale)
dash salt
salsa, to taste
2-3 large tortilla shells

Heat pan, add oil and saute red peppers and onions until translucent. Add spices and stir to combine and heat thoroughly. Add tofu and a few dashes liquid smoke and stir to combine and heat thoruhoughly. Watch out, the tofu is prone to sticking! But I didn't want to add more oil so I kept stirring until the tofu was warm and then turned off the heat. I took a tortilla shell out from the package and laid it over the mixture and the spatula in the pan to steam it--I use sprouted grain tortilla shells so they can be a bit stiff right out of the fridge.You could also microwave them for 30 seconds or heat them in the oven (be careful not to burn them!! I ALWAYS toast my tortillas when I try to heat them in the oven. Just sayin'--learn from my stupid-ass mistakes). I spread the tofu mixture and the kale on a shell, added some salsa, folded it up and toasted in my panini press. If you want a toasty exterior but don't have a press, you could dry-fry it in a pan, again being very careful not to burn it. I thought I would use about half the mixture in today's burrito, but there are a good 2 tortilla's worth left. Like most burritos, you end up with a fair amount of filling on your plate by the time you're done eating, but that's half the fun.

*Does anyone actually eat 7 servings of veggies a day? Tell me if you do, I'll pick your brain for tips.

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