Bean burrito is one of those recipes that I had booked marked years ago and the important aspect which drew me to this recipe was its simplicity. It takes less than 30 minutes to put together if you have canned black beans on hand. We all know that black beans are a good source of fiber and is rich in antioxidants making this dish even better.

Next comes the colorful part, which is the avocado salad. Avocados are a big source of potassium. It is rich in folic acid, which is important in the prevention of birth defects. It helps lower blood cholesterol levels and protects against certain cancers. The list is endless and I wanted to do more with it rather than just chapatis. Hence, this colorful salad was born. The creaminess of avocado combined with the colorful veggies and lemon juice makes this salad one tasty dish and it paired extremely well with the burrito. So now off to the recipe.

This burrito is so versatile. Play around with different veggies to get different flavors. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients for bean mix
1 cup dry black beans (canned beans can be used)
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 cloves garlic minced
1 small onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water

To use during assembly
Onion chopped
Tomato chopped
Cheese

Ingredients for avocado salad
1 avocado diced
1 tomato diced
1/2 cucumber diced
Corn (I used one corn)
Small piece of red onion
Lemon juice to taste
Salt to taste

Method
Soak the dry beans for around 8 hours and pressure cook the same for 4 to 5 whistles. Skip this if using canned beans.

Coarsely mash the cooked beans or canned beans using a masher or spoon.

Next heat a pan with oil and season with cumin seeds. Then add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.

Add the onion and saute until onion is cooked.

Next add the bell pepper and saute for say 5 minutes. We like the bell pepper to be crunchy, but if you want it to be cooked further saute for few extra minutes.

Now add the mashed beans, salt and chilly powder and mix.

Mix well to get everything together. Add some water if the mixture is too thick. I used around 1/4 cup of water. The mix should not be runny since it has to stay inside the burrito and not make it soggy.

Let us start filling the burrito. Place the burrito on a plate. First goes a layer of bean mix. Then add some tomatoes, onions and shredded cheese. Place some cheese on the top half of the burrito to help it stick better.

Now the folding begins. Fold the bottom side first. Then fold the left side. Next the right side. You get the idea from the pictures right. Seal the top by folding so the filling stays inside. Place in a pan, griddle or grill.

I have used the LocknLock nonstick ceramic pan and no oil was needed. In fact I made the bean mix in it and just wiped it down to cook the burrito. This pan has made my cooking a lot easier.

Cook for few minutes and flip it over. See the nice brown color without any oil, thanks to the non-stick pan. If you are making just the burrito it is done with this step.

Now the salad. Let us prepare the avocado first. Cut it in half. Place knife over the pit and twist slightly. The pit will release. Next dice it as shown.

Phew .. we are almost there .. assembling the salad. Mix avocadoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.

Steam the corn and using a serrated knife slice as shown.

Add the corn to the salad. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Simple and healthy salad ready to go with the burrito.

Another look at the burrito-salad combo. Looks so colorful and pretty right. I am ready to dig in ..

Enjoy!

Tips
1. Canned beans simplifies the process a lot.
2. If you do not want to feel the veggies in the burrito dice them small. We like to taste the onion and bell pepper and so I dice it big.
3. You can add some salsa or hot sauce to the burrito to jazz it up a bit. Jalapeno pickles can also be added.

Linking to Dish it Out - Black Beans and Bell Peppers hosted by Anu