A New Favorite

Our Family Loves BRC's (Bean, Rice, Cheese) Burritos.  Everyone loves the taste and I love how easy they are to put together.  Not too long ago I checked out The Biggest Loser Jump Start Guide.  It had all of these great recipes in it, including one for black bean burritos.  I know what you're thinking--do you really need a recipe for burritos?!  However, since we've started making them this way it has become a new favorite.  I like it because we get a little more veggies in there with peppers and tomatoes that the kids weren't getting when we just used canned refried beans.  So here is the recipe for one of our new favorites:

Black Bean Burritos
(you can use pinto beans if you don't like black beans)

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup canned tomatoes, or 1 cup tomato sauce
**If we have them, I just chop up fresh tomatoes
   I also use different peppers, orange, yellow, red, whatever you like or have on hand.
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
**O.k. my tastebuds prefer a little less onion and a little more garlic, so that's how we do it.
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon salt + additional to taste
1 cup fat-free, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
**O.k. one more change, I just use the chicken broth I like; the Pacific Foods Brand
3 cups cooked black beans or 2 (15 ounce cans) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

Add the olive oil to a 3-quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft.  Add the tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt, and simmer for about 3 minutes.

Carefully add the broth and beans.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mixture is thickened and most of the broth has evaporated.  Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaf.  Stir in the vinegar and cilantro.  Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and chile flakes, if desired.

Just add to your burrito with any other ingredients, rice, cheese, salsa, etc.  Our kids didn't even notice that there were peppers and tomatoes in these.  They just raved at how yummy they were.
Enjoy!

O.k., I know I should include a picture, but I don't have one.  Hopefully you will try it anyway!