Recipes by their Ingredients

avocado

  • Burrito, West Coast Mission Style

    Burrito West Coast Mission Style
    Burrito, West Coast Mission Style
    (Serves 2)

    1 lb Skirt steak (or Flank steak)
    4 slices Monterey Jack Cheese
    ½ cup refried or whole beans
    ½ cup Mexican rice, long grain
    ¼ cup cilantro, minced (optional)
    ⅓ cup yellow onions, diced small (optional)
    ⅓ cup salsa, your favorite brand or home-made (optional)
    1 avocado, mashed (optional)
    1/3 cup sour cream, whipped (optional)
    2 - 12 inch flour tortillas

    NOTES: Much of the time, your not getting that authentic bean flavor in the refried beans because the beans are cooked down with lard, ancho chili powder, garlic and onions!
     

    Have your beans and rice already made, seasoned and warm. For Mexican style rice, you can cook the rice in chicken stock and add in ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp onion powder and a tsp of tomato paste. Optionally you can add chili powder and cumin.

    Mise en place, have all your cheese, salsa, onions, cilantro, etc prepared and ready for the final wrap.

    Sprinkle the steak with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. For authentic flavor, grill the steak for 3-4 minutes each side (depending on how thick it is) and let it rest for 5 minutes.

    You don't want your tortilla crunchy before you roll it! If you are unable to steam your tortillas, the next best way is to warm them up slowly on a flat top, (in a pinch use your oven set at 300°F., no need to flip add cheese right away) once both sides are warm and the tortillas is much more flexible. If you're using cheese, add it now, both slices next to each other in the center so it fully or partially melts (since the heat of the rest of the ingredients will melt it the rest of the way. Remove from heat. (I have seen Mission burrito makers put the final rolled burrito on a flat top, but you better be really good burrito roller for your ingredients not to come spilling out!)

    Lay out the tortilla and place beans on top of cheese covering only the bottom third of the tortilla, (drain liquid if they are whole beans). Now add the rice on top, evenly across the entire layer of beans.
    Chop the steak (or chicken) into bite size pieces about ¼ inch, add to the top of the rice.
    Add any extras in on top of the meat like cilantro, onions, salsa or some extra shredded cheese. You see we are sandwiching the ingredients that we don't mind hot and the last ones are chilled and on the outer edge once we wrap it. Top it off with sour cream and guacamole if you are using it.

    The Roll (Here's a 23 second video on YouTube from Thrillist.)
    Pull the two sides up, half folding in, while maintaining those sides with bottom three fingers, now use your thumb and fore finger on each side and grab the bottom of the tortilla, pulling it over the ingredients, while tucking in the side and finish the roll by tucking it all in evenly in one swift movement.
    Place on top of some aluminum foil wrap and wrap up closing the bottom off from any drips and the top you peel away the foil to eat a few bites at a time. Always leave the foil on the lower portion to keep the structure of the burrito intact until it's time to peel away the foil and eat the next bite burrito! Enjoy!

  • Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad

    Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad
    Vegetarian Black Bean Taco Salad
    (serves 20)
    1 lb black beans
    2 onions, one small dice, the other just peeled.
    6-8 Roma tomatoes, small dice
    3 jalapenos, roasted and diced small
    2 green bell peppers, roasted and diced small
    1 small carrot
    1 stalk celery
    1 cup ketchup
    2 tblsp lime juice
    1 tblsp Tabasco hot sauce
    1 tblsp cumin powder
    1 tblsp chili powder
    2 tsp salt
    black pepper, to taste
    ¾ cup shredded cheese
    ¾ cup sour cream
    3 avocados, diced
    1 bunch cilantro, minced
    1 large bag of tortilla chips, your favorite brand
    Optional: 1 tblsp red wine vinegar
    Optional: ½ head of iceberg lettuce, shredded small
    NOTES: If you have the time, you should soak your beans first in cold water for up to a day before cooking them. To roast the peppers, stick them over open flames of stove burner until blackened then rinse the charred skin off under water, de-seed and chop in a small dice. Alternatively you can put them in the oven at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then place in a paper bag for 5 minutes, then the skin will peel off easy, de-seed then chop in a small dice.

    Instructions

    In a large pot of cold water, add the black beans, carrot, celery and the onion that's is peeled and whole. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to simmer, until beans are tender.

    Drain the beans and discard the celery, carrot and onion. You can also cool the beans down with a little running cold water through the strainer.

    In a medium bowl, add the ketchup, lime juice, Tabasco, chili powder, cumin powder, salt and pepper (and the red wine vinegar, if your using it). Mix well, taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

    When the beans have cooled down, add the diced tomatoes, diced jalapeno peppers, diced green bell peppers and cilantro, mix well.

    Once you are happy with your ratio of vegetables to beans and in the sauce mixture and stir well, making sure all the beans and tomatoes get coated.

    Taste again, adjust seasonings if needed. To server, top with diced avocado, shredded cheese and sour cream.

    If you are using lettuce, shred or cut it in small strips and mix into the bean mixture.