burritos ready to eat, originally uploaded by Shiny (aka Rachel).

When we decided to split living quarters with my sister and her family, I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish. The primary thing was saving money, which we don’t seem to be doing… and the rest were simple ideas that revolved around learning from each other. Chris and I are infinitely different than Becky and her husband. We’re homebodies, they like to go out, we eat well, they live off mac & cheese, we pay our bills on time, they don’t.

Ok, so honestly – the main objective was them learning from us. Although Chris and I have certainly picked up a few tricks. We’re out more, doing things together and enjoying life away from the computer and television. I like to think Becky and Ryan are learning from us too. We’ve certainly been pushing, helping them learn to budget and be responsible around the house. One of the most fun “goals” has been teaching my sister to cook.

I manage to drag her into the kitchen every now and then, and show her how to make a few of our favorite dishes. There have been recipes from our childhood, and new ones she’s fallen in love with too. Homemade teriyaki sauce was a hit, and so were my enchiladas… recently I made burritos, and she’s been asking me ever since if we could make them together.

One of the things I missed most after becoming gluten free was freezer friendly food. Specifically, burritos and corndogs. I’ve yet to find a recipe that looks manageable and actually resembles corn dogs – but I have managed to put together a delicious burrito dish. It sort of fell together one it’s own, and has been modified many times depending on what was in the cupboard. The recipe below is my favorite way to make these, but you can change it up quite easily by using jalapenos, different cheeses, rice, ground turkey or shredded chicken.

Often times I’ll simply put the leftover cooked filling in a bowl and give it to Chris with a bag of tortilla chips. He loves it so much that I’ve actually served it that way to company as an appetizer. The best thing about this recipe though, is it’s cost. Canned beans are cheap (the dried ones even more cost effective, but I’m lazy), as are most of the ingredients.. And like I mentioned before, most of these items are staples in my gluten free pantry. Plus it makes an insane amount of food, meaning you can put some away in the freezer for quick snacking.

So on to the recipe! (Written for a first time cook.)

You’ll need:

• Frying pan
• Spatula or spoon
• 2 9 x 13 baking pans
• Cheese grater
• Bowl
• Knife
• Cutting board
• Potato masher
• Plate
• Damp towel, or paper towels.
• Microwave

• 20 small corn tortillas
• 15oz can pinto beans
• 15oz can kidney beans
• 15oz black beans
• 10oz can Rotel tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1lb hamburger
• 1lb cheddar cheese, shredded
• Splash of milk or water
• 3 tablespoons oil

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grate the cheese.
3. Open, drain, and rinse all the canned beans.
4. Open the Rotel tomatoes and keep close.
5. Chop your onions and garlic finely.
6. Heat a tablespoon of oil in the frying pan over medium heat.
7. Put in your onions and cook until almost soft, add oil if needed.
8. Add garlic in the pan and cook until the onions are starting to brown.
9. Add in hamburger, and cook until done.
10. Turn burner heat to medium low.
11. Add in all of the beans.
12. Stir.
13. Add in the entire can of Rotel.
14. Add in the dry spices.
15. Stir a few more times.
16. Using the potato masher, mash the beans until about half of them are creamy instead of whole.
17. Stir in ¾’s of the cheese.
18. At this point you can add the milk if you want a creamier texture.
19. Wrap 4 tortillas in damp towel and microwave. (You will have to do this repeatedly. Make sure the tortillas are soft before working with them!)
20. Put a spoonful or two of filling into the now pliable tortillas.
21. Roll closed like a burrito or soft taco.
22. Place in pan, seam side down.
23. Repeat until the pans are full.
24. Sprinkle with cheese.
25. Cook in preheated oven until the cheese has melted.
26. Serve with sour cream, salsa, or any other preferred condiment.
27. Enjoy!