black bean and quinoa freezer burritos

Name: black bean and quinoa freezer burritos
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp canola or grape seed oil; 1 large yellow onion (diced); 4 cloves garlic (crushed); 1/2 - 1 jalapeño (seeded and finely minced); 1 large red bell pepper (diced); 1 medium zucchini (diced); 1 cup corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned are all fine); 1 large tomato (dice); 1 cup cooked quinoa (from about 1/2 cup uncooked; 3 cups cooked black beans (2 cans); 1 Tbsp ground cumin; 1 tsp hot smoked paprika; 1 tsp chile powder; 1 tsp salt; 1/2 a bunch of cilantro (chopped); 1 cup shredded jalapeño cheese (optional); 6 large whole wheat tortillas

June 26, 2014 by Katie Trant 69 Comments

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Hi, my name is Katie and I’m a lunch packer.

If you’ve been hanging around here for any length of time you’ve probably already figured this out. I plan meals. I pack meals. I prep in advance. One might even say I’m a bit compulsive about it, but I don’t care. I like having all of my ducks in a row, and I dislike having to think about what to eat. I also dislike feeling frenzied in the morning before work, so I really like when everything is done in advance.

Please know that this is essentially the only aspect of my life in which I’m this organized. In every other way I’m pretty much a complete disaster. I’m chronically late, my hair is a mess because I attempt to cut the back myself between appointments, I don’t know much about makeup or shoes, and although I exercise often it is somewhat begrudgingly. We’re all just people, right?

Anyways, I’m a lunch packer. So I’m sure you can imagine that when I go traveling and I’m not home during my normal lunch packing /organizing time AND our return flight gets us home in the wee hours of Monday morning when I’ve got to be at the office by 9, I’ve got a problem. What the heck am I going to do about lunch?

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to meet my BFF, my main squeeze, and the apple of my manic meal-planning eye, THE FREEZER!

I can’t tell you how many times individual portions of healthy meals stashed in the freezer has saved my butt. Remember last summer when I came back from my vacation with a broken ankle? That sucked. But luckily I had made a batch of freezer burritos before I went away, so I had lunches sorted for the first week I was back at work.

Those times I was working bonkers long hours AND getting up in the wee hours of the morning to work on my thesis? Coming back from Istanbul in the wee hours of Monday morning? Thank you freezer! And thank you ME for having the foresight to make freezer burritos in the first place.

Who doesn’t need a handy batch of burritos in their freezer? No one, that’s who! These black bean and quinoa burritos whip up pretty quickly, and they freeze and reheat like a charm.

Why quinoa? Well, the rice that is so often the filler turns burritos into a carb on carb situation (read the nutrition info on your tortillas, they’re often equivalent to 2 or 3 slices of bread) so I’ve replaced it with the protein-rich super-seed. Black beans, corn, and a whole mess of veggies round the situation out into a tasty and nutritious meal.

I used a bit of jalapeño cheese in my burritos because hello, cheese + burrito = delicious, but it’s totally not necessary and can easily be left out for a 100% vegan burrito. Also, you totally don’t have to freeze these. You could whip them up and have a big old burrito bonanza on the spot if you’d prefer. But if you *do* want to freeze them I fully encourage individually wrapping those cute little burrito butts in foil or parchment and tossing them in the freezer for another day.

To enjoy your freezer burrito you can a) bake it in the oven from frozen, b) microwave it (take off the foil first!) or c) let it defrost and enjoy at room temp. It’s the easiest packed lunch ever because you’ve done the work way in advance. I promise you, you won’t regret it one bit.

Black beans are a good source of folate, dietary fiber, protein, phosphorus, iron, copper, magnesium, manganese, potassium and vitamin K. The protein-plus-fiber combination in black beans is one of the things that makes them special. A one cup serving contains 15g of fiber (over half of the daily recommended intake), and 15g of protein. Much of the fiber is indigestible, which supports digestive health, particularly in the lower part of our digestive tract. The protein-fiber combination is also key in stabilizing blood sugar levels, as both protein and fiber move through our digestive systems at a moderate pace. Black beans are also rich in soluble fiber, which is helpful for lowering blood cholesterol levels and supporting cardiovascular health. You know what they say, beans beans good for the heart… but if the second part of that rhyme concerns you, be sure to discard the soaking water when cooking dried beans. You’ll be tossing out a good amount of flatulence causing compounds, as well as some of the phytates and tannins that lower nutrient availability.

Quinoa not only has a very high protein content (about 18%), but this super seed also contains a complete set of essential amino acids, making it a complete protein. It’s a great source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, and is high in magnesium and iron.

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