Farm Fridays: Bean Burritos

News flash: the tomatoes are in at Honey Brook Farm! The first planting of tomatoes had some issues, so we haven't seen many so far this year, but the next waves are finally beginning to ripen. I took over 12 pounds of tomatoes home from the farm today and I've planned several tasty canning projects for tomorrow. 

Everything else seems to be ripe right now, too. I know I keep saying this, but it never fails to astonish me. The variety is amazing at this time of year. I had a hard time putting together a menu for this week because I was simply overwhelmed with options. Check out my notes:

In case you're wondering, this is what I do every week. I make a list of all the perishables in my fridge, then all the new produce that I've picked up, and use my online recipe database (it's handy to have a programmer for a husband) to come up with a menu that will incorporate as much of it as possible. As you may be able to see from my list of recipes at the right, and the numerous cross-outs on my schedule, I just couldn't decide today. No matter what I chose, it seemed like I was leaving something out. I ended up giving up a little and leaving a few days blank next week. I'll survey the scene on Wednesday and figure something out.

My end-of-the-week, scraped-together, fridge-clearing recipes are usually some kind of pasta or fried rice with lots of odds and ends thrown in (the fried rice special somehow always manages to be excellent). I've recently realized that the burrito is another awesome alternative for that kind of haphazard day. Toss in pretty much anything, sprinkle it with cheese and toast it closed. Burritos are easy to make and flexible enough to accommodate whatever you have on hand.

This particular recipe came about because I had some leftover beans sitting in the fridge, a pile of shallots in the basement (my makeshift root cellar) and lots of peppers in the crisper. I've been getting some beautiful cubanelles and jalapenos at the farm, but they've been finding themselves lonely and forlorn in the fridge at the end of the week. This is a great place to use up all those gorgeous peppers - any color or type will do!

Bean Burritos
Makes 2 large burritos.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 red sweet pepper, diced
1 large shallot, diced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 c beans, any variety, cooked
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano 
squeeze lime juice
2 large wraps
1 c rice, any variety, cooked
1/2 c shredded Mexican cheese blend
1/2 c sour cream or Greek yogurt

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallot and peppers and cook 4-5 minutes, until softened.

Add the beans to the pan along with the paprika, chili powder, oregano and squeeze of lime juice. Stir to combine. When the beans are heated through, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Lay the wraps out on a counter or cutting board. Spread 1/2 c rice in the center of each wrap, topped by half the bean mixture and 1/4 c cheese.

Carefully fold the burritos: fold one end over, tuck the sides in, then flip the whole thing. Place the burritos seam-side down in a hot panini press. Press the burritos for 3-4 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown, then flip and press another 3-4 minutes. Slice in half and serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt for dipping!