Soutwest Rice and Bean Burritos

Sometimes I feel like I have conflicting goals. I really want to learn how to cook well and cook a variety of dishes. BUT I also want to eat and be healthy. AND I do not want to waste food. So sometimes I feel like I shouldn't try to cook something because we won't eat it, or we will eat it and be all the fatter for it. That's why I am so happy when I find recipes like this one. It is easy (which always makes me happy) and has so much flavor and yumminess without a lot of unhealthiness. The dressing is the star of the show--it adds enough flavor so you don't miss the cheese that usually makes it way into a burrito (along with added fat.) I would consider this a quite healthy meal, actually, but you could make it even healthier by using brown rice. We're not quite at the loving brown rice stage yet.

This recipe was actually written as a salad recipe, but I decided I would serve it warm and in tortillas and call it dinner. And that's the way this recipe will stay for us. Steve and I both really loved it. The only other change I made was cut back on the salt to 1 t. from 2 t. Oh, and it makes a TON and so be ready to share what you have with others!

TAMI'S SOUTHWEST RICE AND BEAN SALAD TURNED BURRITO

(original recipe found here)

5 cups cooked rice, warm or at room temp.

1 t. salt

1 (16 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups cooked, cubed chicken

1 (12 oz.) can corn, drained (I think our corn was in a bigger can but we used it all)

4 green onions, chopped

Tortillas

Dressing:

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. packed brown sugar

2/3 cup canola oil

4 pickled jalapeno pepper rounds (found in the Hispanic foods section)

2 t. chili powder

1 t. cumin

Combine all filling ingredients together in a large bowl. Combine dressing ingredients in blender until peppers are finely minced. Toss dressing over filling ingredients. Fill tortillas with filling and eat warm. (We put filling on a tortilla and microwaved for 30 seconds and that was perfect.) Yum!