Inspired Edibles

~ real food, balanced living ~

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Avocado and Arugula

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I’m delighted to report that I was invited to do a guest post over at The Three Little Piglets this morning on healthy eating. Thanks for the invitation Jen.

One of my biggest objectives as a nutritionist is to show people that healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming.  Nor does it have to be tasteless or boring!

 

All you need is a few wholesome ingredients, and you’re well on your way.  These black bean burritos are a good example.  They are full of health-building nutrients and the entire recipe only calls for 6 ingredients. 

You’ll have a perfect weeknight meal – or game day meal – in less than 20 minutes.


Let’s have a closer look.

Nutrient Highlights:

Black Beans are rich in folate, magnesium, phosphorus and iron. They are also high in fibre and an excellent source of vegetable based protein.

Sweet Potatoes offer an outstanding source of beta-carotene (outranking virtually all other vegetables in this category), and are packed with disease fighting antioxidants.   They are also an excellent source of vitamin C, fibre, niacin and vitamin B6.

Avocados, for their part, are an excellent source of health-building monounsaturated
fat, as well as a good source of fibre, folate, vitamin K, vitamin E, and vitamin B5. Avocados are also rich in lutein, a carotenoid that operates as an antioxidant to help protect our eyes from disease.

Cooked Tomatoes are one of the best dietary sources of lycopene, a potent antioxidant with cancer-fighting potential. 

Arugula (or Rocket), like most green leafy vegetables, is rich in vitamin K and a good source of vitamin C, folate and magnesium.  Green leafies are also an outstanding source of lutein and zeaxanthin, two carotenoids that operate as antioxidants to help protect our eyes from age-related macular degeneration and cataracts.

The best news is that all of these ingredients also happen to taste delicious – especially when they come together in a warming, satisfying burrito.  The peppery arugula really comes through in this recipe, making it especially delightful.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos with Avocado and Arugula
  • 1 cooked sweet potato, diced with skin left on preferably
  • 2 cups cooked black beans, well rinsed if using canned
  • 1 large ripe avocado, diced
  • 1 cup arugula
  • 1 cup natural salsa of your choice, or 2 large chopped tomatoes with a sprinkle of sea salt
  • 4 large spinach tortillas, or whole grain tortillas of your choice

Serves 4

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Notes:

I like to provide options in my recipe suggestions so that people don’t feel like it’s an all or nothing proposition. 

I tend to bake my sweet potatoes because I like the taste and texture that arises from the roasting process (including the skin where plenty of nutrients reside). I often toss vegetables in the oven in the morning while I’m preparing breakfast or making my sons’ lunches and simply re-heat when I need them later in the day. For the sweet potato, I suggest 400 F for about 20-25 minutes – just until al dente (sweet potatoes cook faster than white potatoes).


If you prefer, you can boil the sweet potato (being mindful that you will lose some of the water soluble nutrients), or prick the potato and cook it in the microwave (about 3 minutes on high – it cooks fairly quickly).

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15 minutes before serving time, simply combine beans and salsa in a medium size pot on the stove until the mixture just comes to a boil.  Reduce and simmer.

Meanwhile, if you cooked your potato earlier in the day and it has now cooled, simply toss the diced pieces in a skillet (dry or with some olive oil) or microwave and heat for a couple minutes.

Lay the four tortillas out on a flat surface and, using half the portion of arugula (1/2 cup), sprinkle a few leaves in the middle of each tortilla shell.

Top the leaves of each tortilla with roughly 1/2 cup mixture of beans and salsa and then add a divided portion of warm potatoes and avocado.  Finally, top each tortilla with the remaining arugula.


Beginning with outer edges of shell, tuck, pinch and roll tortilla before cutting it in half.
 

Here is a helpful illustration on how to wrap a tortilla

 

Enjoy!

Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

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I had originally intended on posting my favourite mango salsa but it was nearing noon when I began assembling this recipe and I just knew fruits and veggies alone weren’t going to cut it for lunch.  So, I mixed in some plump chickpeas for protein and fibre and was delighted with the result. 
Chickpea, an otherwise ordinary looking legume, has an outstanding nutrition profile and excellent culinary versatility.  In this salad, the chickpeas absorb the flavour of the ginger lime dressing beautifully, hitting the high notes when mixed in with cumin and cilantro.  The solid, buttery texture of chickpeas also adds depth and satisfaction to the meal.
Blackberry Mango Salsa Salad with Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:
For the Salad:
  • 1 mango, peeled and diced
  • 12 or so fresh blackberries
  • 1/2 cucumber, partially peeled and diced
  • 1/2 purple onion, chopped
  • 1 cup cooked chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
For the Ginger Lime Vinaigrette:
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil 
  • 1 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 Tbsp grated lime zest
  • 1 Tbsp minced ginger root
  • 1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ½ tsp sea salt

  • ½ tsp cracked pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds

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Serves 2
Assemble salad ingredients together in a serving bowl or on individual plates.
Combine vinaigrette ingredients together in a container with fitted lid. Shake well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired before drizzling over salsa salad.
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For the love of Chickpeas:
A half cup serving of cooked chickpeas (also known as Garbanzo beans), provides over 6 grams of dietary fibre and 7 grams high-quality vegetable protein. This same serving size also provides 35% of an adult’s daily requirement of folate and over 40% of the daily requirement of manganese.

How to cook Chickpeas:

Soak desired quantity of beans overnight. In the morning, drain the water and replace it with fresh, cold water for cooking. Place on stove and bring to a boil in a pot with a lid. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer, tilting the lid slightly to allow steam to escape, and leave to cook for up to 90 minutes, or until tender.

Smokin’ Mole Cakes with Chili-Lime Guacamole

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I came across this innocent looking bottle of chili lime sauce the other day in the grocery store and before I knew it, visions of black bean cakes were dancing in my head.

They came dressed in sweet potato, celery and onion.  Cashews too.  And, in a smouldering black cloak of confidence, cocoa appeared.  Vision complete.

I call them mole (moh-ley) cakes because they remind me of the Mexican inspired dish made with cumin, cinnamon and cocoa powder.

 

Smokin’ Mole Cakes with Chili-Lime Guacamole
For the Cakes
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cups black bean, thoroughly rinsed if using canned
  • 1 sweet potato, lightly cooked, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • 1/3 cup cashews
  • 1 celery stick, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 heaping Tbsp quality cocoa powder or to taste
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • sea salt & coarse black pepper to taste

For the Chili-Lime Guacamole

  • 2 ripe avocados, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 sliver jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/4 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt

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Note:

These delicate mole cakes are soft and creamy.  They do not have the consistency or texture of a ‘burger’ – vegetarian or otherwise.  You will want to flip them with care on not press down on them with a spatula to avoid flattening them like a pancake.

Makes 6-8 cakes

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Sauté onion in a skillet with some olive oil over medium-low heat until translucent (about 3 minutes) and set aside.

Place black beans, sweet potato, celery, cashews and olive oil together in a blender and pulse until combined but not mushy (there should still be some chunky bean and potato pieces).  Add sautéed onion, cocoa, cumin, cinnamon and salt and pepper to blender and pulse until integrated with bean mixture.  If the mixture is too dry, you can adjust by adding some olive oil.  Once mixed, assemble mole mixture into cakes with your hands – in much the same way you would with a hamburger.

Meanwhile, assemble chili-lime guacamole ingredients.  I generally hand-mix my guacamole but you can do this in a small blender or hand mixer if you prefer.  Adjust the thickness of the guacamole by adding more avocado and/or liquid ingredients as desired.

Once your guacamole is ready, heat a large skillet over medium heat.   Add some olive oil to the skillet and mole cakes.  Allow the cakes to sizzle for a minute or two before flipping.  Use a generous size spatula to flip the cakes and try to do so with one swift action to avoid crumbling and breaking apart.  Once you have flipped the cakes, simply allow them to fry on the other side without pressing down on the cake with the spatula.  If you do this, the cakes will fan out and flatten like a pancake.

Serve the mole cakes with chili-lime guacamole and warm roasted red peppers.

Enjoy!

 

 

Warm Mushroom and Toasted Paprika Bean Salad

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toasted paprika bean salad_blog

The autumn sun is streaming full through my kitchen windows – bands of gold shifting across the floor.  My dog’s face is warm and soft in the November light.

If only it would stay.  This way.
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This is a happy mood autumn dish that pairs well with a dark ale.

And, this.  (Who’s old enough to remember trooper?)

Paprika comes in different flavours and varieties.  It is essentially derived from grinding the pods of peppers – including sweet bell peppers and chili peppers.

Depending on the variety of pepper and how it is processed, the colour can range from bright red to brown and the flavour from mild to spicy.  The sweet variety is often associated with Hungary and the hotter, smoked variety, with Spain although both regions offer a range of sweetness and pungency.

Paprika sold in grocery stores tends to be neither sweet nor hot (some might say without flavour).  It’s a shame that generic paprika is what most of us are accustomed to because the higher quality varieties are imbued with flavour and provide a completely different experience.

Regardless of what variety you use for this recipe, the surrounding ingredients will carry the flavour.

Warm Mushroom and Toasted Paprika Bean Salad

  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 cups white kidney beans, well rinsed if using canned
  • 6-8 shiitake mushrooms, brushed and sliced
  • 2 cups baby spinach or other mixed greens
  • 1 heaping Tbsp quality paprika (preferably Hungarian Sweet but ordinary paprika will work fine)
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp ginger powder
  • sprinkle cinnamon powder
  • Handful sweet pepper slices for garnish

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Note: mushrooms soak up water like a sponge.  If you soak mushrooms in water to wash them, it’s a little bit like trying to sauté a fully drenched sponge.  You will end up with a lot of water and not a very nice sear.  It’s a long, messy, frustrating experience.  Instead, use a potato/vegetable brush to gently brush dirt and debris off mushrooms.  You could also use a damp cloth if preferred but try to resist soaking or running them under water.

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Warm a large skillet over low heat with some olive oil.  Add onions to skillet, stirring until they start to soften.  Add beans to skillet, mixing gently, taking care not to mash the beans.  Once beans have begun to warm, add paprika, stirring to combine with beans and onion.  Be sure to keep heat low otherwise the paprika will blacken and burn.  Add remaining spices to mixture, stirring to combine.  Allow flavours to permeate on lowest heat for a few minutes.  Remove onion and bean mixture from skillet and set aside.

 
Using the same skillet that was used for onions and beans, add a little more olive oil and sauté sliced shiitake mushrooms over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes.  The mushrooms will take on the residual flavour and colour of the spices.

 
To serve, place about a half cup of spinach on 4 separate serving plates.  Add a half cup of onion and bean mixture over top of spinach, followed by a generous spoonful of shiitake mushrooms.  Garnish with a few slices of sweet bell pepper (I found miniatures).

Serves 4