Mediterranean Burritos

Mediterranean Burritos

I put lunch on a pedestal. I’ve never been one to forget to eat and when I’m working long hours, lunch is one of the highlights of the day. Usually I can rely on leftovers for my work lunches but I’ve had less time to cook and that just hasn’t been happening. So frequently over the last couple weeks I’ve opted for the work provided lukewarm questionable-looking meat entree (it’s free but I’m not sure if this is pork or chicken – not a good sign) or I’ve grabbed a frozen meal. Suffice to say, many days my longing thoughts of lunch have ended in disappointment.

There are some not-so-bad frozen meal options but they are rarely fresh, healthy and delicious. Usually you have to sacrifice in at least one of those categories and I just don’t like doing that. So inspired by a wrap I tried at Kurah’s, a local Mediterranean restaurant in the South Loop of Chicago (my hood!), and my current need to get healthy, delicious food in my belly (or lunchbox) with very little effort, I utilized the grocery store prepared food section to throw together these burritos.

Usually I’m a make-it-from-scratch gal but when you work a 90 hour week prepared foods look more and more appealing. Luckily, I live by a Trader Joe’s where you can find lots of delicious dips, spreads, and salads that are freshly made from real ingredients. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s in your neighborhood then I’ve included some substitutions that I think will work well.

The wrap that inspired this recipe was made with a flatbread and had the option of duck or chicken for the filling. It was served with a side of tahini cream (sour cream-esqe but healthier) and a hot pepper sauce (just like a spicy salsa) and had me thinking I was in gourmet foodie burrito land. I’ve been eating too much mystery meat, see above, and so I decided to go vegetarian and fill these burritos with some leftover refried beans (from my big ‘ol pot of black beans) and cooked lentils.

I also wanted something fresh and crunchy so I grabbed a bag of shredded Brussels sprouts that I knew would make a very quick slaw. Then it was all about the delicious dips I could grab and schmear onto a tortilla. I used the tahini sauce, hummus, and olive tapenade from Trader Joe’s and whipped together a whole pile of these burritos in minutes. High in protein, fiber, a good serving of veggies and a tangy, bright crunch make these the perfect midday meal.

Mediterranean Burritos

Ingredients:

10 large flour tortillas
Refried beans (buy a can or make your own)
Cooked lentils
Sliced Persian cucumbers
Hummus
Tahini sauce
Olive tapenade
Salsa
For the slaw:
8 ounces shredded Brussels sprouts
1 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used 50/50 cilantro and parsley)
Juice of 1 lime or lemon
1 teaspoon salt
Special Equipment Needed:None

Method:

For the slaw mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. To make the burritos layer all ingredients inside a tortilla, tuck in the ends and roll. Easy as that!

Substitution Ideas:
You could easily wrap all these ingredients in any type of wrap, tortilla or flatbread. Personally I think the whole wheat ones taste like cardboard so I stuck with the traditional option but grab whatever you like best. If you’d prefer to go low carb and/or gluten free skip the tortilla and pile all the ingredients in a big bowl.

Tahini sauce is just tahini and lemon mixed with water until thinned. You can make your own, omit or try yogurt/sour cream.

Any type of cabbage can be substituted for the Brussels sprouts.