Bean Brown Rice Burrito with Vegan Cheese

My favorite morning program has an Impossible Question segment and one of the questions asked a few weeks ago was, "What do 70 % of the population said they eat once a week"?.  The answer surprised me, it was Burrito.  Not hamburger. Not fries. Not bagels.  Yes, Burrito.

It is probably because it is portable and less messy unlike another Mexican favorite, tacos.  One feels like one is eating a complete meal with the vegetables that usually are packed with the meat and beans. Not to mention it is delicious with the cheese that burritos are mixed with giving burritos both its gooey texture and salty flavor.

This vegan recipe has everything except the meat.  Yes it has cheese too and a good one at that.  It is also vegan which means it is dairy free. But it is so good.  I got the recipe for this amazing cheese from this wonderful vegan food site.  It is not the gooey variety but its spicy tangy taste beats even the real cheese in flavor that goes really with Mexican treats like burrito and nachos.

I decided to mix the ingredients rather than assemble separately along the center of the burrito which most people like to do to make a beautiful strata of a creation which you can do.  I wanted something I can bring with me during the day when I have back to back errands and must eat in my car as I go from one to the other of these tasks.  It must therefore be compact and not falling off all over me as I drive. As usual I included my two favorite super food, sweet potatoes and spinach in the mix.  That sweet potato really imparts a good sweet break in the mixture. You can add any other vegetables you like.

Bean Brown Rice Burrito with Vegan Cheese

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1-14 oz can red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-14 oz can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup prepared salsa
• 1 cup fresh spinach
• 1 cooked sweet potato, cubed
• 1 recipe vegan cheese
• 4-5 large tortillas

Mix all the ingredients except the vegan cheese in a saute pan and heat through.  Add the cheese at the end and mix. Place a portion of the mixture in the middle of a large tortilla leaving about an inch space on the left and right side.  Fold the two sides and then fold the side closest to you and roll pushing the contents as you roll the tortilla into a cylinder ending with the overlap of the last side.

Heat a non stick pan at medium heat.  Place the burrito seam side down and put a weight like a cover on top and brown one side.  Flip and brown the other side.  

Vegan Cheese

Adapted from this site

• 1/2 large red pepper or a small one, chop into big pieces
• 1 large garlic clove
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 4 tbsp walnuts
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt
• juice of half a lemon

(I used a small blender). Add the garlic clove and blend till minced.  Add the chopped red pepper and blend till almost liquid.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend till well mixed.