A few years ago I went on a trip to the West Coast and did a tour de food. At the time I was contemplating opening a vegan donut shop (maybe a future project still…) and was mainly focused on researching what amazing and new donuts were out there -- Shout out to two of my favorites from the trip: General Porpoise in Seattle and Blue Star Donuts in Portland. But we also ate a bunch of other stuff, including (and perhaps nothing more filling or enjoyable than) some fantastic NorCal burritos.
Okay but in all seriousness why are West Coast burritos soooooo much better than the ones I’ve eaten on the East Coast? (Correction: except for the burritos at Broken Symmetry in Bethel CT – damn they’re good!). I mean lets think about it! It’s well known that NorCal burritos are monstrous and full of as much as you can stuff into them. Brimming with cheese, and beans, and pico, and sour cream, and cilantro and avocado and whatever else is local. As a total glutton it’s a dream come true. I like simple fresh flavors when fresh and simple is the objective, but sometimes the kitchen sink is really the best way to go.
The key to a good NorCal style burrito is starting with the LARGEST tortilla you can find. This makes a WORLD of difference. Have you ever tried rolling up a regular sized tortilla into a burrito? Has it ever been able to close properly? Were you ever able to fit as much food into it as you wanted? Let me answer: Hell no! That’s why I recommend searching around your grocery store until you can find the extra large burrito style wraps. The ones that are definitely way too big for your dinner plate. This is where the love is. You can’t build something great without a strong foundation, and the same is true of a good burrito.
Once that foundation is there the key is to fill it with as much variety and bulk as you can manage. Which makes it a PERFECT vessel for my vegan ‘Not Just’ Jerky, Chili-Lime style. I like it when my burrito drips liquid gold while I devour it, so when I re-hydrate my jerky for this recipe I like to leave it a bit more saucy than usual, to do that I’ll add a little more water when I cook it. The variety of chili peppers and hint of lime juice used in the recipe really pop when re-hydrated and so the jerky stands out when chowing down. The Cracked Black Pepper flavor also makes an amazing burrito addition, but I like my burritos to explode with unique flavor, so it’s chili-lime for me all the way on this one.
In addition to the re-hydrated vegan ‘Not Just’ Jerky, I like to load my burrito up with vegan cheese, sour cream, pico, black beans, fresh cilantro and avocado. You can also add in corn, and diced onions and peppers, or anything else you have in your house really. It’s a burrito! Anything goes :D.
Once it’s securely rolled up its super important to cook your burrito on at least 2 to 4 of its sides in a skillet (or on a flat top) to give it a nice golden crunch and really heat up the interior until it’s warm and melty. Then it’s time to chow down. You can either eat your burrito whole, or cut it in half first. And if you have any parchment paper lying around it helps to wrap your burrito up before slicing into it or biting into it. The paper helps hold everything together, and keeps the delicious drops from spilling out all over you. I’m a fan of cutting my burritos in half, that way I can see all the yummy things that I’ve piled up inside, and I can also imagine that I’m eating two smaller things instead of one giant thing, and that makes me feel like I’ve consumed less calories. Mind over matter right? …. Nope, it doesn’t matter, just eat the whole burrito! Your taste buds will thank you.
For a simple DIY recipe, check out the one I’ve written below and tag us on Instagram or FB if you make it to let me know how it goes! #sassybirchrecipes
Sassy Birch Burritos
Ingredients:
- 1oz, Chili-Lime 'Not Just' Jerky
- 1/3 Cup 1Tbs, Water
- 1/2 Cup, Vegan Shredded Cheese
- 1/4 Cup, Vegan Sour Cream
- 1/2 Cup, Black Beans (from 1 Can, cooked)
- 1/3 Cup, Pico de Gallo
- 1/4 Cup, Guac or 1/2 of a Ripe Avocado, Sliced
- 1 Small Bunch of Cilantro, Chopped
- 1 Extra Large, Burrito-Style Flour Tortilla
Instructions:
- First re-hydrate your 'Not Just' Jerky; heat the water and jerky in a small saucepan until boiling, then reduce to a simmer until desired consistency is reached ~ 10 minutes or less.
- Cook your black beans in a small saucepan, you can rinse and drain off some of the liquid in the can, but cooking your beans in their original liquid is really the way to go. I like to add a bit of adobo seasoning, or some salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika for some extra flavor. Cook the beans on medium heat until the liquid has reduced a bit and thickened up a little as well.
- Cut up your avocado, chop up your cilantro, get our your pico, sour cream, and shredded cheese ready for assembly. (If you can't find pico at the store it's as simple mixing together a large tomato (diced), half a small onion (diced), one fresh jalapeno (diced), a handful of cilantro (choped), and the juice from one lime).
- Heat up a large skillet on medium-high heat. Heat your tortilla in the pan for just a few seconds on each side to make it more pliable. Then set your tortilla on a clean counter-top or cutting board for assembly.
- In the center of your burrito, first spread out a layer of vegan sour cream covering a large portion of the tortilla, and then sprinkle a generous amount of shredded cheese on top. The sour cream will help hold it in place, and having the cheese right next to the tortilla means it will be able to melt faster when we toast it later.
- Then add your sauciest ingredients first; the beans (which I recommend using a slotted spoon for), the re-hydrated Chili-Lime jerky, and then the pico. Make sure everything is more or less evenly distributed in a line (read: hotdog shaped) slightly closer to you than in the dead center of the tortilla. There should still be several inches of untouched tortilla left surrounding all sides of your pile of ingredients.
- Top off your pile of delicious fillings with the sliced Avocado and fresh cilantro. Then roll baby roll.
- To roll your burrito: first use your pointer and middle fingers to fold in the sides of the tortilla over the ends of your hotdog shaped pile of ingredients. They just need an inch or two of coverage so don't try to connect them to each other. Then use your thumbs to fold up the edge of the tortilla closest to your body, and roll it away from you towards the other end of the tortilla. Keep the sides tucked in as you roll. Be sure to touch the edge of the tortilla you are rolling away from you to the inside of the other side of the tortilla before completing the roll to ensure a solid structure that wont fall apart when you pick it up. Complete the roll, then place your burrito seam side down onto your hot skillet and let it cook for 1-2 minutes until golden before flipping it over to the other side to do the same.
- If this is confusing, which I'm sure it is because I am not a fantastic writer, there are lots and lots of 'How to roll a burrito' videos on youtube, I recommend checking one out!
- And boom! Your burrito is ready! You can roll it in paper or tinfoil for less mess, or eat it in it's natural form.
