Cooking with Coriander

One of the best pieces of advice I was given in my Master's program is to make time every day to do something creative that I love.  You might be echoing similar thoughts to my own when I first heard the advice, easier said than done!, but since balance is a coveted life skill, I thought I would try to put that wisdom into action.   I have lots of "creative" hobbies but many of them require large amounts of time and supplies, making them challenging to do when time is limited.   So, when I don't have time to scrapbook or lay on my couch with a knitting project, I cook.  It serves a need and gives me an outlet to explore new things.

Recently I was reading a food blog (nerdy, I know) and stumbled upon a recipe that contained some of my favorite ingredients in a way that I hadn't tried yet.  I knew right away that if I had seen this recipe on a menu at a restaurant, I would have ordered it so I decided to add it to the top of my "must cook" list.

After a particularly long Monday, I actually ended up making this recipe at 9pm.   Although 9pm is not  a standard dinner hour, this recipe was worth bending the rules for.

Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

For the rice:

• 1/3 cup brown rice, uncooked
• Vegetable broth or water (to boil rice) 

For the Mashed Potatoes: 

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1inch pieces 
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• salt and pepper to taste 

For the Black Beans: 

• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (15 ounce can) 
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder 
• 3 dashes cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 1 whole medium yellow onion, diced 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 whole green chili, de-seeded and minced

For Assembly: 

• 4 whole large burrito size flour tortillas 
• 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• chopped cilantro (optional) 
• sour cream (optional) 

Preparation:
Rice: Cook the rice according to package directions until tender.  Drain, then fluff with a fork and let it rest with the lid closed while you make the rest of the fillings.
Mashed Potatoes: Boil the sweet potatoes until very tender, then mash or whip with the butter.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
Black Beans: In a bowl, mix the beans with the lemon juice and seasonings.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Cook the onions, garlic and green chili pepper about 2-3 minutes until soft.  Add the bean mixture and warm through. 
Burrito assembly: Layer the warm ingredients down the center of each tortilla in this order: cheese, rice, beans, sweet potatoes.  Fold the tortilla at the top and bottom of the filling in, rotate and roll the burrito up so that all the ends are closed.  Place it on the baking tray seam side down.  Brush with vegetable oik and place under the broiler until crispy and golden brown on top.  Serve with sour cream mixed with 1 teaspoon of ground coriander or chopped fresh cilantro.