Recipes Part 19: Burrito Box

Before we met, my boyfriend was quite the bachelor. He lived alone, subsisting on beans, rice and frosted shredded wheat which, admittedly, is better than many guys’ diets but still left something to be desired. We’ve been together for quite a while now but the one culinary part of his bachelor life that has survived besides the shredded wheat is the infamous Burrito Box.

The Burrito Box is just that – all the ingredients you would want in a burrito but combined in a plastic box, shaken and then eaten on tortillas. This is something we do when we know we won’t have time to cook throughout the week and just need something quick and healthy for a couple nights in a row. The original recipe pretty much calls for a can or bunch of everything but I have since modified it to include as many local ingredients as possible.

The ground pork came from Windy Hill Farm though you could substitute sautéed zucchini or more beans of your choice; the Lomax Incubator Farm had some very interesting and tasty shishito peppers I used in place of jalapenos; the Roma tomatoes were from the Elizabeth Avenue Market; onion and corn from the Lomax Farm; rice and cheddar from Simply Local; and Greek-style yogurt from New Terra Farms. It sounds like a lot of ingredients but the actual cooking part takes about 5 minutes. Just think about how many meals you get out of it!

Local Burrito Box (LPO)

1 pound ground meat of your choice

1 medium-large tomato, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1-2 cups rice, cooked

1 hot pepper of choice, minced

2 ears of corn, cooked and cut off ear

1 can black beans

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 cup Greek-style yogurt
1/2 cup salsa (optional)

6-8 large tortillas

1. Brown the ground meat. Add taco seasoning.
2. Combine all ingredients except cheese and yogurt, if desired, in large plastic container with tight-fitting lid.  SHAKE WELL.
3. Serve on lightly heated tortillas.