Black Bean Burritos with Pickled Onions

My sister was on the hunt for vegetarian recipes and luckily stumbled across this one. It's a bit messy to prepare, but this is a delicious, hearty alternative to meat burritos. I loved the pickled onions and never realized how easily they could be made. With the toppings you can really pick and choose which Tex-Mex toppings you like the most. My sister and I both love guacamole, so much so that we can polish off a bowl of guacamole in minutes. We grew up with guacamole as kids. It was a favorite then and it's still a favorite now. That being said, a giant bowl of guacamole is what we considered a side when we made this. Along with sour cream, lime, and some extra cilantro.

You could probably make the pickled onions and bean mixture ahead of time, just make sure to warm them up a little before preparing the burritos. The burritos go from perfectly golden brown to borderline charred quickly, so keep a colse eye on them during the frying process.

Adapted from Gourmet Today via Dinner: A Love Story

For the onions:
2 cups water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

For the beans:
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup water
3 scallions, finely sliced
1/2 15-ounce can of corn, drained and rinsed (optional)

For the burritos:
6 8 to 10 inch tortillas
2 cups coarsely grated Jack cheese (or Mexican mix)
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

Toppings (you can pick and choose which ones you like):
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Lime
Salsa

Prepare the onions by bringing the water, vinegar, sugar and salt ro a boil in a saucepan. Add the onion and simmer for 3 minutes, uncovered. Drain the onion and allow to cool to room temperature.

To make the filling, start by heating up the oil in a skillet or heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Do not let the oil begin to smoke. Add the garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper and mix until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the beans and mix them with the garlic, coarsely mashing them with the back of a fork. Mix in the water, scallions, and corn (if using) and stir until the water is almost fully absorbed. Remove form heat.

To assemble the burritos, start by spreading 1/6th of the bean mixture in the middle of a tortilla, leaving an inch of space from the filling to the edge at either end. Top beans with 1/3 cup of cheese, some onions, and a generous sprinkle of cilantro. Fold the ends of the tortilla inwards over the filling and then fold in the 2 remaining sides to enclose the burrito (see photo below). Place the burrito seam side down, and fold the rest of your burritos. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, but not smoking, place 2 burritos in the pan seam side down. Fry until the bottom of the burrito is golden brown. Flip them over and cook on the other side until golden brown as well. Repeat with the rest of the burritos. Serve with whichever toppings you like: guacamole, sour cream, a squeeze of lime, and/or salsa.

Photo from Dinner: A Love Story

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