Smothered Burritos, Take 2

I've been asked to share my smothered burritos recipe from my week in food last week. I was looking through my older posts and discovered that I did write up a recipe for smothered burritos, but the ones I made last week were quite a bit different. The basic idea is the same: meat, rice, and beans. However, I tend to change it up every time I make it depending on what I have on hand. Unfortunately for those of you who like to know exact amounts, I don't usually measure. That's kind of the great thing about burritos though, you can put in pretty much whatever you want (within reason of course), and in the ratios that you want or have, just taste as you go.

Last week, I used my leftover rice pilaf, which already had some onion and garlic in it. I also used leftover roasted chicken, shredded or chopped into small pieces. I then cooked up some black beans. If you want a vegetarian version, just leave out the meat. For the black beans I used about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of dried black beans, soaked overnight. Drain the beans, and place in a saucepan or pot. I like to add Mexican type spices to my beans while they cook (this time I put in a couple dried chilies, about 1 tsp cumin seeds, a couple garlic cloves, and a cinnamon stick). Next time I'll leave out the cinnamon stick, I thought it was a bit too much. Cover the beans with a couple of inches of water, bring to a boil for a few minutes and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for a couple of hours, or until the beans are soft, then drain. Of course, if you don't have time to cook the beans, you could always use canned black beans.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the rice, chicken, and beans. Add some of the "enchilada" sauce (which you can find the recipe for on the first burritos post), and some plain yogurt if you like (about 1/2 cup or so). Season to taste with chili powder, cumin powder salt and pepper. Add anything else you think it might need (minced onion, green onions, olives, grated cheese, fresh tomatoes). Last time I added onion and fresh tomatoes. One time I even added so chopped avocado (which was good, but didn't freeze very well). Be creative, but taste as you go, and you can't go wrong.