Easy Breakfast Burritos

I had grand plans of making a mountain of these scrumptious breakfast burritos and freezing some for later use.  This particular cooking session didn't result in any being left to freeze.  They were so delicious we gobbled them all up.

It's a very simple recipe and you can make it vegetarian my omitting the sausage.

EASY BREAKFAST BURRITOS

Ingredients:
Whole wheat 8 inch flour tortillas
6 eggs, scrambled
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and crumbled
Shredded cheddar cheese
Salsa
Sour cream

Before assembling, spend a few minutes to cook the scrambled eggs and place in a serving bowl.  Cook the sausage, drain and move to a serving bowl.  Add the cheese to a serving bowl, as well, to make for a speedy assembly process.  Leave the tortillas in the bag, open it and microwave for up to a minute.  This will soften the tortillas so they won't crack when rolled.

For each burrito, place some of the scrambled eggs down the center of the tortilla, leaving an inch or two empty on the bottom edge.  Then layer on the sausage, if using,  then the cheese.  Wrap the burrito by folding the bottom edge up over the filling slightly.  The roll tightly.

Continue until you have used up all the filling ingredients.

If the eggs and sausage are warm still, the cheese will melt from that heat, but they can also be popped in the microwave for up to a minute.  This recipe made 8 burritos.  Serve with salsa and sour cream on the side, if desired.

If you want to freeze some, wrap each burrito, after assembly, tightly with plastic wrap and store in a freezer grade zip top baggie in the freezer.  Remove when wanted and microwave for one minute, then check for doneness and heat up to another minute. 

One-Pot Tex-Mex Chicken and Rice

I've been really wanting some Tex-Mex food lately but couldn't make up my mind exactly what I wanted.  I started going through my pantry, fridge and freezer and grabbing everything that I thought would make a great dish.  One other thing I really love about this recipe is that it is all in one pot, so fewer dishes to be washed.  Anything that will save me some time cleaning up afterwards the better I like it.

The ingredients I used are:  (Printable Recipe)

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces
• 3 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of diced yellow onion
• 1 cup of uncooked brown extra-long grain rice
• 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 15oz can of pinto beans with pork, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• 2 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
• salt and pepper
• sour cream 
  
  
  
  
  

1. Start by sauteing onions in 2 tablespoon of olive oil until they start to soften.
2. Season diced chicken with salt and black pepper to taste.
3. Add chicken to pan and cook over medium high heat until chicken has started to brown.
4. Move chicken to one side of pan, in the other side of the pan add an additional tablespoon of olive oil and saute uncooked rice for about 2 minutes or just until some grains start to turn golden brown.
5. Stir in beans, canned tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic powder, chili powder and cumin.
6. Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.
   
7. Cook about 40 minutes or until rice is tender.
8. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
9. Sprinkle with cheese, recover and let set for 2-3 off heat to melt cheese.
   
10. Garnish with sour cream.
    

There are several ways that you can alter this based on what you have in your pantry.  I used pinto beans with pork added, but plain pinto beans would have been great, as well as black beans.  If you don't have brown rice, use whatever rice you do have and adjust the cooking time according to the type.  For garnishes, you can also add chopped fresh tomatoes, chopped green onions, and/or guacamole.  The amount of spices listed above makes it very flavorful but not very spicy, adjust to your preference.

Frugal Steak Hoagies

I enjoy making leftovers into totally different dishes from what they were originally.  I also like to make a lot of one thing so that I can do just this.  Here is how I make frugal steak hoagies from left over grilled hamburger patties.

 Other than the pre-cooked patties, I also used hamburger buns, canned peppers in tomato sauce and cheddar cheese.  The peppers in sauce that I used is some that my dad cans himself, but there are a few local brands that might be pretty close.  Demus and Oliverio's are two that come to mind.  I also puree the peppers and sauce with a hand blender so nobody gets a big chuck of pepper.

 First, slice all the burgers into thin strips, around 1/8" thick and warm in a skillet with a little butter or spray oil.  Add the peppers and heat through.

 Each sandwich/hoagie will be wrapped in a sheet of foil.  On each sheet, spray with some oil, then begin assembling until you have them all done.

To assemble just lay the bottom bun on the oiled foil, add the meat and pepper mixture, top with cheese and then top bun.  Wrap foil completely sealing each hoagie and place a baking sheet.

Bake in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F, for 15-20 minutes  This will heat it through and make the bread a little crispy.  Delicious! 

What are some ways you like to use leftover hamburgers?