Black Bean Burrito Bowls with Homemade Crispy Tortilla Strips

With Ramadan around the corner, most people usually have a lot more fried foods than they would in the whole year! Now, I get it, after a long day of fasting, biting into a deep fried samosa sounds pretty good to me too! However, when it you've lost count of which samosa/spring roll you're on and you are repeating this every single day for 30 days...it doesn't feel that great.

 In the past few years, my family and I have cut down on the amount of fried items we have throughout Ramadan. Don't get me wrong, I still have the occasional samosa here and there but it is not a part of our daily menu. If you haven't gotten your copy of the Ramadan Meal Plan, get it now here to learn more about having a more energized Ramadan, inshallah!

Instead, I focus on incorporating wholesome foods at suhoor and iftar, which leave me feeling energized day after day during the month of Ramadan. 

The recipe I'm sharing with you today is not only packed with nutrients, it is also quite filling and delicious. As a bonus, I incorporated that fried taste many of you love by pan-frying tortillas into crispy strips. The end result is a meal that doesn't leave you craving your deep fried goodies!

I took your regular ol' burrito and not only converted it into a bowl of goodness, but turned the tortilla into crispy tortilla strips. The trick to getting them into thin strips quickly and easily is to use scissors to cut them! Since they are so thin, you don't need to pull out your deep fryer and instead it can be pan-fried in a little bit of olive oil. 

The bean mixture and the guacamole mixture are the two other parts of this bowl you will have to make. The bean mixture is a lighter alternative to refried beans and is packed with lots of flavour from the spices. 

You should know by now that I'm all about meal prepping and this Burrito Bowl is perfect for it! I made all of the components beforehand and stored them separately. We were able to eat these Burrito Bowls for at least 3 meals! The tortilla strips would run out though (thanks to my toddler) so I would make them fresh before serving. 

PS. I'm going to be real with you - I initially added ground beef to this bowl (you may be able to see a bit of brown in the bottom right)...BUT after having it I realized it was fantastic as a vegetarian meal. I couldn't even imagine having to re-take these pictures with a toddler + baby so y'all are going to have to live with these pictures! 

Black Bean Burrito Bowls with Homemade Crispy Tortilla Strips 

Makes: 4 Servings

Ingredients

Black Bean Mixture

- 2 cups black beans

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp black pepper

- 1 tsp garlic powder

- 1 tsp dried parsley

- 1 tsp red chili powder

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

Guacamole

- 1 avocado, diced

- 1 tomato, diced

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- 1 Tbsp cilantro,

- 1 lemon, juiced

- salt and pepper to taste

- red chili powder to taste

Crispy Tortilla Strips

- 1 whole grain tortilla

- 1 Tbsp olive oil 

Add-ins

- Cherry tomatoes

- Sliced cucumbers

- Salad Greens

 Directions

1. Black bean mixture: in a food processor, add all of the ingredients listed above for the black bean mixture and pulse. Mixture should come together with some texture remaining. Remove all of the bean mixture into a bowl.

2. Guacamole: in the food processor, add all of the ingredients listed for the guacamole and pulse until desired consistency. Taste for spice and adjust if needed. 

3. Crispy Tortilla strips: Heat a pan on medium-high heat with olive oil. Using scissors. cut tortilla into thin strips and then place into pan with oil. Fry for a few minutes until the strips are brown and crispy. Remove onto paper towel to absorb excess oil.

4. Assemble: In a bowl, place salad greens and top with 1 scoop of black bean mixture, 1 scoop of guacamole, a handful of crispy tortilla strips, cherry tomatoes, and sliced cucumbers. Optional: drizzle black bean mixture with hot sauce (I went for SriRacha sauce!).

If you make this recipe, be sure to share a picture with me on Instagram by tagging me @NutritionbyNaz.