Breakfast Burritos

Folks, I finally did it.  Inspired very much by Julie's morning workouts on Peanut Butter Fingers and by the time constraints of the full time job/grad school madness that is now my life, I switched to morning workouts.  Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning, I chug down a cup of coffee and hit the gym hard.  Side note: it's been such a great experience that I started looking for something to do on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, which is how Thursday AM became house cleaning morning.  I'm not fully awake at that hour, so it's kind of like the cleaning just happens without any effort on my part.  I almost feel like I have a maid.  Unable to find a similarly productive project for Tuesdays, I guiltlessly lie around like a slug and read magazines.  But I digress...there is a downside to this system.

You see, I've always been a fan of the complete breakfast.  Due to time constraints, it's not possible to eat, let the meal settle, and then go into a workout.  Working out on an empty stomach isn't a problem, but afterwards I'm hungry like a beast.  The kind of hunger that can't be cured by yogurt or cereal, only a cooked meal will do.  In the search for a portable breakfast, I came across freezer black bean burritos and never looked back.  Initially I was skeptical that eggs could be frozen and then nuked back to life in the microwave, but having nothing to lose except my hunger, I tried it anyway.  And I venture to say that you will be as glad as I am if you take the leap and try it yourself.

Recipe
Yield: 6 burritos
(Adapted from Budget Bytes)

• 15 oz can black beans, drained
• 8 oz salsa, drained (extra chunky recommended)
• 6 eggs
• 6 tortillas, 8"
• 3 oz cheddar cheese
• Additional hot sauce and red pepper flakes as needed
• Fresh cilantro, optional
• Burrito glue: 1 tablespoon flour and 2 tablespoons water (optional)

Method

Fresh cilantro is by no means a required ingredient, but if you happen to have some at hand, grab a little for garnish.

Drain and rinse the black beans.

If your endorphin levels will support it, add a little extra heat to the beans.

Drain the salsa. 

Beat the eggs.

Scramble in a lightly greased skillet, adding a pinch of salt and optional red pepper flakes.

Set up a burrito assembly station.

Assemble burritos.

If you would like an assist in keeping your burritos closed, mix up a batch of top secret burrito glue.

One tablespoon flour to two tablespoons of water.  I forget where I came across this tip, but it changed my life. 

Brush around the edges of the tortilla.  It won't "glue" right away, but as soon as you toast the tortilla, it will fuse together.

Roll 'em up and place seam side down.

Now let's make some magic happen!  Toast them for a few minutes on all sides in a skillet on medium heat.  If the skillet looks "dry", I might spray it with a little oil, but for the most part you shouldn't need any help to get a nice tan on the burrito.

Wrap the completed goodies in saran wrap.  Allow to cool in the refrigerator before transferring to the freezer.

Place them in your corporate freezer, packaged and labeled according to company policy.

Retrieve when ready to eat. 

Unwrap one of the frozen treasures and reheat in the microwave.  After much experimenting, I usually start seam side up for one minute, and then flip seam side down for the remaining two minutes.  The cooking time will need to be adjusted to your particular corporate microwave.

 Add salt and pepper and take your burrito to your work area.

And start the work day satisfied!