In my last days of conquering the 30-Day Vegan Challenge, I wanted to whip up a dish that I would be most proud of. Something that doesn’t look like a sad fried rice with stir fry vegetables, and something that’s worthy of saying, “Hey, that doesn’t look vegan at all!” The preceding weekend, coincidentally, while looking through my phone for a list of restaurants that offer vegan options, I came across Zomato’s recommendation of Mexicali putting up dishes that could be veganized. Without a doubt, I got the burrito with grilled vegetables minus the sprinkling of cheese and sour cream (wow, what a sad life) and wolfed it down in 5 minutes.
Mexican cuisine is known to have a strong and spicy flavor profile.
However, in this recipe, I tried to make it a bit subtle with a balance of salty, sweet, and sour. Likewise, I also made sure that there’s heat, creaminess/fat, and acidity.
I picked the vegetables that are in season, hence the summer colors from this lovely produce. I like that the sweet juices from the yellow bell peppers and zucchini balances out the heat and sharp flavor from the radish. Saltiness sourced from the black beans, and acidity, from the cherry tomatoes. For the real Mexican cuisine feel, the cumin and chili powder were responsible for that.
In an attempt to make things healthier (as if this could go beyond vegan and healthy), I decided to mix up the carbs with a cup of white rice to two cups of quinoa. Similarly, a burrito experience wouldn’t be complete without the dip duo of fresh salsa and creamy (or chunky) guacamole. I made them beforehand and chilled before serving.
Since my tortilla wraps are a bit smaller, the burritos I had were served open faced or quesadilla style. Whatever way I ate it, it still tasted as good anyway. Also, after cooking this dish, I kind of had burrito for breakfast, lunch, dinner in the next three days.
Turn to the next page for the recipe.
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