Week 3, Day 3: Sweet Potato Burritos

Tonight's recipe comes from a dear friend . . . that I've never met. Yes, you read that right. Christina is one of a tight group of women that I've known for about 8 years (I think). We met on the Martha Stewart Baby message boards back when a bunch of us were planning to become pregnant and having babies. We lovingly refer to each other as "imaginary friends," and secretly hope to all meet (on Oprah, so she can pay for us to get together) someday.


Christina is an amazing mom of four boys, two of whom are twins. They are adorable, and they keep her busy, but not too busy to constantly be working on crafty projects. She taught school, so I feel like she's a kindred spirit, and she inspires me with her faith and energy. I am so glad she passed some recipes on to me because she has some awesome food hanging out in Crafty's Cafe. Check it out!


Just so you know, I do know that burritos aren't European. And I did declare this European Week, but I had a couple of recipes that had to be squeezed in where I had spaces. There wasn't any room left in Mexican Week, and I had this perfectly free day here, so this is where it ended up. Here's the original recipe, complete with step-by-step pictures, which really did help me.

Addictive Sweet Potato Burritos

1 can refried black beans
2 large sweet potatoes (or more depending on who you're feeding)
8 oz shredded Monterrey jack cheese
10-12 burrito size tortillas

1. Roast your sweet potatoes until they start to ooze, split open and are easily pierced with a knife. Peel and mash up those potatoes until nice and smooth. Get a baking sheet ready with foil and a little cooking spray on it. (NOTE: since this step takes a good hour +, it works well to make it ahead, even the day before.) *Rachel's note: it took me 65 minutes at 425 degrees*
2. Get your ingredients ready assembly line style: refried beans and spreader, mashed sweets, shredded cheese, tortillas.
3. Heat up a couple tortillas in the microwave to help make them soft and malleable- spread on a little refried beans- keep them away from the edges. I usually spread enough to make an oval shape in the middle of my tortilla- remember you're rolling them up and you don't want them to ooze out on the baking sheet. Then spoon a couple tablespoons of sweet potatoes. Lastly, sprinkle on some Monterrey jack cheese.
4. Roll 'em up and line 'em up on your baking sheet. Keep going until you have enough or you're out of ingredients.
5. Bake at 375 until hot- about 12-15 minutes. I rub a little olive oil on top of the tortillas to crisp them up and b/c it tastes good!

The Verdict: 2 thumbs up, 1 thumb medium, 2 thumbs down. I guess it just goes to show, no matter how many times I keep trying the sweet potatoes, they just aren't a favorite at our house. Next time I'll probably use less sweet potatoes and more beans, or add a bit of meat of some kind, and see if they go over better. This was such an easy, filling meal, and surprising in how delicious it is, so I recommend you try it before you take my kids' votes to heart.