Step aside Canadian bacon and pineapple. Ethiopian black lentils and bananas are my sweet and savory obsession this week! I know that this might sound like a rather bizarre combination, but really we do things like this all of the time. Sweet and savory elements balance out a dish and I'm constantly looking for new ways to combine them. This Lentil Burrito isn't entirely farfetched for me, though. I'm quite fond of lentils, eggs, and bananas. It's more of an homage to when I used to eat a lot of scrambled eggs with sautéed sweet potatoes and bananas. About 10 years ago this was all that I ate for breakfast one summer! I opened at a coffee shop and closed at the adjoining restaurant. So, I was up from the crack of dawn to 9 or 10 at night and needed something to keep me full as much of the day as possible! The best, and most delicious, thing that I came up with was sautéing sweet potatoes, scrambling eggs, and tossing in some bananas.
The mom and pop grocery store used to call me the "banana girl." I used to drive into the city to do most of my grocery shopping. But, I was constantly in need of fresh bananas. So, they were my go-to in town!
It's always great to support these little mom and pop grocery stores in small towns. I would have liked to have bought more of my groceries locally and absolutely adored this little spot. It had a mural painted on the side and was the perfect place to get wine and canned food in a beach town! When the power went out, I was only about a mile and a half away and could walk to it. But this was a tourist beach town and that was pretty much all that they had! This wasn't where you got lentils, quinoa, habaneros, or coconut cream. Although every now and then I did go to get sweetened condensed milk and try to make fudge...
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Variations of Lentil Burrito
Lentil burritos are one of my favorite things to make. The lentils are incredibly similar to more classic refried or black beans. I'm constantly playing up other types of flavor profiles and wrapping them in a tortilla with a dollop of hot sauce and Greek yogurt (because it's more universal a flavor profile and oftentimes healthier than sour cream).
Burrito w/ Black Lentils, Hardboiled Eggs, & Bananas
A lentil burrito is the perfect substitute for refried or black beans when you're on the go. Add a little egg and banana for a breakfast kick. This all came about when I made a fun Salad w/ Black Lentils, Hardboiled Eggs, & Tomatoes. Never one to waste an opportunity to turn something that maybe shouldn't be into a burrito! I noticed the bananas on my counter and thought, that's the perfect sweet and savory addition. The savory berbere spice blend pairs incredibly well with the sweetness of the bananas and the robustness of the black lentils. I always like to add a little spicy kick of hot sauce. But this kind of recipe just goes to show that, you just need to go for it and experiment with what you have on hand. Sometimes it works out incredibly well!
dollopGreek yogurt or sour cream(optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
dollophot sauce of choice(optional)
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
Prepare Lentils w/ Ginger & Turmeric. This takes less than an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose. I used calabaza squash, habaneros, garlic, turmeric, red onions, and coconut oil.
Cook Hardboiled eggs.
Cook Tortilla
Preheat the pan on medium-high. If you aren't using cast iron, make sure to lightly oil the pan to prevent sticking.
Wet both sides of the tortilla and add to the preheated pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown.
Remove the tortilla from heat and turn the stove off. Add lentils, egg, and banana and fold the burrito.
Turn the stove back up to medium and add the tortilla to the skillet immediately, before it preheats. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Rotate until all sides are cooked.The first side will likely take longer to cook than the subsequent sides, which may toast in as little as 2 minutes. Adjust the temperature if it's cooking too quickly and burning or too slowly and cracking.
Top with sour cream and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and pairs well with a lot of the same flavor profiles. Omit or substitute with a vegan alternative for an entirely animal-product free recipe.
Serve immediately.
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
For a more in-depth article on burritos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Burritos. I highly suggest using cast iron and there is precise temperature that works best for cooking at that may vary slightly depending on your stovetop and type of skillet. If you're having trouble rolling the burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!
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