Catfish Out of Water

This week I have made Slow Cooker Pinto Beans w/ Bay Leaves & Lime, Vermicelli Salad w/ Cucumber & Tofu, and Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt, Walnuts, & Lime. Now, these may all seem like disparate dishes from around the globe. After all, pinto beans are more of a Latin American dish. Vermicelli salad has an Asian flare. And avocado dip is vaguely a mix between guacamole and hummus with a hefty dollop of Greek yogurt. So, I really am mixing culinary genres with this vermicelli burrito here! But that is one of my favorite things to do.

There are so many flavor profiles that might seem entirely unrelated at first glance. But combine quite harmoniously into one cohesive dish. Vermicelli is a thin rice noodle often used in stir fries and spring rolls. I've been particularly fond lately of turning it into a fresh produce salad.

This might not sound like something that goes into a burrito well at first. After all, I am tossing copious amounts of tahini, tamari, and rice vinegar into it! But rice is commonly found in bean burritos and the hind of acidity and lime juice isn't entirely foreign to Mexican-inspired dishes. Which also oftentimes contain a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. So, we're really more burrito adjacent here than in an entirely different culinary field!

Guacamole in any way, shape, or form also translates incredibly well to burritos. The Mediterranean flavors perfectly bridge the gap between pinto beans and vermicelli with similar bright and fresh citrus tones. A little pop of hot sauce is really just the cherry on top of this culinary fusion of a burrito.

Gallery

Variations of Vermicelli Burrito

This is maybe one of the more classic adaptations of a burrito that I get with vermicelli! The sky is the limit with. burritos, though. They're incredibly simple to toss whatever leftovers you. have on hand into, lightly fry, and voila! An absolutely delicious meal, all in about 15 minutes.

Burrito w/ Vermicelli Salad, Avocado, & Runny Egg

Pinto Bean, Quinoa, & Blackened Tilapia Burrito

Burrito w/ Vermicelli Salad, Tofu, & Avocado Dip

Burrito w/ Pinto Beans, Vermicelli, & Tofu

This vermicelli burrito combines homemade pinto beans and avocado dip with a mix of vermicelli salad and lightly fried tofu. I'm really just taking all of the ingredients that I have leftover and mixing them together in one easy to prepare dish. Although these aren't too disperate of recipes. Pinto beans are typically burrito ingredients. And vermicelli salad is really just a mix of produce and rice noodles. Which I will admit is not the most typical of burrito combinations. It's absolutely delicious, though. Burritos are a great way to make everything that you have lying around seem like a fun and new dish.

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Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean, Mexican

Servings 1 serving

Ingredients

  

Pinto Beans

• 1 lbs. pinto beans ~2 c.
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/2 yellow onion minced
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 limes juiced
• 5 c. water

Vermicelli

• 100 g. vermicelli
• 16 oz. tofu fried
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 red bell pepper diced
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 English cucumber (or 1 standard cucumber), diced
• 1 tbsp. ginger minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 shallot minced
• 3 tbsp. tamari
• 3 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp. tahini
• 1 lime juiced

Avocado Dip

• 6 avocados
• 6 cloves garlic
• 6 limes juiced
• 1 ½ c. Greek yogurt
• 2 c. walnuts
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• dash salt
• dash pepper

Burrito

• 1/4 c. pinto beans
• 1/4 c. vermicelli
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop avocado dip (optional, omit or substitute sour cream)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• This Slow Cooker Pinto Beans w/ Bay Leaves & Lime recipe takes 8 hours to cook. I recommend starting it the night before so that it cooks overnight. It's also a good quick and easy recipe to start ahead of time and reheat later on.
• This Vermicelli Salad w/ Cucumber & Tofu recipe requires a large bowl, large pot, skillet, stovetop, and paper towels. It takes about a half hour to toss together, most of which is spent cooking the vermicelli and frying tofu. As the rest of the salad is raw and simply mixed together.
• I also topped this burrito with Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Greek Yogurt & Walnuts. This is entirely optional. You can easily substitute sour cream, Greek yogurt, or omit entirely depending on personal preference. Although this avocado dip is my new favorite thing and I highly recommend giving it a try. It's kind of a mix between hummus and guacamole. And is absolutely delicious!

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 toppings 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 avocado dip and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and this new avocado dip that I'm obsessed with is fantastic. Omit or substitute with a vegan alternative for an entirely animal-product free recipe.
• Serve immediately. You can reheat burritos by lightly wetting them and reheating, but they are never quite the same as they are fresh!

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 thea burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!