Catfish Out of Water

This is one of those burrito creations that's more of an amalgam of what I have on hand than an actual plan a quinoa burrito. I made Tamari & Rice Vinegar Quinoa earlier this week. I haven't had this kind of dish in a while.

I tend to cook certain types of food during particular seasons. When there's a lot of hot peppers growing in the garden, I tend to make a lot of Mexican food and other spicy dishes. This summer I was particular fond of sweet potato and habanero quinoa and made a plethora of Fresh Summer Salads.

Getting into the fall and winter months, pumpkin and squash become my go-to ingredients. You can only get pumpkin during the the holidays from about Halloween to Christmas. And I take full advantage of this every year! Although I will usually swap out quinoa with lentils. You can eat quinoa all year round and the nuttiness pairs well with fall and winter dishes. However, I do tend to switch to lentils because they remind me more of a vegan stuffing. Some lentil varieties are also robust enough to hold their shape in soups, stews, and, my personal favorite, Lentil-based Curries.

This kind of left out tamari and rice vinegar quinoa this year, though! I used to make this dish all of the time. A couple of years ago I practically lived off of it. And I have been craving it so much lately! So, it was finally time to dust off my old recipe books and bring a classic back to the table. Particularly because I often pair this kind of dish with tofu and dried quinoa, bottles of tamari and rice vinegar, and tofu tend to be available year-round.

Gallery

Variations of Quinoa Burrito

I almost always have a batch of quinoa sitting in the fridge to make burritos! It's quick and easy to make, incredibly economic, and absolutely delicious to boot. You can toss in whatever produce you have on hand, what's in season at the time, or whatever tickles your fancy. A lot of the time I'll throw in sweet potatoes, maybe some tofu, and any dip that I have at the time.

Burrito w/ Fried Tofu & Sweet Potato Quinoa

Sweet Potato Burrito w/ Quinoa & Muhammara Dip

Burrito w/ Tofu & Sweet Potato Quinoa

Burrito w/ Quinoa, Tamari, & Tofu

This quinoa burrito is a delectable mix of fried tofu and quinoa drizzled in tamari and white rice vinegar. You can easily substitute soy sauce, if you prefer or don't have tamari on hand. I prefer tamari because it has a richer flavor and you can use less of it. If you're worried about gluten and salt content, it also contains no wheat and tends to have less sodium than soy sauce.

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Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese, Mexican

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

• Skillet w/ Lid (Preferably Cast Iron)
• Stovetop

Ingredients

  

Rice Vinegar & Tamari Quinoa

• 2 cloves roasted garlic (or 1 clove unroasted garlic)
• 1 tsp. ginger minced
• 1 tbsp. red onion minced
• 1 ½ Yukon gold potatoes diced
• 1 c. tri-color quinoa
• 2 ½ c. water
• 16 oz. tofu (1 package)
• 1 tbsp. high heat oil
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar (or to taste)
• 1/4 c. tamari or soy sauce of choice (or to taste)
• 1 c. bean sprouts

Burrito

• 1/4 c. rice vinegar & tamari quinoa
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop sour cream (optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• Cook Quinoa w/ Ginger, Tofu, & Sprouts. This takes less than an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. It's easy to make ahead of time and will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. I almost always have some kind of quinoa, lentil, or rice dish in the refrigerator for exactly this purpose!

Cook Tortilla

• Preheat the pan on medium-high. On my stove, this is about a 6 with a cast iron pan. 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 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 the nutty flavor of the quinoa. 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 the burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!