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Burrito w/ Tofu & Sweet Potato Quinoa

Burrito w/ Tofu & Sweet Potato Quinoa

Burritos are quick and easy to make. This one is packed with sweet potatoes, quinoa, habaneros, shallots, and roasted garlic. I topped this recipe off with lightly fried tofu and a dollop of Greek yogurt and hot sauce. You can easily swap out sour cream, but I like how much the Greek yogurt plays up the quinoa. It works better with a wider range of flavors and is a bit of a healthier alternative to more conventional sour cream!
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Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Latin American
Servings 1 serving

Equipment

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

Ingredients
  

Sweet Potato Quinoa

  • 4 cloves roasted garlic (or 2 cloves unroasted garlic)
  • 1 sweet potato diced
  • 5 yellow tomatoes quartered
  • 1/2 shallot minced
  • 2 habaneros minced
  • dash salt
  • dash pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. coriander
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. mustard
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 ½ c. royal quinoa
  • 4 c. water

Burrito

  • 1/4 c. sweet potato quinoa
  • 3-4 oz. tofu (~1/4 container per person)
  • 1 tbsp. high heat oil
  • 1 tortilla shell
  • splash water
  • dollop greek yogurt (optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
  • dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions
 

Cook Quinoa

  • Cook Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes & Habaneros. 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 sweet potatoes, habaneros, shallots, roasted garlic, and royal quinoa for this recipe today.
  • The hot sauces that I've used for this recipe aren't actually hot sauce. They're enchilada sauces, one made out of Red Chilis and Jalapeños and one made out of Ghost Peppers. Each recipe takes less than an hour and requires an air fryer and a large pot on the stove. They mostly utilize peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic.

Fry Tofu

  • Drain the tofu and cut in half if you're using a container. Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.
    It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
  • Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  • When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet. Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
    Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

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 Greek yogurt 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 preparing tofu, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Fried Tofu. High heat oil and a precise cooking temperature are important to keep the tofu from drying out or burning.
  • 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!