Chipotle Bean Burritos

Another great vegetarian Mexican dish that is flavorful despite not having any meat. Makes six large burritos. We’ve never put green onions on our burritos, but it really added a lot of flavor. We also bought the chipotle chile powder instead of using regular chili powder, and the taste is significantly different and better. The cost was pretty high for a meatless meal, but you could cut it down by using regular lettuce and bottled salsa.

Cost: About $14.50 ($2.40 per serving) - organic kidney beans ($1.09), organic black beans ($1.09), fresh salsa ($3.49), flour tortillas ($1.49), cheese ($2.79), tomatoes ($1.07), romaine lettuce ($1.99), green onion ($0.50), sour cream ($0.89).

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 burritos

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15-ounce) can organic black beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons refrigerated fresh salsa
• 6 (10-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 cup (4 ounces) 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese
• 1 1/2 cups chopped plum tomato (about 3)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 6 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions
• 6 tablespoons light sour cream

1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in chile powder and salt; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/3 cup water and beans; bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in salsa. Partially mash bean mixture with a fork.
3. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon about 1/3 cup bean mixture into center of each tortilla. Top each serving with about 2 1/2 tablespoons cheese, 1/4 cup tomato, 1/4 cup lettuce, 1 tablespoon onions, and 1 tablespoon sour cream; roll up.

Nutrition: (1 burrito) 361 calories, 10.3 g fat, 3.8 g sat fat, 3.1 g mono fat, 2 g poly fat, 16.8 g protein, 52.2 g carb, 11.4 g fiber, 19 mg chol, 3.3 mg iron, 735 mg sodium, 395 mg calcium.

Savory 'n' Saucy Baked Beans

This recipe is a nice way to dress up the traditional canned baked beans quickly and inexpensively. I've now started using organic canned items when available because they have a lot less sodium than the normal canned food. Even the low-sodium items had about half as much sodium in the organic version. The recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, which will make it a little spicy, so you can cut that down if you want a more mild version.

Cost: About $5 ($0.83 per serving) - Baked Beans ($1.87), diced tomatoes ($1.09), green pepper ($0.89), celery ($1.49)

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 20 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 can (28 oz) vegetarian baked beans
• 1 can (14 1/2 oz) organic no salt added diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon No Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1. In a large saucepan coated with cooking spray, cook the onion, green pepper and celery for 3 minutes or until tender.
2. Stir in beans, tomatoes, pepper, salt and garlic powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition: (3/4 cup) 175 calories, 0.0 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 0.0 mg cholesterol, 680.5 mg sodium, 39.0 g carbohydrate, 7.2 g fiber, 17.3 g sugars, 7.7 g protein.