Buffalo Chicken Burrito

Rice & crisping the outside turn this from wrap to burrito. It has crispy chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, rice, greens, carrots, just a little cheese, and dressing of your choice before getting crispy on the outside and melty on the inside.

Buffalo Chicken Burrito
Ingredients: for 2

1/2 cup cooked rice
2 tortillas, burrito size
~10 breaded chicken chunks
1 cup arugula
1 carrot
1/3 cup cheese
buffalo sauce
ranch/blue cheese

Directions:
Prepare the rice – I used brown rice in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
Cook/crisp the chicken.
Chop the arugula and chop or shred the carrot.
Cut the chicken if needed, toss the chicken in the buffalo.
Assemble the burritos with the tortilla, cheese, rice, arugula, carrot, chicken, and lastly the dressing.

Before rolling them up, preheat a pan to medium heat with a drizzle of oil or non-stick spray.
Tuck the ends towards the center, then roll it up, carefully tucking the sides inward.
Carefully cook rotating it to evenly crisp. Use tongs to ensure it stays rolled up.

Slice and enjoy!

It’s perfect. I thought about adding pickled onions and tomatoes but it seemed like it was bordering on too much. I loved it. It needs so little chicken and so little rice per burrito so it makes a great use of leftovers – it becomes impossible to wrap if it gets too full too!

Cranberry Nut Chicken Salad

There’s a chicken salad sandwich at Whole Foods on a cranberry bread and it is such a great combo. Mine has dried cranberries and pistachios mixed in it.

We bought the Costco size dried cranberries then everyone decided they didn’t care about them anymore. Of course! The nuts could be any kind you like. We often have pistachios around but walnuts, pecans, almonds, or cashews would all be good too – maybe not peanuts!

Cranberry Nut Chicken Salad
Ingredients: (for 2 servings)

1 cup roasted chicken, shredded
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup nuts, chopped
2-3 tablespoons mayo
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar/cider vinegars)
croissants or bread
salt & pepper

Directions:
Mix together the chicken, cranberries, nuts, mayo, and vinegar. Stir it together to combine.
Sprinkle with salt & pepper and refrigerate for 30 minutes – overnight.
Assemble onto sandwiches and enjoy!

This felt like such a treat. It is only a few ingredients but has a specialness to it. Celery has no part in my life but add it if you’re into it, or swap the nuts, or add whatever you like!

Sausage & Peppers Hot Wrap

Sausage, peppers, and onions pairs with rice and cheese to be a hot wrap. Go ahead, call it a burrito. That works too. This is the ideal dinner on the go to the ball field! This would be a great way to reinvent some leftovers.

Sausage & Peppers Hot Wrap
Ingredients: (for 2)

1-2 large white onions
1 cup rice + 1 1/4 cup liquid
2 large burritos
2 sausages
1/2 of 2 bell peppers
1/3 cup shredded cheese
optional: mustard, relish

Directions:
Caramelize the onions over low heat – this takes 40 minutes – an hour. Do this in advance and freeze the unused onions for paninis, pizza, omelettes, or anyway you like them!
Cook the rice – can be done ahead of time.
Slice the peppers into strips and the sausages into half moons.
Add to a hot skillet with a splash of olive oil to sear.

Assemble the burritos with the tortilla, a sprinkle of cheese, rice, caramelized onions, a drizzle of mustard, sausage and peppers, and more cheese.

Heat up a pan to medium heat – then roll up the wrap and sear in the hot pan. Using tongs, rotate the wrap to warm throughout and until the outside is crisp.

Enjoy!
This was so delicious. I alllllmost threw in arugula but I tried to hold back this time. I used some honey mustard and some dijon. Relish seemed too sweet for me but go for it. These keep well assembled if all the ingredients are room temp or cool (not at all warm), wrapped in plastic wrap to hold it together, then refrigerate. To serve, warm in the micro on low (I use the defrost button or reheat button) and then into a pan to crisp or into a toaster oven!

Need more hot wraps in your life?
Thanksgiving Hot Wraps
Chicken & Broccoli Hot Wraps
Chicken, Bacon & Ranch Hot Wraps
French Onion Burrito
Burger Burrito

Tomato Jam in Grilled Cheese

While I don’t believe there is a perfect grilled cheese, this one is delightful. It is special and has all the gooeyness with flavorful tomatoes that are soft but juicy. Cut some bread, go wild or classic with the cheeses, and make a double batch of tomatoes to put them on everything.

Tomato Jam in Grilled Cheese
Ingredients: (for 2 sandwiches)

1 1/2 cups (~1/2 a pint) cherry or grape tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Sprinkle of thyme & kosher salt
1 teaspoon truffle oil (optional)
4 slices of bread
lots of cheese

Directions:
Warm a small skillet to medium and add in the olive oil and tomatoes to cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start bursting.
Reduce to low/medium low and add in the brown sugar, vinegar, and garlic to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Sprinkle in the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Remove from the heat and let it cool. (I let most of the liquid evaporate but remove earlier if you want it more wet. Optional: drizzle in a touch of truffle oil if you wish.)

Assemble the grilled cheese with cheese on each side of the bread and a scoop of tomato jam in the middle. Griddle it and cover to melt the cheese. (Restaurant tip: put butter in the pan and mayo on the outside of the bread!)

Give it a minute to rest before slicing so you don’t lose all the cheese!
Enjoy!

It is so good. The tomato jam is bright and a little sweet like a summer one would be while we’re in the depths of winter. I love the tomato jam on quiche or on an English muffin for breakfast. It would be great on pizza or stirred into rice or pasta. The uses are endless.

French Onion Burrito

Think of french onion soup but make it hand-held and form it into a burrito! Caramelized onions and melty fontina cheese become a meal with mushrooms, some arugula for freshness, and a grain.

This lunch is brought to you by the color: brown.

French Onion Burrito
Ingredients: (for 2-3 burritos)

1 large white onion
1 cup cooked grain (I used farro but rice/couscous/orzo would be good)
~6 mushrooms
1 cup gruyere or fontina cheese
2 tablespoons fried onions
1 cup arugula (or parsley or thyme)
2 tortillas

Directions:
Caramelize the onions – slice and cook over low heat for ~30 minutes, stirring frequently. This is helpful to do in advance, or freeze leftovers!
Cook the grain – I used farro which cooks for ~30 minutes.
Slice and sautee the mushrooms.

Lay out the tortillas and layer on 1/4 of the cheese, then the grain, then onions, arugula, and crispy onions.

Top with remaining cheese and warm a skillet.
Roll up the burrito by tucking the sides in, then rolling away from you and don’t let go. Carefully griddle the burrito with the seam side down first. Rotate to grill each side.
Enjoy!

I used farro but go for rice/cracked wheat/orzo/couscous/pilaf – whatever you have. No tortillas? No problem! Make this into a bowl!

This non-traditional burrito/hot wrap joins the others I’ve made like:
Cheeseburger burrito
Chicken, Bacon, & Ranch burrito
Thanksgiving Hot Wraps
Chicken & Broccoli Hot Wrap