Roasted Cauliflower & Chorizo Burritos

I’ve been in such a sleep deprived, stress-induced stupor lately that I completely blew through a construction zone on my way to the gym yesterday.

Luckily, a motorcycle cop didn’t miss it. He had to pull out in front of me to get me to stop, then pulled me over into a parking lot.

How bad was it? Pretty bad. I was going a whopping 22 miles per hour over the speed limit. However, if it was the normal speed limit, like it usually is, I would’ve been fine. This rogue, pop-up construction zone was just so out-of-the-norm for my driving hypnosis route to the gym.

So out-of-the-norm that I completely spaced the bright orange cones, the 25 mile per temporary speed limit signs, and the long line of slow-moving cars in the opposite lane. I was just in my own dazed and confused world, that I literally mouthed “wtf?” at the cop when he pulled out in front of me.

I think he realized, too, that I wasn’t doing it on purpose. That doesn’t mean I got out of the ticket. No, no. He dropped my speeding down to ten miles per hour and deleted the “construction zone” part off of it, thank god.

My first ticket in probably five years. Sad.

I took the nice officer’s advice and skipped the gym and went straight home to get some rest. I feel much better today and a breakfast made of roasted cauliflower and chorizo definitely helped kick start my day.

I found this recipe by Food Network a while back and decided to tweak it a bit. Almost anytime a recipe calls for blanched or boiled cauliflower, I do the complete opposite: throw it on a baking sheet and roast those babies.

Roasted cauliflower offers so much more in the taste department than plain old boiled cauliflower. I tossed mine in an olive oil and cumin mixture, roasted it until slighly charred, and tried to limit my snacking to just a few pieces.

The fanciful cauliflower then went into a tortilla with a refried-bean and chorizo mixture, topped with cheese, then toasted in a pan.

Burritos are awesome in that you can roll them up in foil when finished cooking and pop then in the fridge or freezer for nice on-the-go meals. Mine have been hanging out in the refrigerator and I’ve been pulling out one for breakfast every morning. Just toss it into the microwave for 1 minute, and you’ve got a nice warm burrito for a meal!

Roasted Cauliflower & Chorizo Burritos

• Servings: 10-12
• Time: 40 mins
• Difficulty: Medium
• Print

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb. chorizo
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 (15 oz) can refried beans
• 2 TBS. olive oil
• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 10-12 small flour tortillas
• 1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese blend

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregano. Toss cauliflower with olive oil mixture and spread out into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Roast cauliflower for 20-25 minutes or until slightly charred. Take out of oven and let cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chorizo over medium heat until cooked through and slightly golden. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels. Cook diced onion in chorizo grease until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add refried beans and stir. Add drained chorizo and stir together and cook 1-2 minutes until beans are softened.
4. Make the burritos: Heat tortillas until pliable either in a microwave or over the stove. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the bean mixture onto a tortilla, spreading out to the edges. Add a few spoonfuls of cauliflower in the middle. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Roll into burrito shape. Toast both sides of the burrito in a skillet over medium heat until browned.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together olive oil, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregano.

Toss cauliflower with olive oil mixture and spread out into an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast cauliflower for 20-25 minutes or until slightly charred. Take out of oven and let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook chorizo over medium heat until cooked through and slightly golden. Remove chorizo with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Cook diced onion in chorizo grease until translucent, 4-5 minutes.

Add refried beans and stir. Add drained chorizo and stir together and cook 1-2 minutes until beans are softened.

Make the burritos: Heat tortillas until pliable either in a microwave or over the stove. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the bean mixture onto a tortilla, spreading out to the edges. Add a few spoonfuls of cauliflower in the middle. Top with a sprinkle of cheese. Roll into burrito shape. Toast both sides of the burrito in a skillet over medium heat until browned.