Homemade tofu & black bean burritos plus INSTANT POT option

Homemade tofu & black bean burritos and a word about budgeting in this expanding economic crisis.

Two layers of cold and hot ingredients inside my homemade burritos

HOMEMADE TOFU AND BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Pre-heat oven to 400F. 

Marinate one package of drained and cubed tofu in a blend of soy sauce, rooster sauce*, a dash of lime juice**, and a sprinkling of taco seasoning. Cumin, chili powder, and garlic are also options.

Drain tofu and bake on a parchment paper lined sheet for 20 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and bake another 10 minutes. Spraying the pan will help prevent sticking.

Meanwhile, slice up one small red onion. Set aside a third and mince very finely to add fresh onion to the burrito later. Use the other portion as a stir fry base.

I set a Knorr Cilantro Lime Rice packet on the stove top to cook and set a timer. Then I focused on the fry up. If you have plain rice, season with what you have on hand: taco seasoning, sliced onion, tomato, lime juice, chili powder, cilantro. We have a stash of this handy instant rice so it's what I used. 

Sauté onion in vegetable oil until browned. I had a partial green bell pepper so I diced that and added it to the wok. Then I tossed in one can of drained black beans, two heaping tablespoons of jarred salsa, a dash of Cholula Chipotle hot sauce, leftover tomato, and chopped cilantro, including the stems, to the wok. I heated it just enough to infuse the flavors and wilt the cilantro. I turned off the heat and prepped the tortillas. At some point the timer went off for the rice. I removed the rice from the heat, fluffed it, and covered it.

We keep our flour tortillas in the frig so they'll last longer. They are easier to work with when warm so a quick 15 seconds in the microwave softened them nicely. For L's dinner at work I grated cheese across the tortilla and then dropped dollops of sour cream in a line across the center of the tortilla. Spread out, the cheese will act as a glue to keep the tortilla tightly rolled. Then I assembled the first layer of cold toppings. Before I did this, the tofu was ready so I tossed it into the beans mix in the wok. 

The cold toppings included the sour cream and cheese for L. Plus I added fresh cilantro leaves, the minced red onion I had set aside, several dashes of Chipotle sauce, fresh spinach, and chopped tomatoes. This is a great way to use up that last bit of tomato from the stem end. Cut around the hard white stem and use the last bits. L hates the seeds and inner slime from tomatoes so I toss those into the cooked mix and he's none the wiser. 

Then I topped the cold layer with the hot beans and tofu mix and the cilantro lime rice. I rolled it into a burrito and nuked it for half a minute in the microwave. This heats up the cheese and helps it retain its shape for grilling. Grease a skillet very lightly (cooking spray, oil, or butter) and put the burrito in seam side down. It takes less than two minutes to nicely brown the whole burrito so start flipping it over about half a minute in. Check and turn it until it is nicely toasted brown. It will burn easily if you wait too long. 

I made two for Lance's work lunch so I let his completely cool on a rack. Wrapped in wax paper and set into a container, they travel well in his lunch bag. This made 8 large burritos when stuffed with veg. These store nicely in the frig and can be reheated quickly in the microwave. Or if sending in lunches, skip the second reheat.

CHANGING HABITS

We have not eaten out since...November 19, seven weeks ago. It was dinner from an immigrant owned local Chinese restaurant. We spent $41.62 for take out plus the customary $5 cash tip for the counter staff. It was two dinner size dishes and four egg rolls, plus soup. Both dishes had extras like grilled tofu and sauce, plus the usual rice and fortune cookies tossed in. It was a pre Thanksgiving indulgence and boy have I missed eating out. We went out once in October and September. Each time was at our favorite taqueria, a woman owned business, and we spent $25-$29 plus the customary takeout tip. 

This year, 2025, we have a zero spend goal for take out. We are celebrating our anniversary this year with an Atlanta day trip. L and I discussed it this morning and decided to brown bag it. We'll be going to the usual haunts like the international markets so we figure we can pop open a pastry pack from the bakery if we feel like our 30th needs a bit more celebration. But it'll be from the grocery fund so it won't count as take-out.

We had been limiting our take out since my allergies set in but the price rises led us to scale back further. We have now eliminated eating out altogether. Looking back at our 2024 yearly expense data I see we spent $950 on dining. In comparison we spent 2650.00 on gasoline. Automotive care was another 1600.00, not including insurance costs topping 4,500.00. Entertainment was another 650.00 and that included 500.00 for a weekend cabin rental. We brown bagged that weekend away and the gas was the only other expense. We took food, books, games, music, and walks. The remainder was mostly Netflix and discounted movie rentals. 

All in, if we can shave off that thousand on take out and 650.00 on entertainment we might be able to afford the price hikes and maybe set aside a little more. What I do know is that A Budget Is A Budget and we have to stick to it. Talking to my daughter this past weekend she admitted to spending more on take out than ever before. Why? I asked. She's just too damned tired. She walks the wards all day long, going through 3-4 pairs of shoes every year, and then walks to and from work most days. The bike just became too cumbersome to deal with as her employer has only one bike rack! She is too tired to cook. We discussed pre-prep and convenience meals. Of course, I sent her home with some food because I'm such a mom!

After she left I spent Friday evening setting up a vegetarian (with dairy) capsule meal plan for her along with a grocery list. A capsule plan involves buying things that can be used in different meals, in different ways. I managed to get it to under $80 for a one-person two week period based on her owning some basics: oil, salt, pepper, misc. spice, rice, and butter. I'll try to post about that later. She emailed two days later and announced she had looked over the list and bought the missing ingredients for $44 and sent me a picture of a lovely Tex-Mex dish. My recommended 80 count corn tortillas were both inexpensive and inspiring for her. 

Reed uses avocados for breakfast and dinner so they were intrinsic to her budget plan. She saves buying by the bag. Her beans and rice were made in a larger portion so they can be eaten over several meals saving her time. The corn tortillas are small and purchased in an 80 count package to save money. Versatile, they work as tacos, chalupas, taquitos, enchiladas, and as chips. Their taste spans all meals including huevos rancheros.

Since that delish picture (above), I have been craving similar food. I really wanted to hit the taco stand but abstained. Reviewing my produce I realized I needed to focus on a few things like aging tomatoes and bell pepper and an overabundance of cilantro so I created homemade burritos. Burritos are great for their versatility. Use up old veg or small portions. Fry up old produce or the wonky bits. Change the spice a little and create a new dish altogether. Stuffed with eggs and cheese and veg, they make a convenient breakfast. Lance adds red pepper paste, ajvar, or gochujang as a base to vary his quick snacks made burrito style. 

Reed put me to shame several years ago when she announced that she had mastered making her own flour tortillas, something I had never considered. I found a video from Jenny Jones and discovered how simple they are. But tortillas and corn tortillas are cheap and come in multipacks so they make a wonderful addition for quick meals. Yes, these burritos took a good half hour but they need only be as quick as assembled items on hand. I for one love the contributions from our immigrant communities here in America. It makes things a whole lot more tasty and opens minds and hearts to new people and new cultures through new foods. 

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INSTANT POT option to supersize and bring down the cost

The next time I made this meal, I opted to use my INSTANT POT to supersize it and bring down the price.

In the Instant Pot I added

2 cups dry black beans (no need to pre soak)

4 cups of water

Pressure Cook for 30 minutes on HIGH

Fast Release

Add 1 TSP Salt and stir well.

Allow to continue in the warm cycle for ten minutes without the lid.

Drain and add to the cooking pan after the onions, bell pepper, and tomatoes.

I didn't have tomatoes this round so I added 2 cans of Rotels after the onions and bell pepper and cilantro sautéed.  After I added the drained black beans, I added 2-3 TBSP of hot sauce. My go-to is Cholula Chipotle which I but in the 64 oz size to save money. I sprinkled on some taco seasoning also. I cooked it down until most of the liquid was gone. Then I stirred in the baked tofu cubes.

My prep sequence was 

Preheat oven to 400

Drain and cube tofu. Place in a bowl with your choice of marinades.

Set the black beans on to pressure cook in the Instant Pot.

Chop up onion. Prep wok/large stove top cooking pan with a bit of oil and start the onions cooking.

Drain the marinade off the tofu. Place on sprayed baking sheet with parchment paper. Trust me, the spray helps the second stage baking when the parchment paper is removed. Bake 30 minutes at 400F.

While tofu is cooking, add green bell peppers to the onions. Cook these down to brown and soft. Chop in some cilantro, including the stems which are flavor packed.

Start your toppings prep. Grate cheese, dice onions, chop greenery, etc.

When the bell peppers and onions are sautéed, add in the two cans of Rotels and chopped cilantro. *If your pan gets a little dry when the bell peppers are cooking, drain some of the Rotel juice into the pan instead of adding extra oil. 

Add in a TBSP or two of your favorite salsa.

Somewhere around this point my first 30 minutes of the baking the tofu was complete. I removed the parchment paper and slid the cubes onto the greased pan. Bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

When the black beans finish the 30 minute pressure cook, quick release and set the lid aside. Stir in 1 TSP of salt. Cook with the lid off another 10 minutes to get the salt mixed in nicely. Drain the black beans and add to the stove top pan. (Reserve the black beans juice for a soup or use as base for a vegetable broth or stock.) Mix everything together.

Add another TBSP or two of your favorite salsa. Dash on some taco seasoning if you have it. Cook down until any liquid is mostly gone.

Toss in the baked tofu.

Ready for your burritos, or on top of rice, or in a casserole. Use as an entrée or a side dish. 

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*We've been eating Rooster sauce for nearly thirty years, having discovered Sriracha in China Town.

** I like G&Ts so I used a dash of the Rose's Sweetened Lime Juice I had open in the frig. Lemon juice will do. Both are optional and just a suggestion.