Chipotle Veggie-Bean Burritos with Creamy Avocado Cashew Sauce

This recipe is sooooo yummy. It's from Vive Le Vegan by Dreena Burton. I'll be posting more by Dreena...she is fabulous. It was pretty quick to make...and we had leftovers . These are great for people who need to take a lunch with them to work...I just wrapped them up in foil for Matt and he re-heats at the office. Delicious. I did leave out the chipotle hot sauce. I used Follow Your Heart vegan mozzarella cheese...and put a strip of it inside each burrito and crumbled it on the top as well. It was very tasty. Topped them with the Creamy Avocado Cashew Sauce (see below) and homemade salsa. You'll definitely make these more than once.

Chipotle Veggie-Bean Burritos

1 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, drained (Muir Glen Fire Roasted will lend a natural smoky flavor)
1 T olive oil
3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 t chipotle hot sauce (optional)
1 t chile powder
1 t cumin
1 t mustard seed
1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried basil
1 cup green bell pepper, diced (optional)
1/3 cup celery, diced
1 cup cooked beans (black or adzuki work well)
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 t liquid sweetener (honey if you're not vegan)
6 large whole wheat tortillas (10 inch)
1 cup non-dairy mozzarella cheese (optional)

Press the drained tomatoes to remove as much liquid as possible. Set aside 3/4 cup of the tomatoes. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, salt, pepper, chipotle hot sauce, and all the dried spices and hers. Stir through for 5-6 minutes, then add in the green pepper and celery, and stir through for another couple minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients, including the diced tomatoes (except reserved portion). Cook for a few minutes, then remove from heat and cool.

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Spoon about 1/6 of the cooled filling into each of the the tortilla, leaving a few inches around each edge. Bring the bottom edge over the top of the filling, and begin to roll up the burrito, tucking in the sides as you go until fully rolled.

Place the burritos, folded side down, in a lightly oiled 9 x 12 pan. Sprinkle the reserved diced tomatoes over the top of the burritos. Cover with foil and bake for 15-17 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle on the optional soy cheese, and bake uncovered for another 5-7 minutes until the tops have browned lightly and cheese is melted.

Makes 6 burritos.

Creamy Avocado Cashew Sauce

3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk (adjust for consistency)
1/2 cup avocado (1/2 of a good sized avocado)
1 T cashew butter
2 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t sea salt
Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in the blender and puree until very smooth. Adjust to taste with additional sea salt/pepper. If you don't have lemon juice, you could use some apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar, but you won't need as much, about 1 1/2 T.