Beans provide low-fat protein, fiber, vitamin B, potassium, magnesium, folate, iron and phytonutrients. As I mentioned in my Carrot sauce recipe, we use canned beans from Eden Organics, because they claim that their cans do not contain BPA. It would probably be even healthier to cook dried beans, but we don’t.

The tomato (and salsa) bring lycopene (a powerful antioxidant), fiber, potassium, vitamin B and C, lutein, and other good stuff.

Avocados contain cholesterol-lowering oleic acid, vitamin B6, C and K, potassium, folate, and fiber.

As for the Tortillas, we love the Ezekiel 4:9 by Food for Life (we get ours at Whole Foods). They are flourless, organic, and contain only sprouted whole grains (and some water and sea salt) which create a complete protein (they also contain 18 amino acids). They are super delicious with a nutty flavor and when they crisp up, they’re even yummier.

You will need (for 2 people)
2 Tortillas
1 can of black beans (or any other bean you like)
1 tomato
Salsa (I like to use Amy’s Spicy Chipotle)
1-2 Avocados
½ Lime
Salt to taste
Cheese (any kind you want, we like Monterey Jack)

1. Rinse the beans and put them in a pot on low heat, just to warm them a little bit. Turn the heat off once they seems warm enough, if you leave them on for too long they’ll burn and get mushy.

2. Cut the tomato in smaller pieces and the avocado in slices. Squeeze a little bit of lime over the cut avocado and sprinkle with salt. Open the salsa and put all these ingredients in a little assembly line.

3. Heat a cast iron skillet until it’s scorching hot and place your first tortilla in it (we use them straight from the freezer, not thawed). Add the cheese immediately. Leave over high heat until cheese is starting to melt. You don’t want to leave it in for too long though, because the tortilla will get too crispy to fold.

4. Put the tortilla on a plate, add some warm beans and take it over to the assembly line where you put in whatever and as much as you want of the prepared ingredients. Roll up and enjoy.

This dish tends to be quite messy, and we usually put a piece of aluminum foil around the base of the folded tortilla to avoid the worst accidents.

Vegan version: Omit the cheese, or replace with a vegan kind. Or make an avocado spread: since I stopped eating dairy, I have been putting this on instead of cheese: mash together 1 avocado, the juice of 1/2 lemon, one pressed garlic clove, a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper and spread on the tortilla as soon as it comes out of the pan.

Related posts:

1. Pasta With Carrot Sauce – An Inexpensive And Easy Recipe

Pasta with Carrot sauce

Who doesn’t love carrots? They’re crunchy, sweet, delicious and so very good for you! Even my dog and her best doggie friend love them. Studies have shown that eating just one serving of cartenoid-rich foods per day (such as sweet potatoes, carrots, kale, spinach, turnip greens, winter squash, collard greens and broccoli) per day can reduce your risk for heart attack by 60%! High cartenoid intake has also been linked to a reduced risk of many cancers, including postmenopausal breast cancer and lung cancer.

This recipe might not at first sound very appealing to you, but trust me; this inexpensive and simple recipe is a winner. The first time I made this for my husband, we were staying with my family in Sweden. He loves this dish, but admitted that had it not been for the presence of my parents, he would have refused to even try it that first time. So give it a shot, you’ll be surprised!

You need (for 4 people)
4-5 carrots
2 cans of diced or stewed tomatoes*
1 yellow onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
1 container of Crème Fraiche*
Dried basil
Fresh basil
Salt & pepper
Pasta (I like to use Farfalle)
Sambal Oelek (optional)*

1. Grate the carrots on the smallest side of your grater. A bit time consuming, I know, but I’ve tried the largest side of the grater as well as the food processor to try to cut down on prep time, and neither come out as good.

2. Chop the onion and the garlic.

Do not add more garlic than the recipe calls for (unless you double the entire recipe). This is the one dish I have ever made where you actually can add too much garlic and it tastes horrible. I don’t know if it has something to do with the combination of carrots and garlic – whatever the reason, you don’t want to experience it.

3. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron pot (I use a big, heavy Le Creuset for this) and add the onions. Sautee on low heat until they are completely soft and translucent, stirring every now & then (tip: if you don’t want your onions to burn, add some salt as soon as you put them in the pot).

4. Add the garlic, tomatoes, carrots, dried basil, salt & pepper and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered anywhere from 20 – 40 minutes (this is a great recipe to entertain with, since if you’re guests are not on time, just leave it simmering until they show up).

5. Cook the pasta while the sauce is simmering (or wait until your guests arrive).

6. When the sauce is done, add the entire container of Crème Fraiche (8 oz.) and simmer for 5 more minutes. If you can’t find Crème Fraiche*, or prefer a vegan dish, you can omit it, the sauce is different, but still delicious.

7. Turn the heat off, stir in some fresh julienned basil and serve with the pasta.

If you like to add a little heat to the sauce, stir in ½ teaspoon of Sambal Oelek. Or offer it on the side so everyone can spice up their own food as much or as little as they like.

*Notes:
If you can’t find Crème Fraiche in your store, you can easily make it yourself: Combine 2 cups heavy cream (pasteurized, not ultra pasteurized or sterilized, and with no additives) and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a pie plate, cover, and let sit in room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Once you’re satisfied with the thickness, stir it well, put in a glass jar and refrigerate up to 10 days.

Canned Tomatoes: Most cans contain a chemical called bisphenol A, BPA for short. It’s a hormone disruptor that can be found in almost everybody, and animal studies have linked it to breast and prostate cancer, and infertility. Canned tomatoes are especially bad because the acidity in the tomatoes makes the BPA leach out from the can. Eden Organics state that they do not use cans with BPA for their beans; however, they do not guarantee that their canned tomatoes are BPA free. To be on the safe side, buy tomatoes in glass containers, or paper cartons (tetrapak), or if you’re very ambitious, make your own stewed tomatoes when they’re in season and save for the winter months.

Sambal Oelek is an Indonesian chili paste, often found in Swedish recipes. I am quite addicted to it and add it to almost everything savory. When I first moved to the US, I couldn’t find it anywhere and had to stock up whenever I went home to visit, but you can find it in some stores here, and the internet has of course made things easier too. The kind I get in Sweden is by a company called Lucullus, and I still can’t find that one here in the US, but here I use the Huy Fong brand. I still buy Lucullus brand whenever I’m in Sweden – it’s not quite as spicy as the Huy Fong so you can eat more of it without your mouth burning up.

Vegan version: Omit the Crème Fraiche.
Non-vegetarian version: N/A

Do you have a favorite carrot recipe you’d like to share? Send it in!

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