Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos

After a summer hiatus, this week marked the return of dinner co-op with my friend and co-worker, Therese. She made her world-famous chili, and I made Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos. I've mentioned dinner co-op before, but I'll explain it again for those of you who may be new to HDHH.

Therese and I both have households of two. On Mondays, we cook dinner for four people, and we bring the leftovers to work on Tuesdays and switch them. I take home Therese's leftovers and she takes home mine. That means on Tuesday nights, both of our families get new-to-us dinners, but we only have to cook once! It's really a genius situation.

When I was whipping up these make-ahead-friendly Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos, I noticed something: They are not photogenic. In fact, when the husband came nosing around the kitchen to see what the delicious smells were all about, I shielded my culinary endeavors from him and hollered, "Don't look! Don't look!" See, the husband has been known to turn up his nose at foods that look funny, even if it's just during the prep stages.

If I wasn't going to let the husband watch me cook the burritos, I certainly wasn't going to take pictures for this post. I figured I'd just take photos when they were on the plate and finished. I had high hopes of a salsa and sour cream garnish that would knock your socks off. Maybe even a sprinkling of cilantro.

Yeah, so I forgot about all that. I was too hungry, and we just dug in. But trust me that these burritos are delicious. Even the husband said, "These are really good. Especially for vegetarian food!"

Now I know you're all going to make them tonight.

Oh, and because I couldn't stand to leave you without one of my photographic masterpieces (I sense a note of sarcasm...), here's a picture of the leftover burritos in my fridge. They're gonna be good again tonight!

P.S. Don't forget to enter our contest for a fantastic prize. Read more about it on Monday's post. Anyone who comments on a post from this week will be entered to win a Hot Dinner Happy Home apron in celebration of our first birthday! Comment away, folks!

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos
Adapted from An Occasion to Gather
Serves: 4-6

1 very large (or two small) sweet potato(s), peeled and cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 ounces diced green chiles (1/2 of a small can)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons coriander
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
8 flour tortillas
Salsa and sour cream, for serving

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sweet potato in a saucepan with enough water to cover and a hearty pinch of salt. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and allow sweet potatoes to cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until   they're easily pierced with a fork. Drain sweet potatoes and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and chiles and saute, stirring often, for 7 minutes. Stir in cumin and coriander and cook for another minute, until the spices are fragrant. Remove onion mixture from heat and set aside.

Combine sweet potatoes and black beans and mash them together with a potato masher or whatever mashing implement you prefer. (I like my burrito filling to have some texture, so I didn't mash it too much. Just use your best judgement.) Stir in onion mixture, cheese, and cilantro.

Evenly divide the filling between the tortillas. Roll burritos up tightly and place seam-side-down in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 5 minutes if you'd like to crisp up the tops a little bit.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.