After our brisk hike to the lake this afternoon, the plans I’d made for a big salad for dinner seemed meagre and uninspiring, so I mentioned to James that I could instead make tacos. He quite liked the general idea but is apparently not fond of the crunchy shell. Evidently, it’s too crunchy…and messy.

What about fajitas, I then suggested. He liked this idea slightly more, but he didn’t fancy the idea of having to assemble his own as one does with the fajita. He wanted his food to arrive on his plate assembled (by me, of course).

“And, while you’re at it, why not bake them with a bit of that grated vegan cheddar you made yesterday,” he suggested…helpfully.

Now, I actually do like to please James when it comes to dinner because, in truth, he does just about everything else around here, so I set out to make a baked burrito…with a fajita filling.

You likely know this, but the difference between a fajita and a burrito is the filling: fajitas are filled with strips of beef cooked in a very spicy sauce. And I happen to have quite a bit of leftover seitan roast “beef.” So here is my method:

Hearty Vegan Burritos with Fajita Filling

First, make six lentil tortillas with this recipe. You could, of course, simply buy some flour tortillas, but the lentil tortillas are quick and easy and much healthier than flour tortillas. Set the tortillas aside in a tea towel to keep warm while you make the filling.

Next, make the fajita sauce in the Magic Bullet with the following ingredients:

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne

Next, slice into batonnets:

• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large seeded jalapeno pepper
• 1 portobello mushroom

Slice into strips:

• 5 ounces vegan roast or chickwheat
• or tofu

Saute the onion until soft, then add the peppers and portobello mushroom and saute until the vegetables are al dente.

Slowly pour in the fajita sauce and toss the vegetables until they are covered.

Add the strips of vegan roast and continue mixing until the strips are heated through. Remove from heat.

Next, assemble the burritos:

Smear one half of each burrito with salsa and the other with some cashew-dill dressing. Next, scoop a couple of tablespoons of brown rice down the centre of each tortilla, followed by a tablespoon of black beans:

Scoop a nice helping of the fajita mixture on top of the rice…

…followed by some chopped romaine and a few chopped grape tomatoes.

Roll up the tortillas, place seam-side down in a casserole dish and cover with six ounces of grated vegan cheddar.

Place under the broiler for five minutes until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Serve covered with salsa and fresh chopped cilantro. Guacamole would be nice too, but I have no avocados :(.

James was delighted with his burrito…or fajita…or furrito. Whatever it was, he was delighted and asked for (and received) seconds!

And the song of the day is Jack Savoretti’s “When We Were Lovers.” I discovered this amazing musician only a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been listening to him every day since.