Slow Cooker Spicy Vegetarian Pinto Bean and Chard Burritos

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dry pinto beans
• 6 cups water
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 T ground cumin
• 1 T garlic powder
• 1 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2-4 T Cholula hot sauce
• 6-8 cups chopped swiss chard leaves
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• low-fat grated mozzarella blend cheese
• thinly sliced green onions

Directions

1. For the best texture, soak the beans first; if that step slips your mind, plan on 1-2 extra hours in the slow cooker. Cover the beans with cold water by several inches and leave them overnight. The crock insert works perfectly for this.
2. The next day, pour off the soaking water. Put the beans back into the slow cooker and add 6 cups water, the onion, ground cumin, and garlic powder.
3. Cook on high until the beans are very tender. For soaked beans, this may take a little over 4 hours; beans that were not soaked, or beans that are older, may need a couple hours beyond that.
4. Once the beans are soft, drain them, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid, then return the beans to the slow cooker. Stir in the salsa, salt, and hot sauce, if you’re using it.
5. Leave the beans cooking on high while you prep the Swiss chard. Remove the stems, pile up some of the leaves, then slice and chop until you have 6-8 cups chopped leaves. If the chard came from the garden, rinse it well and dry it in a salad spinner.
6. Add the chopped chard to the slow cooker, pushing it down gently if you need more room. Cover and keep cooking on high until the leaves have wilted. Once wilted, about 30-45 minutes, stir everything together, then cook about an hour more, until the greens are very soft and the beans are close to breaking down. If the filling looks dry, stir in the reserved cooking water as needed.
7. For assembling, thinly slice enough green onions for however many burritos you’re making. Set out the grated low-fat mozzarella blend cheese.
8. Warm the tortillas in the microwave for a few minutes. If you’re heating a larger batch, wrap them in a double layer of aluminum foil and warm them in the oven for about 10-15 minutes.
9. Place a softened tortilla on a plate or cutting board. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the bean and chard filling onto it, arranging the filling in a line that starts near the outside edge and runs about 2/3 of the way down, leaving about 1/3 of the tortilla free at the end for folding.
10. Add about 2 T grated cheese and 1 T thinly sliced green onions, along with extra hot sauce if you want it.
11. Fold the bottom end up over the filling, then bring the sides in over that folded end so one side stays open and the other is tucked closed to hold everything together.
12. Serve hot.
13. Freeze any leftover burrito filling and extra tortillas if you’re not eating everything right away.