No salt? No problem! Æleen happily cooks up low-sodium burritos with flavorful Penzeys spices.

Because her husband needs to stick to a low-sodium diet, salt has practically vanished from Æleen Frisch’s kitchen in Northford, Connecticut. She has also happily adjusted to dining at home most of the time. “It is hard to eat out now because most restaurant food is very salty,” she confides.

No matter. “I find you can taste flavors more clearly if you use little or no salt,” she says.

When she and her hubby get a craving for Southwestern fare, Æleen makes her own mouthwatering Burritos seasoned with her stash of Penzeys spices.

Æleen urges you to play around with the burrito filling to suit your family. “You can try this recipe with cooked diced steak, browned ground beef, or cooked chicken,” she offers. “The filling freezes well, too. You can add the meat to the beans before freezing or before serving to simplify assembling the burritos.”

Burritos

Æleen shares, “The filling freezes well. You can also add the meat to the beans before freezing or before serving to simplify building burritos.”

• 2 tsp. olive oil (or cooking spray)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 15-oz. can vegetarian refried beans
• 4 scallions (green part), snipped into small pieces
• 1 tsp. (heaping) CALIFORNIA SEASONED PEPPER
• 1 TB. GRANULATED GARLIC POWDER
• 1/2 tsp. MEDIUM CHILI POWDER
• 2 tsp. GROUND ANCHO CHILI PEPPER
• 1/4 tsp. (scant) CAYENNE PEPPER
• 1/4 tsp. CRUSHED JALAPEÑO PEPPER
• 2 TB. milk
• 1/2-1 tsp. salt, to taste (Æleen doesn’t use any)
• 8 10-inch flour tortillas

Optional fillings:

• 1-2 lbs. cooked meat (diced steak, browned ground beef, cooked chicken, etc.)
• 1/2-1 lb. shredded cheese
• 1/2 head lettuce, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, diced
• 1 avocado, diced

In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil or cooking spray over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the beans, scallions, SPICES, milk and salt (if using). Cook until heated through, stirring often, about 8 minutes.

While the filling is cooking, heat the tortillas. You can steam them, microwave them (10 seconds) or flip them every few seconds in a non-oiled hot frying pan (Æleen does the latter). Fill burritos with some of the bean mixture, some meat, some cheese, lettuce, tomato and avocado. For a 10" tortilla, Æleen uses about 1/3-1/2 Cup bean mix, 1/4 Cup cooked chicken or steak, 2 TB. shredded ultra sharp cheddar, 1/2 Cup chopped lettuce, 3 TB. diced tomato and 1/8 of an avocado. Roll up and eat.

Nutritional Information: Servings 8;
Serving Size 1 burrito (167g); Calories 310; Calories from fat 70; Total fat 7g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 560mg; Carbohydrate 52g; Dietary Fiber 6g.