High Protein Vegan Breakfast Burritos

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About Protein in Vegan Breakfasts

No, I am not a vegan (or even a vegetarian)… I am, however, committed to healthy and mindful eating. As a foodie, I am ever looking for new ways to enjoy food; as an environmentalist that attempts to “walk softly” on planet Earth, I include vegetarian dishes in our diet  frequently.

We quite often use extra firm tofu in our meals, and I have found that it crumbles up quite well in a breakfast “scramble.” When combined with beans, this protein-rich vegan breakfast burrito is a great way to start the day.

🌵 What are Nopales?

Nopal. Nopales. Nopalitos. Say what? Having lived all but 5 years of my 57 years in border states (California, New Mexico, and Texas), nopalitos have always been familiar to me. As a child, my Dad made nopalitos burritos for us after church on Sunday evenings when we needed something quick, healthy, and delicious (and cheap  🙂 ).

After I married, I kind of forgot about them, until we lived in New Mexico. They aren’t part of the New Mexico “chile culture,” but they are definitely available. When we moved to McAllen in 2015, and fresh, already prepped and diced nopales became available year-round at all the markets, I decided it was time to start “playing” with them. (You are aware that I love to play with food?)

So, let me explain the names: Nopal is the pad of the opuntia cacti (aka prickly pear cactus). Nopales is the name given to the nopal after the spines are removed and they are sliced or diced.

They are sold beautifully fresh in our local markets in small bags. Nopales are also available both pickled and non-pickled, packed in water and canned or bottled. Less commonly, you may find them dried. Nopalitos is the name given to a dish that features nopales.

So, what do they taste like? A little bit like a tart green bean. When raw, they produce a mucilaginous liquid that can be off-putting. However, if properly cooked, that liquid disappears, leaving just the crisp-tender nutrient-rich vegetable. Nopales are loaded with vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and calcium. Don’t you think it’s time to give them a try?

How to Use Nopales

Two of my favorite #MeatlessMonday recipes are my nopalitos and red chile rice bowls and my nopales tacos. Not enough time for that? You can sauté them until the liquid is evaporated and they’re starting to brown, and combine them with eggs for a simple breakfast scramble.

If you’re looking for a new light, summery salad, try this nopalitos (cactus) salad. If you have a little bit of time to cook, you’ll love these veggie filled crepes that feature nopalitos.

📋 Ingredients You’ll Need

• new potatoes – Choose small potatoes, and slice thin to save cooking time.
• red chile sauce – A commercially prepared red chile sauce is fine in this recipe, but I often have homemade red chile sauce in my freezer, and it’s amazing!
• nopales – If you’re able to get fresh nopales at your market, they require an additional 10-15 minutes to cook. You can get canned nopalitos, and give them a good rinse.
• cooked black beans – They can be rinsed and drained canned beans, or your own cooked dried black beans, but they must be cooked.
• extra-firm tofu
• avocado
• cilantro

🔪 Instructions

• Mis en place – Get all of the ingredients prepped before you start cooking. Trust me on this!
• Cook the potatoes – Sauté the thin-sliced potatoes in a bit of coconut oil until tender and browned on the edges. I have a recipe for easy Mexican breakfast potatoes that are great in these vegan burritos. I make enough for 2 meals when I make them, so I may already have them cooked!
• Cook the nopales – While the potatoes cook, start the nopales in a second skillet in a bit of coconut oil. I cook them in a cast iron skillet until they ooze all their slime, and it evaporates (about 10 minutes). See this post for more on cooking nopales. Scrape them to one side, and add the tofu chunk. Using a potato masher, apply gentle pressure until the texture resembles ground meat.
• Make the burrito filling – Combine the nopalitos, potatoes, tofu, and black beans with garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper in one of the two pans. Sauté 2-3 minutes to combine. Warm the red chile sauce (microwave is fine).
• Finish the burritos – I use a dry skillet to warm my flour tortillas. Spread tortilla with black bean mixture, a generous drizzle of red chile sauce, a slice or two of avocado, and a sprig of cilantro. Roll it up, and enjoy!

💭 Tips

• I typically use Nasoya Extra Firm Tofu. Using a potato masher, the texture resembles ground meat, and holds together really well.
• A mandoline is great for getting ultra-thin slices of potatoes. Thin slices will be tender more quickly.
• A potato masher makes quick work of breaking apart the tofu.
• I love freshly made New Mexico red chile sauce (no tomatoes!). When I make red chile enchiladas, I freeze zip bags to pull out for things like breakfast burritos. I also really like the commercial jarred products from The Roadrunner Chile Company. You can substitute your favorite sauce or salsa.

🌯 Variations

• Green chile is a great substitution for the nopales if you can’t get them or don’t like them.
• Use your favorite beans in place of black beans if you prefer.
• If you don’t adhere to a vegan diet, scrambled eggs are a perfect substitution for the tofu, and will keep it vegetarian. You might like cheese too!
• Instead of the red chile sauce, substitute your favorite salsa.

As I mentioned in the post, this recipe is flexible. You can substitute scrambled eggs for the tofu (not vegan of course), bell pepper or roasted green chile strips for the nopales strips, use pintos or kidney beans instead of black beans, etc. Try adding crumbled cotija, queso fresco, or grated sharp cheddar if you’re not looking to keep it vegan.

❓ FAQ

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Have you heard of or seen nopales in your local market? The fresh ones are awesome, and the jarred ones are pretty good too! I do hope you’ll give this healthy breakfast a try…