I must say, I love winter. I love snow, cold weather, bundling up in a warm coat or on the couch with a blanket. But even I think this is getting a little ridiculous. I still get excited when I hear it’s going to snow, but the ice and freezing rain is what’s starting to really get to me. Still, I’m trying to keep my spirits up.

One thing that I love about winter is cooking. For me, there’s nothing better than spending a chilly evening chopping, mixing and putting together a warm winter meal with all of those delicious winter veggies. If I really want to indulge myself, I might even turn on a British Mystery in the background.

So for all of you who are tired of winter; tired of being cooped up, tired of the freezing cold, frozen pipes and kids at home day after day, I invite you to try out one of my favorite dishes this winter.  It might help, just a teeny-tiny bit.  At the very least, you will get to stand next to a warm oven.

This recipe was introduced to me by RWCF Volunteer Coordinator, Katie Junghans. Each Wednesday, Katie prepares a crock-pot meal with our growers using veggies we’ve grown on the farm. On Fridays we all get to share the meal together. This was one of the best.

I love this recipe because:

1) It contains sweet potatoes- those delicious, super healthy, winter treats.

2) It’s a great make-ahead dish for lunch, dinner, or even breakfast .

3) It’s family friendly- In my experience, a kid will eat virtually anything if it’s inside a tortilla and topped with cheese. They might even help you roll it up!

4) There aren’t any unusual, hard to find or expensive ingredients. You probably have a lot of these ingredients in your kitchen already.

5) And most importantly, it’s DELICIOUS.

Here it is:

Sweet Potato and Bean Burritos

This recipe instructs you to use a crock-pot but if you don’t mind the labor and want it done a little faster, cooking it on the stove works great. Just be sure that you cook the sweet potatoes all the way through.

Serves 8 

2t dried oregano leaves

½ tsp ground cumin

Salt, to taste

6-8 small to medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1-15 oz can black or pinto beans, drained rinsed

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

1 green pepper, chopped1 T chopped cilantro (optional)

1c frozen corn, thawed and drained

3T lime juice

¾ c. shredded Monterey jack cheese

8 small flour tortillas