Everyone seems to think that you have to avoid Mexican food when you’re trying to eat healthy. Pah, that’s just not the case at all. Like any kind of food, there’s always a way to change things up and make it fit your needs. You can lower the fat by cooking with less fat. LOL, call me Captain Obvious there. You can increase the veggies and decrease the cheese.
Amp up the flavor with fresh herbs like cilantro and real jalapeno. See? There are lots of things you can do to make it work. Last night I made a few grilled burritos. I will say that they didn’t start out intended as veggie burritos. I had planned to make grilled chicken burritos but I can never seem to cram everything that I want INTO the burrito!
So they turned into veggie burritos with cilantro lime rice… with a side of grilled chicken. I used the whole wheat 90 calorie flatwraps to make my burritos instead of tortillas. For some reason, I find them easier to roll but you may be more talented than I am. Feel free to use tortillas here.
Grilled Veggie Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice 
- 1/4 cup (43g) uncooked rice OR 3/4 cup (116g) cooked rice
- 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro
- 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup (100g) chopped yellow onion
- 1 cup (100g) sliced mushrooms
- 1/2 cup (100g) sliced zucchini
- 1/2 cup (100g) grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 4 whole wheat flatwraps OR tortillas
- 4 oz (112g) dairy free shredded mozzarella cheese
Cook the rice according to package directions. Toss the rice with the cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice and garlic powder and set aside. Heat a large pan over medium heat and spray with non-stick spray.
Add the veggies and garlic, and saute for about 5 minutes until the veggies soften and most of the liquid from cooking has evaporated. Remove from heat. Spread each flatwrap with an equal amount of cilantro rice.
Divide the veggies on top of the rice. Make sure to remove as many veggies as possible from the pan but leave any browned bits on the bottom. Top the veggies with the shredded cheese. Wrap each like a burrito. Place two of the wraps, seam side down into the pan used for the veggies.
Return the pan to the heat and grill on both sides for 2-3 minutes until browned on the outside. Repeat with the remaining two burritos. Garnish with extra cilantro and serve with salsa, sour cream or other desired toppings.
Makes 4 burritos at approximately 277 calories – 11g protein, 38g carbs, and 9g fat.
Since The Kid can’t have dairy, I used vegan mozzarella. You can sub in dairy cheese of choice here like cheddar, pepperjack, or mozzarella. That would be yum as well. If you’re planning on leftovers, I recommend storing the filling separately instead of wrapping them. The tortilla or wrap will probably get pretty soggy if you try to save it filled. Fill it right before eating for the best results.
If you plan to freeze them, they may work better as frozen burritos and then microwave but I haven’t tried it. If you give it a go, please report back in the comments below to let me know how it turned out. I just heated my leftover filling and tossed it on top of my salad for lunch with the wrap on the side. So don’t overlook Mexican as a great and flavorful way to stick to your healthy eating.
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