Let's Go Mexican! Use Herbs From Your Garden

Fantastico! Smells so good, tastes smooth. I think its the cumin.

Viva los burritos! This is a recipe that differs in shape, but not in ingredients from a standard burrito recipe. I'm going to emphasize the herbs rather than the actual burrito recipe.

I am cooking with ground turkey, refried beans, and shredded Mexican cheeses. I browned the ground meat with a typical packet of burrito spices, half an chopped onion, and herbs from my container garden of Mexican herbs. For this, chives cut very small, and small cut oregano.

Fresh chives and oregano.

I warmed the refried beans with the other half of the onion, 1 tsp cumin, and about 1/4 cup of the finely shredded Mexican cheeses queso quesadilla, asadero and manchego) in a small, covered sauce pan.

I had frozen corn tortillas of the small size that I actually learn to make with a tortilla press. I'm very proud of myself on that. So out they come. Corn, by the way, came from Mexico and was developed by the ancient Mayans. They were first farmers in the world to deliberately cross pollinate chosen grasses. No corn without them!

Today, this is almost like a burrito lasagna, in that I am layering the ingredients in a casserole dish and baking it for 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Corn tortillas on the bottom, refried beans, ground meat, cheese, tortillas, refried beans, cheese then picante sauce on top. I got this idea from a friend from New Mexico. Apparently there they make enchiladas flat like a lasagna rather than rolled like we do in California. So, why not burritos? Como no? Muy delicioso. Serves four.

Buenas dias! says the muy feliz tortilla I made.

Gardening Tip

Marigold 2012, seed for 2014.

You can harvest seeds from your annual flowers. Marigolds cooperate very well. Here are their long dark colored seeds next to a large orange blossom. Marigolds actually came from Mexico, named by the Spanish friars;  I guess I have a theme going.