AVOCADO SWEET POTATO BLACK BEAN BURRITOS
I was originally going to write about how I tried this recipe because we have a huge container of dry black beans sitting in the pantry, but it doesn’t seem relevant anymore. Nothing seems relevant besides trying to process what is happening in the world and taking action against racism in America.
It took me a while, but I’m here trying to articulate what I’ve been learning and feeling. Being an Asian-American, I have privilege that stems from the model minority myth that allows me to distance myself from the disproportionate violence and invisible tax that falls on our Black brothers and sisters. As outspoken as I can be in-person about being Asian-American and the unique issues that we face, I haven’t been very vocal online about racial issues despite caring about the subject, and I often attribute that to feeling ill-equipped to handle conversations or speak to the topic on the internet where criticism and judgement are rampant. But more and more I’m realizing that my silence is an excuse and is its own form of oppression. When I heard the news of Ahmaud Arbery, my heart broke. It shattered again with the news of Breonna Taylor. Then the outrageous actions of Amy Cooper, then George Floyd. Something in me snapped. How many people does it take? How long do Black people have to live in fear? With burdens that are so unfair? It’s been six years since the #BlackLivesMatter movement began and the recent string of events make it seem like nothing has changed. And I'm just so overwhelmed by the brokenness of the world — the racism, the inequality, the disease — that it’s paralyzing.
I’ve spent the last few days forcing myself to face my privilege and my discomfort. I’ve been trying to take action and better my understanding of what the Black community is going through and how I can best support. As great as re-posting an image is on Instagram, it didn’t feel like enough and probably falls on an already educated echo chamber. So what have I been looking at?
This article helped me find immediate steps that I can take to be an ally as an Asian-American.
This article brought light to and contextualized some of the inherent biases I’ve grown up with as a child of Asian immigrants and addresses how to have tough, race-based conversations with family. One of the most frustrating and polarizing conversations I’ve ever had was when my cousin and I were trying to get a couple family members to understand how wrong and unjust the murder of Laquan McDonald was in 2014. Since college, I’ve challenged my parents more often when they make comments, and I’ve noticed that they tend to think twice now before saying certain things in front of me.
I’m a data person. Numbers speak truth and are usually the most convincing evidence to me. The previous article links to many articles with stats in action #3, and this site does a nice job visualizing police violence data. If you’re put off by the seriousness of data for some reason, let Ben & Jerry’s serve you the scoop on systemic racism (yup, it’s still serious) and how it impacts literally all aspects of society. Relevant to today, a troubling correlation of how Black America has been impacted by COVID-19.
I decided to donate to Reclaim the Block, an organization that invests in violence prevention, housing, resources for youth, emergency mental health response teams, and solutions to the opioid crisis, and Color of Change, an organization that designs campaigns to end practices that unfairly hold Black people back and champion solutions that move us all forward.
It’s easy to look the other way and think that this issue doesn’t affect you — trust me, I know. There are many times when I’ve let these charged moments pass and go on with my insulated, privileged life. But others don’t have the luxury to do that and are burdened by this weight for every waking moment of their life. Stay educated, be critical, but most importantly, have empathy.
And yeah, here’s the recipe for the completely unrelated burritos:
Avocado Sweet Potato Black Bean Burritos
Adapted from Love & Lemons
Makes 2 to 3 burritos
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed and roasted
½ teaspoon chili powder
2 to 4 large tortillas (or 4 to 6 small tortillas if making tacos)
1 cup black beans, cooked and drained (Instant Pot black bean recipe following)
Salt & pepper
Avocado Yogurt Sauce
½ cup whole milk Greek yogurt
1 small avocado
½ garlic clove
Juice of 1 lime
Salt & pepper
Optional toppings:
1 avocado, diced
2 scallions, diced
Cheese (crumbled feta, Cotija, cheddar, Colby)
Pepita seeds
Pickled onions
Cilantro
Crushed tortilla chips
Lime slices, for serving
To make: Toss the roasted sweet potatoes with chili powder, salt and pepper and set aside. Combine yogurt, avocado, garlic, lime juice, and a few pinches of salt and pepper in a small food processor, pulsing until smooth, or in a small bowl, mashing with a fork. Chill this avocado yogurt sauce until ready to use. In a medium nonstick skillet, lightly toast the tortillas. Assemble the burrito with a scoop of the avocado yogurt sauce, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and desired additional toppings into tortilla. Make sure to add one of the crunchy additional toppings! Season with salt, pepper, and squeezes of lime.
Notes: I found the texture of this recipe to be a bit … paste-y. Considering the filling being starchy sweet potato and beans, I would recommend adding something with crunch to balance out the texture.
Instant Pot Black Beans
Adapted from Inspired Taste
Makes ~4 cups cooked beans
2 cups dried black beans, rinsed
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 medium onion (peeled, and keep enough of root to hold onion together to make it easier to remove after cooking)
1 bay leaf
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp vegetable oil
Water
Salt & pepper
To make: Rinse the dried beans then add to a 6-quart pressure cooker (I used an Instant Pot). Add the garlic cloves, onion half, bay leaf and enough water so that the beans are covered by 1 1/2 inches. Add vegetable oil (this will prevent foaming of beans). For the Instant Pot, seal the lid and cook on High Pressure for 30 minutes, then let cooker naturally release. Remove the onion, garlic cloves, and bay leaf from cooked beans and throw away. Add lime juice, and season with salt and pepper.
Notes: This made a lot of cooked black beans, so I ended up using the remaining beans post-burritos to make black bean soup using this recipe from Delish. Serve with a quick, simple cheese quesadilla on the side and you’re golden for another meal! I didn’t take pictures so I’m not blogging, but I subbed a can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato paste, taco seasoning instead of chili powder, and 3/4 quart water instead of stock. Turned out great, and I must say, the sour cream topping is a must to make it creamy!