Q. I like to order a breakfast burrito, but it contains sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs. Can you re-create this restaurant favorite with a lot less fat, cholesterol and calories?
A. I can just picture it now: onion and bell pepper blended with soft scrambled eggs, with chunks of sausage and crispy bacon peeking through. Shreds of melting Cheddar cheese throughout, along with dabs of fresh red salsa, all wrapped up in a soft flour tortilla.
I researched this popular menu item and found what I think are all the necessary ingredients. But I used less oil to saute the onion and bell pepper, switched to reduced-fat Cheddar cheese and probably used less than the restaurant does. Instead of adding both sausage and bacon, my recipe uses just one.
Then I did the unthinkable: I replaced the two eggs with egg substitute, because all the other ingredients–vegetables sauteed in oil, sausage and bacon, cheese, sour cream and avocado– have so much fat. If you can’t bring yourself to do this, just use 1/4 cup egg substitute mixed with 1 large egg. The garnish of avocado, additional salsa and some sour cream is optional. Using a quarter of an avocado, sliced, will add 81 calories and 7 grams of fat (but only 1 gram is saturated fat).
Send your recipe for revision to: Recipe Doctor, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL, 60611, or go to www.recipedoctor.com.
Mock breakfast burrito
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup egg substitute or 1 large egg beaten with 2 egg whites
3 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, cooked, crumbled, or 3 strips turkey bacon, cooked until crisp, crumbled
2 tablespoons bottled or fresh salsa plus more for topping
1/4 cup reduced-fat shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt, pepper to taste
2 nine-inch flour tortillas
1/2 avocado, thinly sliced, optional
1/4 cup fat-free or light sour cream, optional
1. Heat canola oil in medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Cook onions and bell pepper, stirring often, 3 minutes. Pour in the egg substitute; cook, stirring often, until eggs are cooked throughout, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat; stir in cooked sausage or bacon, 2 tablespoons of the salsa, cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Cover pan; let sit 1-2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, wrap tortillas in clean towel. Warm in the microwave on high 1 minute (or warm in a non-stick large frying pan over medium heat). Spoon half of the egg mixture onto the center of 1 flour tortilla; roll up like a burrito. Repeat with remaining egg mixture and tortilla. Garnish each serving with sliced avocado, sour cream and more salsa, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
425 calories, 35% of calories from fat, 17 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 44 g carbohydrates, 26 g protein, 860 mg sodium, 3.5 g fiber
