Hello hello! I know it’s already a week into the new year but I’m finally back to posting! I’m happy to be back on here sharing the foods that I make!

I’m continuing my Monday tradition of making a recipe from the Bad Manners Food cookbook – Thug Kitchen 101. Today’s recipe is the “Flautas for Every Meal”.

I have never had or made flautas before but they are essentially rolled tacos – they can also be called taquitos. The fillings are typically made from chicken or beef, but this is a vegetarian version with beans and vegetables.

The cookbook writes this recipe as one that you can use whatever vegetables you have/want. It’s also perfect if you have any leftover cooked veggies, because you can just chop them up and mix them into the filling. For me, I had to cook my vegetables fresh but I love the versatility! I used bell pepper, zucchini and corn.

This filling starts with beans, I used black, and you’re supposed to mash them up with lime juice and canned green chiles. I took a little shortcut and threw those into my food processor to breakdown the beans and make a chunky puree. Then you add sauteed onions that are seasoned with chili powder, cumin, salt and garlic, the leftover (or freshly sauteed vegetables, in my case) and mix everything together. It creates a delicious filling that would be great on a bed of rice or mixed greens.

So once the filling is ready, it’s time to get rolling. I used 7″ whole wheat tortillas, but I’m sure you could use any size you have. You could also use larger tortillas cut in half (semi circles) then roll the same way. I used ~3 tbsp of filling in each one plus a tiny bit at the end of the tortilla to act as glue in keeping it rolled up.

These get baked in a 400° oven, flipping halfway, until they are golden brown and crispy. They came out so beautifully. They may not look the prettiest but they tasted amazing. The filling was really nicely seasoned and I liked the crunch of the tortilla with the different vegetable textures inside. I will definitely be making these flautas again!