I know this sounds like an odd combination for a burrito, but it is so delicious. It is both sweet and spicy in the same bite! I love that! It was a huge hit with the family, except Joey, who refused to try it (you are going to get that reaction from some family members). No problem, I left a small batch of the bean mixture, separate from the sweet potatoes, and made a few plain black bean burritos, for those unadventurous family members who couldn't get past the sweet-savory combination.
I am using "Meatless, Money-Saving Mondays" as a way to introduce more vegetarian meals to my family. Why am I trying to sneak in a few vegetarian meal each week? I'll tell you why (you know I love a good list!):
Why Go Vegetarian
1 - Eating vegetarian is better for your heart. Studies have shown that cholesterol levels for vegetarians are 14% lower than meat eaters. Why? The standard American diet is laden with saturated fat and cholesterol from meat. Fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidant nutrients that protect the heart and its arteries. Plus, produce contains no saturated fat or cholesterol.
2 - You'll live longer. Vegetarians live about seven years longer, and vegans (those who eat no animal products) about fifteen years longer than meat eaters, according to a study at Loma Linda University. This is backed up by the fact that Chinese people, who eat the least amount of fat and animal products have the lowest risk of cancer, heart attack and other chronic degenerative diseases.
3 - $$$$$$$$ !!!!!!! Replacing meat, chicken and fish with vegetables and fruits is estimated to cut food bills by an average of $4000 a year.
4 - Pull out those "skinny jeans"!! On average, vegetarians are slimmer than meat eaters, and when vegetarians diet, they keep the weight off up to 7 years longer. Vegetarians are also less likely to fall victim to weight-related disorders like heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
5 - Do I even need to go into cute baby lambs, and chickens and baby calves, and do we really want to kill all those animals for a meal? Maybe before you eat a lamb chop, you should be required to meet it, and slaughter it yourself. Now, how much would you enjoy eating it? Every year, millions and millions of animals are killed to put meat on your table. Before they are slaughtered, most of them lead desolate, disease-ridden lives on factory farms. Turning vegetarian means you are no longer part of that death cycle.
6 - You'll protect yourself from many strains of bacteria, such as salmonella, campy-lobacter, and E. coli O157:H7 (this is the really bad one), not to mention toxoplasmosis caused by parasites infecting your meat. Gross!!!
7 - It is better for the planet. Meat is a wasteful use of water and creates a lot of greenhouse gases. It puts an enormous pressure on the world's resources. Rainforests are cleared for grazing; methane from livestock causes global warming; soil is eroded by cattle; and the seas are laid to waste by overfishing.
8 - While 750 million people go to bed hungry every night, one-third of the world's grain population is fed to farmed animals. A typical Western meat-based diet can only feed 2.5 billion people; a plant based diet will feed the entire world population. That means an end to world famine!
9 - Eating meat could soon become as socially unacceptable as drunk-driving.
I am just trying to give you something to think about. If everyone in the US switched just one or two meals a week to a vegetarian meal, the cumulative difference would be huge. I promise that if you try my vegetarian recipes, you will be pleasantly surprised. Nothing tastes like cardboard, and you will not leave the table hungry!
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