Corn Chimichangas

For the longest time (when I lived in the States) I didn’t like Mexican food (silly me!) In my college days I was probably the only who would not get excited about going to Chipotle. Then I discovered guacamole, and all of a sudden I had hyperactive taste buds for Mexican cuisine.

In Orlando my girlfriend and I would drive up to the closest Chipotle to our office (about 30 miles) and pig out on burrito bowls & tacos. Later, of course with all those carbs in the tummy, focusing on work would be a nightmare. But I just love the burrito bowl at Chipotle - Oh man, how I miss that food!

So in memory of those heavy duty lunch days - I made chimichangas but instead of deep frying them, I just threw them in the oven! The stuffing for these is pretty simple and is made with fresh corn sauteed with some garlic, red and green bell peppers and flavored with some lemon juice and cilantro. They turned out really nice - I served them with some fresh tomato salsa….delicious!!

Since you dont fry the chimichangas, they are going to taste relatively dry, the trick is to eat them with lots of guacamole, salsa and some sour cream. This recipe subsided some of my craving for Chipotle, but I still miss it. Till the time I get to eat it again, here’s to a recipe that hit the right spots in my taste-buds. Cheers!

To Make It Vegan: Skip the cheese in the filling (you wont miss it too much) - its the only non vegan ingeredient in the recipe!

Serving 4 chimichangas

cooking time 20 min + baking time

Things you will need

2 cups fresh corn kernels, can be substituted by frozen kernels

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped

1 medium red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup cilantro

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp sugar

oil for stir frying

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 green chili, optional

salt

4 flour tortillas

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated

1 tbsp oil

  1. Heat oil in a deep pan. Add garlic and onion and cook till the onions turn translucent.
  2. Add some salt to the onions and garlic and stir to mix well. Add both the bell peppers and continue to cook till they turn soft.
  3. Add cumin & chili and mix well.
  4. Add the corn, sugar and a little more salt and cook for about 3 minutes or till the corn is completely cooked and turn shiny.
  5. Add in the lemon juice, zest & cilantro and stir to mix well and let cool.

To arrange the chimichangas:

  1. Preheat the oven at 350F.
  2. Place a tortilla on a flat surface.
  3. Sprinkle some cheese in the center of the tortilla and add 2 spoonfuls of the corn filling.
  4. Fold the tortilla from all four sides (one side at a time) to from a closed parcel.
  5. Hold the sides together with the help of toothpicks (if needed)
  6. In a frying pan, heat a tbsp of oil on medium low and fry the chimichangas ( first-seam side down) for a few minutes flipping once. You want a little color on it.
  7. Remove from the pan and bake (on an aluminum foil lined baking tray) from about 15 to 20 minutes.
  8. Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa.
Category : Appetizer, Eggless, Entree
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