How to Make the BEST Breakfast Burrito
Words by Haileny Carvalho
Being in college is probably one of the most stressful times in a student’s academic career. Whether it’s picking a major, trying to balance all of your credits, or just the simple fact that being a full time student, the stress is never ending. As a college student myself, I can easily say that student life is no short of easy. But something I have found to be very helpful in the midst of all my college chaos is eating breakfast. Personally, waking up a bit earlier to make myself a meal before school has not only helped me stay more alert in class, but has set my overall mood for the rest of the day. Think about it, what’s worse than sitting through a three hour class? Sitting through a three hour class on an empty stomach. A lot of students tend to skip this part of their day not realizing the effects that it has in the rest of their day. Not only does eating breakfast assist taming your hunger until lunch, but it will also help you perform better in school. According to a study done by Blinn College, it was found that only 65.6 percent of college students eat breakfast. It went on to show that those who ate breakfast before taking a major exam did exceptionally better than those who did not.
I conducted a study of my own and I asked 10 college students if they ate breakfast before class. Out of the 10 students, 4 responded no, 4 responded sometimes, and 2 responded yes. For the people that responded no and sometimes, I asked them if they would consider eating breakfast in the morning if they knew of a simple recipe they could easily make. Even if it meant waking up a bit earlier to prepare it. 7 out of the 8 students responded back to me and said yes.
I reached out to my friend ShaDiamond M. Wilson who is a student at the Culinary Institute of America. She’s currently a double major in business management and culinary arts. I asked her for a recipe in which she feels would be easy and tasty for college students to try out for breakfast. She recommended a recipe for breakfast burritos. She personally goes by this recipe if she wants something simple and filling to make before class. She also said that it can be an easy meal to assemble and eat on the go if you’re attending class in person. I then asked my friend Shameha Rahim to try out the recipe. Shameha, who goes by “Sam”, is currently a full time student at City College studying economics while working full time. After finishing the recipe I asked for her opinion on the meal by asking her a series of questions.
Interview Key:
HC - Haileny Carvalho
SR - Shameha Rahim
HC: Would you recommend this recipe?
SR: Yes.
HC: What was your favorite part about it
SR: Assembling the burrito and adding my own variety of vegetables.
HC: Was there something difficult about making the recipe and if so what would you recommend doing?
SR: No! The instructions were so clear.
HC: What do you rate the recipe?
SR: 9/10
HC: How long did it take you to make?
SR: 30 minutes!
Something I personally like about this recipe is that not only is it tasty, but super versatile. You can really have fun with the recipe and make it into your own. You can alter the ingredients by adding your favorite veggies or taking out veggies of your choice. You can also substitute the eggs with something like chicken, tofu, or some kind of protein. Sam used this tip by substituting the eggs for chicken, adding her desired veggies and even throwing in some beans of her choice.
If you would like to try this simple, tasty recipe the ingredient list and directions are below! Start your day off right by eating a delicious breakfast!
ShaDiamond’s Breakfast Burrito Recipe:
Tortillas 1 flour or corn (ShaDiamond recommends flour)
2 eggs scrambled (or any protein of your choice, chicken, tofu etc)
Bell peppers 1/4 cup bell peppers diced
Spinach 1/3 cup
White or red Onions 1/4 diced
Garlic 1 tbs
Mushrooms 1/4 cup diced
Tomatoes 1/4 cup diced
Cheese 3/4 cup
Salt, pepper, onion powder, dry basil to taste
Syrup or hot sauce optional
Any additional seasonings of your choice
Cooking Directions:
Warm tortilla in pan or microwave.
If you have a protein cook on the stove first with any kind of oil heat until crisp (skip if you don’t have a protein).
Add the onions, garlic, bell peppers, mushrooms and wait until the last step to add tomatoes.
Cook until onions are translucent.
In a bowl whisk eggs until completely yellow then add your eggs into the vegetables (add seasonings to taste).
With a spoon, scramble eggs.
Add cheddar cheese or any cheese you desire into the scrambled eggs.
Turn off the stove.
Throw in tomatoes into the eggs.
Take your tortilla onto a plate and add vegetable scramble into the middle of the tortilla, add extra cheese if desired.
Take the side of the tortilla closest to you and fold up mid way, take the left side and the right side and fold inward then roll tightly up until you’ve reached the end of the tortilla.
Tips from ShaDiamond:
If you have time, put the burrito back into the pan until lightly golden brown.
Add hot sauce as you eat or into the vegetable scramble.
If using chicken or tofu, prepare that the night before so in the morning you can just warm it up and throw it in the burrito.
Tip for fluffier eggs: add a tbsp of milk into the egg mixture.
For a crispier tortilla, add oil into a pan, wait till hot and lightly place the tortilla into the pan. Fry tortilla on both sides until lightly golden brown.
