It's baked, not fried!

In my senior year of college I came across a fantastic baked chimichanga recipe. I've been making it ever since, and I still haven't tired of it. I love that you bake these, so they're really more like baked burritos, but I still affectionally refer to them as chimis. :) I don't think I need to mention that baking is way healthier than frying, do I? I also cook these with ground turkey and sprouted whole wheat tortillas, to make them even healthier!

Baked Turkey and Bean Chimichangas

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef (or turkey)

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1 1/2 cups whole kernel corn

2 cups taco sauce

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt (I use garlic powder)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (16 ounce) can refried beans

8 (12 inch) flour tortillas

1 (16 ounce) package shredded

Monterey Jack cheese

1 tablespoon butter, melted

shredded lettuce

1 tomato, diced

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

• Brown the meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drain excess grease, and add the onion, bell pepper, and corn. Cook for about 5 more minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the taco sauce, and season with chili powder, garlic salt and cumin, stirring until blended. Cook until heated through, then remove from heat, and set aside.
• Open the can of beans, and spread a thin layer of beans onto each of the tortillas. Spoon the meat mixture down the center, and then top with as much shredded cheese as you like. Roll up the tortillas, and place them seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Brush the tortillas with melted butter (you can bake them as-is if you don't want added fat from the butter).

• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve with lettuce and tomato.
  

You could easily make these vegetarian by omitting the meat and adding tofu, or just increasing the amount of veggies and beans. Enjoy!