Baked Chimichangas

I haven't had a Chimichanga in years. I try not to eat fried food and I know they just aren't good for you. And, now that we follow a vegan diet I don't know where I'd find a vegan chimichanga - fried or otherwise. I found this recipe over at The Curry Carrot and decided to make these vegan. Good call on my part, they are delicous! I used some leftover crock-pot re-fried beans I had left over in the frig.The only thing I'd do different is bake these on a cookie sheet slightly separated so that they can get nice and crunchy all around.

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing on the tortillas
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• One 4-ounce can green chiles, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Juice of one lime
• 1 1/2 cups refried beans 
• Tortillas (I used taco size  and only made four so I could put them in the toaster oven and not turn on the big oven. I used the leftover filling later in the week and made more.)
• Garnishes: shredded lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa, pickled jalapenos, black olives, avocado, etc.

In a saute pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking pan with cooking spray; set aside. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the green chiles, black beans, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice, stirring until combined.  Cook until the beans are heated through, about 3-4 minutes.

Place about 2 tablespoons of the refried beans on a tortilla.

Once heated through add about 2 tablespoons of the black bean mixture to the top of the refried beans.

Top with whatever garnishes you might want inside the chimichangas-I used a small amount of cheese on each one.  Fold in the ends of each tortilla and roll up the chimichanga.  Place each chimichanga, seam side down, into the prepared baking dish.

Spray each chimichanga with olive oil.

Bake the chimichangas until heated through and lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes or so.  *Watch your chimichangas carefully.  As oven temperatures can vary significantly, the browning time may be dependent on your oven.  Use your own judgment here.

Top each chimichanga with the garnishes of your own choosing, and enjoy.

Enjoy!!!!