There's a small rebellion going on in my house. See, I've been testing out so many Thanksgiving recipes for the blog that my family feels like we've been celebrating for weeks already and everyone is begging for some food with a different sort of slant. So I decided to swing wide here and go western--southwestern, that is, with these easy, amazingly delish and wonderfully versatile Crispy Tex-Mex wraps.

These are terrific to make on a busy weekday night, particularly when people may be eating at different times because you can have all the ingredients assembled beforehand and then just heat the wraps for a few minutes whenever you want.

These wraps also lend themselves to any adjustments you want to make. Feel free to add to or leave out anything you want. I almost always make them with chicken, but you could also sub in cooked steak or shrimp or go the vegetarian route and leave them out entirely. And because the wraps are filled with rice and veggies, you really don't need more than a simple salad or veggie on the side. A full meal in a nice convenient pouch!

I generally marinate my chicken in a simple marinade of oil, cider vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper and let it sit for a couple of hours before either grilling it or baking it in the oven. But you could make this dish even easier by buying a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and simply shredding the meat to use. 

What I really love about these is that the tortilla gets crispy, and the veggies, beans, and spicy rice are enveloped in delicious melted cheese. No one ingredient is overwhelming though, it all seems to magically balance out. Sometimes I even like to put a few dollops of sour cream in the wrap before I fold it up and heat it. The sour cream gets warmed and deliciously creamy! Mmmnn!

When my kids come home from school today and see that these wraps are on the menu, hopefully they'll declare a truce!

Crispy Tex-Mex Wraps

Makes 8-10 wraps

Prep Time: 15 minutes (not including cooking rice or chicken); Cook Time: 6 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice, at room temperature ( I use white, but you could use any kind)

• 2-3 cooked chicken breasts, baked or grilled, shredded or sliced

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts

• 1 red, yellow or green pepper

• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder (optional)

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

• 2-3 cups shredded cheese (I generally use cheddar but any kind would work)

• Sour cream ( I usually use light)

• Salsa, guacamole, hot sauce etc. to serve alongside if you like

• 8-10 8-inch soft flour tortillas

The Recipe 

1.  Assemble all your ingredients. Mix the rice with the spices (if using). Sprinkle a tortilla with the cheese leaving a little border all around the edges. Down the center spoon a little sour cream (if using), then top with a little rice, beans, chicken, peppers and scallions. Don't overfill or it will be hard to fold. Fold over one side of the tortilla and spray with a little vegetable cooking spray. Then fold over the other side, pressing down to try to "glue" it to the folded flap and spray that side lightly as well. Repeat with rest of wraps.

2.  Heat a non stick pan for about a minute over medium heat. Place 2 wraps at a time in pan, seam side down and press down gently so that the filling doesn't fall out too much (Mine always does a little, not to worry, you can always sort of stuff it back in). Cook for about 3 minutes until golden brown and crispy and then flip to cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Serve immediately.

3.  Leftovers (if you have any) are great and can be easily reheated in the microwave.

Enjoy!

Note:  Recipe adapted quite a bit from Mel's Kitchen Cafe http://www.melskitchencafe.com/crispy-southwest-chicken-wraps/