The first episode of the third season aired on Food Network Canada, featuring, yes, the new host (who made his debut on the show’s teen tournament).  Ingredients in the three rounds included candy necklaces in the first round as well as caramel-flavoured rice cakes and yarrow for dessert.  The main course’s ingredients were rotisserie chicken, cheese flavoured pretzels (notice it’s FLAVOURED), collard greens and chermoula, a middle eastern marinade.  While contestants made dishes such as chicken and waffles (the woman who did so was a little bit obsessed, I think), I think a green burrito would be an AMAZING main!

Since the chicken is already cooked, it just needs to be reheated.  A couple of the contestants said the chicken was a little dry, so some broth, mixed with chermoula would be used for the chicken.  In a separate pot, quinoa is prepared (as it cooks more quickly than rice).  While the quinoa is being cooked, a can of black beans is opened, drained, rinsed and mixed with chicken.  In another pot of boiling water, collards are blanched and then cooled in ice.  I know you’re going to ask me what I’m going to do with the pretzels.  Don’t worry – it’s not the only cheese!  That would be a little gross, right?  It’s going to be part of the filling to give the burrito a little bit of a crunch.  Of course, it’s going to be processed into crumbs first!

Now, it’s time to put the burrito together.  Rather than use lettuce, we will be using purple cabbage – it makes the burrito a bit more colourful, after all.   Other fillings we are going to add are: chopped avocado (rather than guacamole itself), pico de gallo and shredded cheddar.  However, we will add the chicken and beans first, followed by quinoa, pretzel crumbs and then finally, cheddar, avocado and pico de gallo.  The collard is then wrapped tightly and sliced in half.  Voila – collard chicken burritos.

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