Quinoa Burrito Bowl
With Mexican, you gotta go colorful.
Good Mexican food is surprisingly difficult to find in New York. Most restaurants over-season their ingredients and add a ton of grease and cheese to mask the flavors.
My favorite quick and easy Taqueria in the city is Dos Toros. Founded by two brothers from the Bay area in California, it's no surprise that my Mexican food-critical Californian friends even like it. They do their best to stick to local, organic fresh ingredients, and the quality of their ingredients show through. You don't need crazy recipes when the ingredients are that good on their own.
I was really craving their amazing burrito bowl, but in my attempt to exercise a shred of self-control with my budget and stomach, I made my own at home, swapping out quinoa for the rice. Rather quick to make, even with the quantity of ingredients, this is a good meal to make for additional guests or you can save it as leftovers. This heats up amazingly well especially if ingredients are kept separately!
Eat the rainbow
Ingredients for the Guac
Rest of the Bowl:
2 cups of cooked Quinoa
1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Red Onion, sliced into strips
1 can of cooked Black Beans (I used TJ's Organic Black Beans w/Sea Salt)
Guacamole to top
Recipe
**Steps for Simple Mexican Grilled Chicken integrated into this recipe for simplicity.
*Step #1 takes place 5-6 hours prior or overnight for the marinade
1. Cut each tomato into about 8 slices or so, then place all into a food processor with water, lime juice, and salt. Blend until smooth. Combine chicken breasts and marinade in a plastic bag or airtight glass container. Place in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain and rinse cooked black beans and set aside.
3. Heat up a pan to medium-high heat and lightly spritz with EVOO spray. Add bell pepper and onion onto pan and sauté until desired "fajita-style" vegetable softness. Put veggies on plate and set aside.
4. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and very lightly pat a bit dry to get excess juice out. Sprinkle paprika, cumin, S&P on both sides of chicken. Heat up pan to high heat and lightly spritz with EVOO spray. Place chicken on pan and cook for several minutes on each side until cooked through.
5. Place cooked quinoa, peppers/onions, beans and chicken in a bowl, top with guacamole, and serve!
Hearty and Healthy in a bowl.