Happy Sunday! It's time to start a new week. This week I really wanted to make a burrito bowl type of dish. Check it out:
The only thing that didn't exactly go as planned was that it was a little saucier and thicker than I had wanted. I'm not a huge sauce lover, I like grain and vegetable-based dishes to be dressed lightly. Also, I feel like I grated just a smidge too much cheese (but I love cheese so I wasn't too torn up about it). I've included my recipe down below exactly how I made it. If you want it a little less saucy as I would have preferred, I would cut some salsa and some cheese out of the recipe.
It came out a little spicier than I usually like since I used a moderate amount of cayenne as well as medium-spicy salsa. I made some lazy guacamole to go along with it as a garnish and to give my mouth a bit of a break. I only make a little bit of guac at a time since avocados go brown really quickly. I also am not a fan of adding lime or lemon juice to my guac, I like it super savory so it goes brown and icky even quicker. I'm going to store it separately from my rice and add it as a garnish before I pack it with me to go in the morning. I made only a small batch, 1 avocado's worth, and I will be making more when I run out.
If you prefer, you can also add some lean ground meat into this dish. I decided to keep it vegetarian. Even without the meat, there's a solid source of protein from both the black beans and the brown rice. Black beans have a whopping 39g of protein per cup! (But I wouldn't recommend eating that much all at once as they are really dense in calories and extremely dense in fiber so you'll probably be pooping for days.) Black beans are also a great source of potassium, iron, and magnesium. In terms of my other macronutrients, I have a decent source of fat from the cheese and the side of avocado, and in addition to protein, the rice and beans also contribute to providing carbohydrates. In order to maintain a healthy diet, you do need to include carbs and fat! Carbohydrates are where your body gets energy from and (good) fat is critical for cell growth as well as organ and brain health. Dietary fat is good for you in moderation but you should try to stay away from saturated & trans fats.
Some other ideas for garnish for this dish include a dollop of sour cream but I opted out (although it was taunting me from the fridge) to keep it a little less fattening. You can also use chopped spring onion or you can omit the cheese from the recipe and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top before serving. You can also crumble some corn chips over top of it for an extra crunch. Another way of serving it is on a bed of thinly chopped kale or any other leafy green that you prefer. All in all, the outcome didn't match the image in my head but that's okay because part of cooking is also learning! And even though it didn't come out how I imagined, it still tastes pretty good and will be a nice hearty meal for my week.
MEXICAN RICE
- 1/2 cup of uncooked brown rice, cooked as per package instructions
- 1/2 red onion, diced (yielded about a cup)
- 1 large clove of garlic, minced
- 1 can (540 mL) of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup of corn
- 2 cups of tomatoes, chopped
- 100 g extra old cheddar, shredded
- 100 g Monterey jack, shredded
- 1 cup of salsa
Seasoning:
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 3/4 tsp oregano
- 3/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- Sauté the onion over med-low heat with oil* until translucent, add the garlic and continue sautéing until fragrant.
* I used EVOO but you can use any oil you like - Add in the beans + corn and sauté
- Add in cooked rice and stir
- Add in tomatoes + salsa, stir
- Add in seasoning, stir
- Let simmer for 5 minutes*
* Let it simmer for more or less depending on how much you want the salsa and tomatoes to reduce - Add in shredded cheese and stir to combine
- Set aside to cool and prepare your garnish
LAZY GUACAMOLE
- 1 ripe avocado, smashed
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
- 1/4 tsp parsley flakes OR dried cilantro
- dash of salt and pepper
Mix ingredients together in a small bowl. Enjoy!
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