Burrito Bowls

This has to be the easiest dinner party we've ever had.  It was, as usual, a last minute get together, informal, with close friends.   We worked in the yard most of the afternoon, which left little time for cooking.

We threw this together in about 20 minutes, then let the beans and rice cook a little while longer while we pulled out the dishes and made Italian margaritas.

We made the individual layers, then let the guests assemble their own bowls to their tastes.

Bowl layers:

• Lettuce
• Black beans
• Brown rice or other
• Guacamole
• Salsa

Recipes:


Guacamole -

Avocados
Diced fresh tomatoes, chopped and juice drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbsp salsa
Garlic powder, dash of cayenne







Salsa - all ingredient amounts are to taste, so experiment away! 

• Fresh or canned tomatoes, or both.   I used both here including some new canned, organic, no salt added tomatoes I found at Walmart (Sam's Choice brand)
• 1 small or medium jalepeno, seeds removed
• 1/2 medium onion, more or less to taste
• 2 cloves garlic or 3-4 cloves roasted garlic
• 1 large bell pepper
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup cilantro*

* We make salsa often and find cilantro hard to keep fresh, so we've taken to washing it, drying it, and then freezing it.  It's very handy!  






Chopped lettuce






Beans - 

• 2 cans black beans or equivalent fresh cooked
• 1 medium onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 large bell pepper (we used orange, as you can see)
• 1/3 pound or more chopped mushrooms
• Seasonings (pepper, dash of cayenne, garlic powder, chipotle powder, etc)

Saute onion, garlic, peppers, mushrooms until onions are translucent, then add cooked or canned beans and 1 cup of water.  Season and let simmer until the flavors merge well, then turn on low until ready to serve.




Brown rice or corn kernels are the last ingredient in our bowl.   We love brown rice, flavored with a bit of garlic and cilantro for a Chipotle feel to the bowl. 



List of the food you'll need for all of this:

• Corn tortillas, tortilla chips for starters (with the salsa and guac so make enough for the bowls and the starter course)
• 3-4 large avocados
• 2 medium onions
• 1 bulb garlic
• 2 large bell peppers
• 1/2 pound mushrooms
• Jalapenos
• Cilantro
• 2 cans beans
• Canned and fresh tomatoes
• Lettuce
• Brown rice
• Seasonings

Success!

After two years of trying, he is finally eating a salad with his lunch.  A real, grown up salad with vegetables and green leafies.  So happy!







His salad:

Greens (romaine, spinach, etc)
Grated carrots
Chopped red cabbage
Chopped (finely) broccoli
Cucumbers
To,atones

Dressing:
Olive oil
Lemon juice
And EVERY seasoning in the pantry, just about.

Mushroom, Eggplant Pitas

Quick and easy lunch we threw together for an outdoor party.  They were delicious, and we enjoyed them fully while everyone else had hotdogs.



In a skillet, sauté portabellas sliced mushrooms, onion slices, and strips of eggplant.

Season well with garlic, pepper, and so on.

Drain and load into a whole wheat pita half.

Easy!






While they sautéed in the skillet, we made fruit cups for the party.

Multi-seed crackers

We wanted a healthier cracker option for our daughter's lunch on the go than boxed ones, so I set out to find a good, basic recipe.   As usual, we combined a few to come up with one for our needs.  The first batch was softer, delicious on their own but not firm enough to hold up to dipping into hummus. The second batch was firmer and crisp, perfect for the job at hand.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (we used whole wheat but any will work)
1 cup whole oats
1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 c chia gel
5 Tablespoons water
Pinch of fresh rosemary, minced
1 large clove of roasted garlic
Dash of salt, optional
1/2 cup seeds (ground flax, pumpkin, sesame)

Mix together all ingredients except seeds in a food processor, pulsing until mixed well.  Then stir in the seeds.

Roll out very thin on a smooth surface to desired thickness and cut into desired shape with a pizza cutter.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes for softer crackers.  (They do crisp more as they cool).  For crisp ones, we baked for 20 minutes, shut off the oven, and left the crackers to cool inside the warm oven.

Other flavor variations we will try:

Pesto
Cheezy (nutritional yeast)
Roasted red pepper
Tomato and olive oil

The flavor possibilities are endless.

Peanut Butter Energy Balls

I made these for my daughter to eat on the go, but my son gobbled up half the batch in one day.  They are very calorie dense, so not ideal on a reglar basis for those looking to lose weight. For my purposes, feeding an active and thin teen on-the-go, they are great.




Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
1/2 cup ground flax
Teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup raisins and/or other dried fruit
1/2 cup seeds, assorted (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

Mix all together well and form into ball or bar or cube shape.