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