Burrito Bowls and Burrito Salad

I eat way too many burrito bowls.  Not only do these fix my weekly Chipotle cravings, they are quick go-to meals that I can easily pack up for lunch the next day.  I don’t really have too defined of a recipe I go by, but instead try to work with whatever produce I have in my kitchen.   This is definitely a fun flexible meal.

A friend and I happened upon Chipotle a few weeks ago and I decided to try the salad.  It was not only huge, but delicious.  It was like a burrito bowl on a bed of lettuce with this wonderful chipotle vinaigrette and I thought “I can do that.”  Well this week was the first I’ve made and while not the same as Chipotle’s, it was delicious (and I would like to think, a little healthier).  Instead of a recipe, I’m just going to list the components and let you handle the assembly.  I stick to a love of vegetables, but you can really however much you would like of each component.

1.       Cilantro Lime Rice
I know everyone has their own tricks for cooking rice but I generally cook mine in the oven.  It’s how my mom does it, and I have yet to burn it this way.  Combine ½ cup rice and 1 cup water in small casserole dish add a dash of salt, 1 teaspoon fresh cilantro (or a little more if using dried cilantro).  Cover dish with foil and cook for 30 minutes at 350F (45 if doubling) then turn off oven and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

2.       Black Beans
I used organic canned black beans, but if you read the labels, a lot of products are sticking to more natural preservatives like salt.  Heat up and maybe throw in a little garlic ( ½ clove at the most) and dash of cayenne pepper

3.       Sautéed onions and peppers.  If I have any on hand, I’ll usually sauté in extra virgin olive oil for just a few minutes, until slightly soft.

4.       Tomatoes, sweet corn, avocado, anything else that may sound good.  Once again, if it’s on hand.  Corn and avocado are so good to top off your bowl/salad. 

5.       Dressing, salsa, guacamole.  I haven’t been able to find a chipotle vinaigrette and haven’t yet experimented with making my own.  I did find Marie’s chipotle ranch in the refrigerated section and while it may not be as healthy as the vinaigrette, man is it good.

My burrito salad, shown above, included romain lettuce, cilantro lime rice, black beans, sweet corn, avocado, and Marie's chipotle ranch. Like I said, assembly and the little extras you can include are totally up to you.  I can’t imagine it not being great! 

No Bake Energy Cookies

I've made a couple batches of these over the past week and I really like how they've turned out.  It's similar to eating cookie dough, but with a little less refined sugar. I've been enjoying them as mid-morning snacks
and they have been super filling.  Kept refrigerated, the cookies should be good up to a week.

No Bake Energy Cookies
A healthier and energy filled sweet treat

Makes about 24 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Set Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 cup old fashion or steel cut oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup ground flaxseed
1/3 cup white chocolate chunks (finely chopped)
1/4 cup protein powder
1/3 cup chopped almonds
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Directions: 

1. Line a couple of large cookie sheets with parchment paper. 
2. Grind the flax seed.  A coffee grinder would be ideal for this, but I used a food processor/blender.  It took a little more patience and stirring but still worked well. 
3. Combine the oats, peanut butter, honey, flax seed, white chocolate, and protein powder. You could also add dried fruit or nuts. 
4. in a separate bowl, mix together the chopped almonds and chocolate chips
5. Roll the dough into a ball and flatten into a cookie shape. Dip into chocolate-almond mixture and place on parchment paper. 
6. refrigerate 1 hour and enjoy!

Notes: 
If the oat concoction isn't sticking together very well, try adding more peanut butter.