Burrito Bowl & Chipotle-Style Corn Salsa Recipe

Steak Burrito Bowl - Full of yum!

A year ago, when my husband and I vowed to eat out less, I started trying to figure out how to make my own versions of some of the take out I was missing. Chipotle was at the top of the list for recipes I needed to figure out. Last July, I shared my recipe for Chipotle-Style Cilantro-Lime Rice, and I've used it as a side or the base for a burrito bowl many, many times since then.

I don't know what cut of steak Chipotle uses or how they marinate their meat, but I already had a favorite way to grill up some delicious tri tip, so I didn't bother trying to figure it out. You can find my favorite recipe here: Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila-Lime Marinade.

The last piece to the puzzle was the salsa. I like the fresh tomato (pico de gallo) and the corn salsa on my bowl. The pico de gallo is easy to throw together, but I had to play with the corn salsa recipe a few times before I felt like it was a winner!

I've been making my own burrito bowls for a little over a year now, and it has saved me a lot of gas (and extra hidden calories). No more trips to Chipotle when I have a hankering for some deliciousness in a bowl!

Now you have everything you need to make your very own Chipotle-style steak burrito bowl at home too. Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Chipotle-Style Corn Salsa

2 cobs sweet corn (yellow or white)
2 medium jalapenos, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
3/4 cup cilantro, chopped (measure before chopping)
juice of two limes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper (optional, but I like it)

Mix everything together in a bowl. The salsa tastes better if you give it a little time for the flavors to develop.

Jen's Awesome Chicken Marinade

I've been using this chicken marinade recipe almost every week for over a year, and it still didn't have a proper name. I had it written in my recipe notebook as simply "Chicken Marinade." I used it again last night and I tried to brainstorm a new name. The best I could come up with was "Sweet and Tangy Chicken Marinade." Over dinner I asked my husband what he thought of the name, and he said I should just call it "Jen's Awesome Chicken Marinade," so here it is!

Seriously delicious chicken awaits

Jen's Awesome Chicken Marinade

1/4 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbsp course ground or whole grain mustard
3 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 lime, juiced
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
ground black pepper

1. Add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Cover chicken with the mixture. I like to use a large zippered baggie.
2. Marinate the chicken for at least two hours before cooking.

• This recipe makes enough for 6-8 chicken breasts.

Super Easy, Super Delicious Brownies

I first made this recipe a little over a year ago. I was dying for some chocolately goodness and had my mind set on some brownies. I had just had my son and didn't have a fully stocked fridge or pantry, and running to the store wasn't an option. I found it unbelievably difficult to find a brownie recipe that I had the right ingredients to make.

After searching for a recipe much longer than I had anticipated, I found this beauty. The brownies it makes are soft and a little gooey, almost like fudge. What started out as an "OMG, I just need some brownies right now and I'll try anything" recipe has become my go to dessert recipe. I hope you try it and love it!

Yummy chocolate fix

Super Easy, Super Delicious Brownies

Makes 9-12 brownies - Or one really big one!

1 cup sugar (super fine if you have it)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1/4 cup butter, very soft or melted
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Grease an 8"x8" pan with butter or a light coating of cooking spray.
3. Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly - a hand mixer is best. You can't over-mix the batter, so have at it.
4. Pour the mixture into the greased pan.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until it pulls away from the edges of the pan slightly. The brownies will still be soft and slightly wet inside.
6. Let the brownies cool before cutting.

Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila-Lime Marinade

This is seriously the best tri tip marinade ever. I think I might be a little addicted to it.

Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila-Lime Marinade

I wish I had grilled it a little less.  :(

 2 2-lb. tri tips, trimmed

For the marinade:

1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tequila
7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Whisk the marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Easy, right?

Optional meat preparation (optional because some will tell you to leave the fat on the tips and that it is sacrilege to pierce meat before cooking): Trim the tri tips - remove as much fat as you can. Using thin, sharp knife, pierce the meat all over.

Place the meat in a resealable plastic bag, and add the marinade. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible, and seal it all up.

Let the meat marinate for at least 2 hours, but overnight is even better. Keep the meat refrigerated, and turn the bag occasionally. Make sure to take the meat out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you are ready to grill. You never want to grill cold meat. The outside will cook and the inside will be raw!

Prepare your BBQ and set the heat to medium-high. Remove the tri-tips from the marinade and grill it to your desired doneness (about 10 minutes per side for medium).

Transfer the meat to a plate or cutting board. Tent the meat with foil and let it rest for 10 minutes. After the 10-minute rest, cut the tri tips diagonally, across the grain. Yum!  :)

Grilled Tri Tip With Foil Tent

Grilled Tri Tip After 10-minutes Rest

* You can freeze this! Prepare your meat and cover it in the marinade in a resealable freezer bag. Having one of these in the freezer, ready to go, has saved my butt numerous times. You never know when you'll have last-minute dinner guests or you just don't have time to go to the grocery store.

Insalata Caprese - The Best Salad Ever!

My all-time favorite salad is the caprese. Maybe it's because I'm Italian. Maybe it's because it is so simple to make. No matter what the reason, this salad is unbelievably delicious.

Traditionally, caprese salads are made using thick slices of tomato, sliced rounds of fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled over the top.

Insalata Caprese - from Wikipedia

The way I make my caprese is a little different. It all started when my husband (then fiance) was in law school and I was the only one working (at a craptastic job). I never let myself buy fresh mozzarella, but I really wanted to make a caprese salad. I had some cherry tomatoes, some fresh basil, and . . . string cheese! Yup. String cheese. I sliced those cheese sticks into rounds, cut the tomatoes in half, and chopped up the basil. I topped it all with a few drizzles of olive oil and balsamic and gave everything a quick toss. I was a happy camper. The texture of the cheese wasn't right, but the flavor was good. I'd like to say that this was a one time deal, but I have to confess that I think I made it this way until we got real jobs and I let myself buy the right ingredients.

I have been buying real, fresh mozzarella to make my caprese salads for a few years now, but I still use cherry tomatoes and make it like a tossed salad.

Insalata Caprese

10 oz cherry or grape tomatoes
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped (measure after chopping)
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half (lengthwise for grape tomatoes).

If you are using bocconcini (small fresh mozzarella balls), you can leave them whole or cut them in half or quarters. If you are using larger balls of fresh mozzarella, cut the ball down into pieces that are close to the same size as your tomatoes after slicing.

Tear, slice, or chop the basil.

Combine the chopped tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in a bowl. Drizzle the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix everything well.

You can eat the caprese right away, but it tastes better if you let it sit for a bit and let the flavors marry.

A Quick Tip For Chopping Basil

1: Remove the basil leaves from the stalks.

2: Stack the leaves, largest on the bottom. Work your way up to the smallest leaves. This step does not have to be neat and tidy. Just make sure you have the largest leaf on the bottom.

3: Roll the leaves up. Make sure the smaller leaves are covered as much as possible.

4: Start at one end of the basil roll. Make thin slices down the length of the roll.

5: You now have a bunch of basil ribbons, or a "chiffonade." Basil ribbons are beautiful, so you can stop here if you like.

6: To finish the chop, slice across the rolls of basil.

Chipotle-Style Cilantro-Lime Rice

More food! I know! I think I might be a little addicted to it.  :p

Anyway, yesterday I wrote about one of my "go to" sauces. Today, I'm letting you in on a little side dish secret. I love Chipotle. I could eat it every day. Every Day. BUT, it's really not all that great for you. About a year ago, I happened upon a woman that tries to make lighter versions of dishes, including some Chiptole recipes (Skinny Taste). I found her recipe for Chipotle's Cilantro-Lime Rice through Pinterest. After making her version, I decided that I could cut more salt and oil out of the recipe to make it even better for you, without sacrificing taste. Here's my version:

Chipotle's Cilantro-Lime Rice

3 - 3.5 cups cooked extra long grain  rice or basmati rice (about 1 cup pre-cooked)
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 tsp vegetable oil
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 tsp salt

In a medium bowl, combine the chopped cilantro, lime juice, oil, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the rice, and toss until completely mixed.

Enjoy!

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri

Every now and then I find a recipe that is a real hit with my husband. Chimichurri is one of those recipes.

Grilled Chicken with Chimichurri

 Chimichurri is a sauce that originated in Argentina, but it's also used extensively in many other countries. It is super simple to make and is packed with flavor. It's usually used to top grilled meat (any kind), but I've also heard of people using it to sauce other foods, like potatoes. One of my favorite ways to use it is as marinade for chicken.

There are a million different recipes for chimichurri, but this is the one I like to use:

Chimichurri Sauce

Makes enough to marinate 6-8 chicken breasts, with a little extra to use to top the chicken after grilling.

2 cups flat leaf Italian parsley - about one bunch - stems okay
4 large garlic cloves (if you use pre-minced garlic like I do, it's about 4 tsp total)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

You can spend lots of time chopping everything up and then mix it all together, but I prefer to toss it all in my food processor and let it whirl. I trim the very bottom off the parsley stalks and toss them in whole, stems and all. Don't be scared to do this. It saves so much time!

The mixture should be chunky.

If you are using your chimichurri as a marinade, make sure you put some aside first so you can use it to top the cooked meat.

The chimichurri can be made up to 5 days in advance and should be refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving.

Lime Grilled Chicken with Black Bean and Mango Salsa

First of all, I apologize for the awful, blurry photos in this post. They were taken with my old digital camera, before I knew how to take pictures of objects close up. The next time I make this dish, I'll take some new photos. The food may look blurry here, but it sure is tasty!

I found this recipe online a few years ago. I wish I could remember where so I could give credit! It has become one of my favorite summer time meals.

The recipe is easy to make and very flavorful. Sometimes citrus marinades are too strong, but this one is nice and light. I tend to make more of the salsa than I really need so I can snack on it while waiting for the chicken to grill. :)

I usually slice the chicken into strips after grilling it, and I serve it with some brown rice.

 

Lime Grilled Chicken with Black Bean and Mango Salsa

Salsa

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed well
1 ripe mango, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (optional)
Juice of one lime

Chicken Marinade

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp grated lime zest
Juice of one lime
2 tsp olive oil
salt
pepper

To make the salsa:

In a medium bowl, mix together the black beans, mango, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, and jalapeno pepper. Set the salsa aside while you prepare and grill the chicken.

To make the chicken:

Preheat the grill or broiler.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Add the lime zest, lime juice, and oil. Rub the mixture into the chicken. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes.

Place the chicken on the grill rack or broiler pan (4" from the heat). Cook, turning once, until the chicken is no longer pink in the thickest part (10-12 minutes).

Serve the chicken with the salsa.

Makes 4 servings

Food Rut

I'm in a food rut. I get this way every now and then. I'll realize that I've been making the same ten things over and over again, I try some new recipes in hopes of breaking the rut, I find a few I like, and then I end up just making those new recipes over and over again and the rut returns. My husband is probably going nuts with this cycle.

I always seem to get some renewed interest in changing things up and learning new recipes when summer time comes around. Maybe it's weather. Maybe it's the excitement of knowing that the grill is going to be fired up more days than not. Who knows? No matter the reason, I'm ready to get out of this food rut (again). I'll be posting about some of my tried-and-true favorite recipes and some new, trial-run recipes too. Hopefully I find at least a few winners to add to the rotation.

Any suggestions?