Category Archives: Main Dishes

Best Burrito Bowls Ever

Posted on by
13

So, the internet is filled with a plethora of copycat recipes for everyone’s favorite chain burrito restaurant. I’ve even made my own version before. Those were good. But these… these are better. Mucho better.

Dare I say… even better than Chipotle? Different, for sure. But better? It depends on what you’re after. [Let me tell you now... you want to be after this.]

If you’re after light, fluffy, airy brown cilantro-lime rice, then stick around. Yes,brown cilantro-lime rice!! This rice is prepared in a slightly different fashion than regular brown rice so it isn’t thick and gummy. It’s boiled, then steamed. A little butter, cilantro, lime juice, and garlic stirred in makes a knockoff winner.

If you’re after the typical burrito bowl mix-ins like spicy chicken, filling black beans, salsa, cheese, and sour cream, then stick around. You can have them! I promise. I know they’re a necessity. If chicken isn’t your thing, sub beef or pork or tofu, or even add extra black beans instead. Don’t limit yourself to the norm though. Try some corn, red bell pepper, avocado, and baby spring mix in there too–they won’t bite.

And lastly… if you want to top this full bowl with a bit of cilantro, be my guest.

As long as it is cilantro chutney, aka my new favorite way to enjoy cilantro, that is! Cilantro chutney can be whipped up in a couple minutes and is an out of this world dressing delight. It’s smooth, tangy, and spicy all at once. A savory and unconventional condiment to which I am now fully addicted. I may or may not have consumed nearly a quarter of the batch by the spoonful. Whoops.

I know this post might be overwhelming. The recipe might be long. The rice may be cooked in a new way. But please, do yourself a favor, and enjoy this for dinner at your earliest convenience. [That should be now.]

Don’t you see? Sometimes different is better. Right? Yes, right.

The end. :)

Best Burrito Bowls Ever
click to print

Ingredients:

for cilantro-lime rice [adapted slightly from with a Side of Sneakers]

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder

for cilantro chutney [adapted slightly from Genesis Winter's comment on this post]

  • 1 1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves, rinsed
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 2 pinches garlic salt

for chicken

for serving

  • baby spring mix
  • perfect black beans
  • corn
  • chopped avocado
  • chopped red bell pepper
  • shredded pepperjack cheese
  • salsa
  • sour cream

Directions:

Begin by making the rice. Bring a large stockpot to boil. Then add rice and boil, uncovered, for 40 minutes. Yes, you read that right. While the rice is boiling, make the chutney.

Combine cilantro, onion, and lime juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse until well combined. Then remove to jar or small bowl and stir in cayenne pepper and garlic salt. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Next, heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and taco seasoning and cook until chicken is no longer pink. Turn off heat, then cover and set aside.

When the rice has cooked for 40 minutes, turn off heat and drain rice [don't worry about draining all the water, but get most of it out]. Return rice to pot, add butter, then cover and let sit off heat for 10 minutes to steam. Stir in cilantro, lime juice, and garlic powder.

Serve up! I layered baby spring mix, rice, black beans, chicken, corn, avocado, red bell pepper, and pepperjack cheese, then topped with a little salsa and sour cream, and a lot of cilantro chutney. Amazing!

Time: 60 minutes [20 minutes active].

Yield: 4 servings.

Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki Chicken

Posted on by
8

I used to turn my nose up at dark meat. Chicken, turkey, whatever. I’ll stick with white meat. At Thanksgiving, I’m all about the side dishes anyway. But then I got married. To a meat lover. I quickly realized that the large package of chicken that would have lasted single me all month now lasts a much shorter time. Then I also realized how expensive buying boneless skinless chicken breasts exclusively is. So I decided to be brave, be bold… and embrace the dark meat! Guess what–it isn’t that bad. It’s less expensive and *gasp* actually pretty good. Especially when you pair it with fruity, tangy sauces and marinades, like this Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki sauce that I adapted from Beth at Budget Bytes.

This pineapple-apricot teryaki sauce is definitely sweeter and fruitier than your average teryaki sauce… not authentic by any means. But we loved it paired with the hearty, complex flavor of dark meat chicken thighs. [I do try to buy boneless skinless because it's just easier.] A perfect early-spring dinner, if I do say so myself.

And word to the wise… if you enjoy eating sauces by the spoonful… make a double batch of this sauce. Trust me. No chicken necessary. :)

Pineapple-Apricot Teryaki Chicken [from Budget Bytes]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
  • 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken thighs on baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together apricot preserves, pineapple, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and cornstarch. Reserve about 1/3 cup sauce in a separate bowl. Brush half of the rest of the sauce over the chicken thighs.

Place in oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and brush on the second half of the sauce [not the 1/3 cup reserved]. Place back in the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. Serve over spinach and rice or Israeli couscous, being sure to spoon the reserved sauce over each piece.

Time: 35 minutes [5 minutes active].

Yield: 4 servings.

Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells

Posted on by
7

So, once upon a time almost three years ago, I made spinach-filled manicotti. Ben loved it, I hated it. It tasted like spinach cottage cheese to me. That’s because my mom’s lasagna [which I oddly enough, haven't ever blogged about even though it's amazing] uses cottage cheese instead of ricotta, and I thought that substitution would work in other dishes. Turns out I was wrong. Blech! Ever since that day, I’ve been wary of spinach in baked pasta dishes. I know it’s not the spinach’s fault, and I love it in other things, but in pasta now? No thanks.

When I heard through the Secret Recipe Club that Jey at The Jey of Cooking was raising money for the American Heart Association in honor of her mom’s heart transplant by asking bloggers to make a heart-healthy dish, I realized this was the perfect opportunity to get back into the spinach pasta game.

And get back into it, I did.

See that? I call it Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells. From the outside, it looks like your typical cheesy, saucy stuffed shells. Delicious, right? Needs no explanation, you assume. Wrong! On the inside, you’ll find a creamy sauce made with lots of greens like spinach and kale, a bit of hearty meat, your typical Italian seasonings, and enough to ricotta and parmesan cheese to enjoy but not be weighted down by. Extra creaminess comes from fat free Greek yogurt. Perfecto!

So why is this recipe heart healthy? Well, for one, it uses ground turkey instead of ground beef [lower in fat and calories]–and the amount of meat is reduced to be more of a “condiment” or flavoring than the focus. The focus of these shells is the greens. Kale is one of the healthiest greens around, thanks to its vitamins and minerals, as well as its ability to lower cholesterol when eaten cooked. Pretty neat. Spinach isn’t bad for you either, and this recipe does not taste bad… unlike my previous attempt… so I’m in, and hope you’ll be too! I know you’ll love this cheesy, veggie filled, hearty take on traditional stuffed shells. Please head over to Jey’s blog to read more about what she’s doing to honor her mom and check out the recipe roundup on March 30th!

Turkey, Spinach, and Kale Stuffed Shells
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 12 ounce package jumbo pasta shells [approximately 36 shells]
  • 1/2 pound ground turkey
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups fresh kale, packed tightly
  • 2 cups fresh spinach, packed tightly
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • dash ground nutmeg
  • 1 25 ounce jar marinara sauce [I used Muir Glen Cabernet Marinara]
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheese [I used a pizza blend cheese (mozzarella, parmesan, provolone, romano) because I had it, but mozzarella or any Italian blend would work fine.]
  • freshly ground lemon pepper

Directions:

Begin by boiling a large pot of salted water for the shells. Once boiling, add shells and cook to al dente. Then drain, rinse with cold water, and spread out on a baking sheet to cool. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Then, brown ground turkey in a skillet. Add garlic to pan to saute when turkey is almost done cooking. Drain any excess fat and set aside.

In a food processor, combine kale, spinach, ricotta, and greek yogurt and process until greens are chopped very finely. You may have to do this in two batches, or add more greens as you go depending on the size of your food processor.

Remove greens mixture to a mixing bowl, then add cooked turkey, parmesan cheese, black pepper, basil, oregano, and red pepper. Stir together until incorporated.

Spoon a small amount of marinara sauce [~ 1/2 cup] on bottom of a large baking dish*. Then fill each shell with about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of kale/turkey mixture and place in baking dish. Repeat until all shells are filled, then cover with remaining marinara sauce. You want the shells to be covered, but not drowning in sauce. Top with shredded cheese and lemon pepper. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.

Time: 45 minutes [15 minutes active]
Yield: 8 servings.
Notes: *Regarding the baking dishes: I used a 9×13 pan and two individual size serving dishes, but you could use two square baking dishes [eat one and freeze/give away the other] or just use a larger dish [11x15]. Or just halve the recipe to begin with!

10 Minute Lunch #4: Cinnamon Curry Tuna Wraps

Posted on by
7

So, I was very, very brave on Wednesday. Perhaps you saw my tweet? I rarely, if ever, tweet, but I felt that my midday activities were worthy of such public notification.

It all started a few minutes before I was going to break for lunch. I’m fortunate enough to have a campus job I can do remotely [at home (!)], so I had been working hard all morning and happened to glance over at my phone as it lit up with a call from my dentist office. I hadn’t been since December, and already have my next appointment scheduled, so I thought it was odd. When I answered the call, I found out that the claim for the x-rays/checkup in December had been denied and that my insurance company claimed my coverage had been terminated.

Terminated? News to me.

After I told the nice lady from the dentist office that I knew I had coverage and thanked her for calling before sending me the $150 bill, I logged into my insurance account online to get some info and called Ben for instructions on what to say to the insurance company when I called [he works in insurance so he's a pro at these things]. Then I took a deep breath, expecting the worst, and dialed the phone. Pretty much right away I talked to someone and found out that, imagine that, I do have dental insurance. Righto.

And I did on the date of my last appointment, too. Well looky there.

But apparently the claim had been mis-processed as a medical claim, not a dental claim, so that’s what the situation was. A few questions later, I was good to go, and called Ben and my dentist office back with the good news. :)

Then I skipped to the kitchen and whipped up this tasty tuna salad lunch in a jiffy, thanks to some inspired googling earlier in the day.

Like my insurance snafu that I went into expecting the worst and emerged happy in a matter of minutes, this tuna salad might seem risky from the exterior. However, I’m confident that one bite will turn your uneasiness into delight at this 10 Minute Lunch that makes a double portion–perfect for an extra filling lunch or lunch for two.

Fragrant curry powder pairs with sweet cinnamon, tangy mustard, and crunchy celery for a new take on boring tuna. You can take this wrap on the go, or enjoy it at home… perhaps even hot with cheese, if that’s your thing. It’s not mine–that would certainly not be the happy ending that my insurance claim situation and tuna wrap found, but if it’s yours… go for it! :)

How do you like your tuna?

Cinnamon Curry Tuna Wraps [inspired by Allrecipes.com]

Ingredients:

  • 6 ounce can tuna in water, drained
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon whole grain Dijon mustard
  • a third of a stalk of celery, chopped in small pieces
  • lemon pepper
  • dash ground cinnamon
  • smidgen curry powder [yes, smidgen is an actual measurement, but it’s just a small amount so don’t fret if you don’t have this measuring spoon
  • 2 tortillas, for serving
  • spinach, for serving

Non-directions:

  • Mix together all ingredients except spinach and tortillas, then adjust seasonings if necessary.
  • Layer spinach on top of each tortilla, then top each with half of the tuna salad.
  • Roll into a wrap and enjoy!

Time: 5 minutes.

Yield: 2 delicious lunches!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Posted on by
12

So, almost immediately after pinning this awesome looking recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Sesame Chicken, Tina commented on my pin with her rave reviews. I knew it looked good, but hearing how fabulous it was made it even more appealing. But what about this recipe made it so wonderful, when I hadn’t even tasted it?

Was it the combination of garlic and ginger? Honey and soy sauce? Toasted sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes? Or [gasp] even the ketchup and canola oil and onion?

I’m not sure. Does it even really matter, though? I’m not sure it does.

Simple ingredients come together to make something fantastic in this Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken. And the best part is that it only takes four hours to cook in the crock pot. [Side note: I despise calling a crock pot a "slow cooker." It sounds so... ugh... to me. Hence the name change.]

Ben loves anything Asian-inspired, so you can be sure that this was a huge hit in our house. The flavors are just the right amount of sweetness and kick, but feel free to add more spice if that’s your thing. This is a must make, so if you’ve been thinking about it… go for it! Enjoy!

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken [adapted from Six Sisters' Stuff and Foodie with Family]
click to print

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup onion, minced
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup of water
  • hot cooked rice, for serving
  • steamed broccoli, for serving
  • sesame seeds, for serving

Directions:

Season chicken thighs with black pepper and lay in bottom of crock pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, canola oil, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pour mixture over chicken thighs and flip chicken to coat. Cook on low for 4 hours, then remove chicken to a plate.

In a second bowl, combine cornstarch with water until dissolved. Then pour into liquid in crock pot, return chicken, cover, and cook for 15 minutes or until thick.

Break up chicken with two forks, then serve over hot cooked rice with steamed broccoli. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, then enjoy.