I've been MIA for the past few months, but I have a good excuse: I was held captive and had to be a part of the Humancentipad. Gross. I know.
Ok, I can't say I've been eating poo, but organic food is pretty close, right?! Just Kidding.
Micah and I have actually been super busy settling into our new city, Austin. It's been a busy two months, but after securing a new job and leaving my San Antonio job, I am ready to be an Austinite!
I will miss my neighborhood taqueria, El Tropiko, where the chilaquiles and hot sauce are off the hook; but I'm looking forward to having several banh mi shops within 5 miles of the house.
{Austin = Willie Nelson land. Photo: me}
Here are my TOP 5 reasons I will enjoy living in Austin (food related, of course):
Options: There is an Ethiopian restaurant here (maybe more?). SA had ZERO.
Asian Markets: The Asian population is bigger here, hence, bigger Asian grocery stores. The most popular one, MT Supermarket, is exactly 5 miles from our new abode. I miss my Asians.
Brew-pubs: And lots of them. This was Micah's main reason for moving to Austin, forealz. We are really enjoying the new Black Star Co-Op and we've always loved The Draught House. I can't wait to try the new Uncle Billy's Brew-B-Que next to the Oasis!
Food Districts: There are so many cool areas of town where you can dine al fresco and people watch, e.g. Barton Springs area. SA was sorely lacking in this department.
Whole Foods: Their flagship store is here and it's KIND OF amazing. Am I all about organic stuff? No. Do I want to pay 2X the normal amount for bananas? No. But I do enjoy the option to buy that stuff if I want to. The menagerie of prepared dished is seriously out of control.
I realize that Austin will be lacking in the "real Mexican" joints, but I'm sure if I roam around enough, I'll stumble across some.
I can't wait to get the new home in a more livable state so I can really settle in and enjoy all that Austin has to offer!
Say what you want, but Micah and I LOVE Chipotle. To Hell with all the haters! I know, we live in San Antonio, but Chipotle is the shiznit! I like taquerias as much as the next San Antonian, but there is just something about Chipotle's burrito bowl that makes me squeal (like their Carnitas! mmmm).
Before I give you my Chipotle Clone, I thought this e-mail exchange between myself and the people at Chipotle HQ was quite amusing.
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The comment I left on Chipotle's website: -SouthPark'sChipotlaway episode has left me with a hankering for Chipolte - all the time!
Their response: Thanks for writing to us. I'm happy to hear you have a hankering for our food. I have to wonder why that particular product would cause the cravings, but, like Cartman said, that product changed his life.
Seriously, I hope you are not in real need of that product, but I'm glad to hear you took the spoof in good humor. It really was funny and we're glad it left you craving our food. We hope we'll see you again soon!
Sincerely,
Shannon
Chipotle Mexican Grill
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Great, right????? :-)
Now, onward to the recipe!!!!!!!!!!!
Calily’s Chipotle Clone
**This recipe has a lot of different elements, but most of the things can be cooked at the same time so it should take less than 30 minutes to put together.**
Rice:
-2 C. long grain rice (rinsed)
-4 C. water
-small amount of vegetable oil for the pan
-1 clove garlic (just crushed, not chopped)
-1 tbsp. lime juice
-1 tsp. kosher salt
-1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1.Heat a large, deep pan on medium heat.Add enough oil to just coat the bottom of the pan.Once the oil is hot, add the rice and the clove of garlic.
2.Cook the rice for 2 minutes, then add the water, salt, and lime juice.
3. Bring to a boil, then cover and turn the heat to Low.Let the rice cook on Low for 20 minutes.
4.When the water has all been absorbed, the rice should be done. Add the cilantro and fluff the rice with a fork.
**While the rice is cooking, you can cook the black beans and the chicken/veggies**
Black Beans:
-16oz. can of black beans
-1/2 onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, chopped
-1/4 tsp. cumin
-salt/pepper to taste
1.Heat a small pan with olive oil on Medium Heat.Add garlic and onions.Saute until soft.
2.Add the can of black beans, no need to drain it.
3.Add cumin, salt and pepper.
4.Cook on Low for 15 minutes.
Chicken & Veggies (none of these measurements are precise, more like a smattering of each):
-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 bell pepper, sliced
-1 white onion, sliced (or yellow if you don’t have white)
- place the chicken and veggies in separate containers
Seasoning:
-1/4 tsp garlic powder
-1/4 tsp onion powder
-1/4 tsp chipotle powder
-1/4 tsp cumin powder
-1/4 tsp anchochile powder
-1/4 tsp salt
-1/4 tsp pepper
-olive oil to coat
1.Mix all the seasoning together and dump ½ on top of the chicken and the other ½ on the veggies.Drizzle with olive oil and let it marinate for 30 minutes.If you don’t have time, no worries, the chicken/veggies will be just fine without the marinade time.
2.Heat a cast iron grill plate on Medium Heat.When it’s ready, cook the chicken on each side for 6 minutes.This will result in the perfect chicken!
3.Take off the heat and let cool on a plate before cutting into slices.
4.Add the veggies to the skillet and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).This might take a few batches depending on how big your skillet is.
Time to assemble!!
With all the components ready for burrito bowl, it is now time to assemble this amazing plate of food!
Garnishing Ingredients:
-sour cream
-cheese (I use a Mexican blend, but whatever you like!)
{Austin = Willie Nelson land. Photo: me}
