Vegetarian Burrito Bowl

The problem with moving from Chicago to LA is that the closest Qdoba to me is in Manhattan Beach. That is not close. Some people might say that Chipotle is basically the same thing, but those people are wrong. Chipotle's burrito bowl does not compare to the wonder that is a Qdoba burrito bowl, (what do I usually get? a vegetarian burrito bowl with extra veggies :] ) and after a long yoga session this morning I was craving Qdoba like no other. I looked online for a duplicate Qdoba recipe, but all I found was this Chipotle one (http://iowagirleats.com/2009/09/15/4-step-homemade-chipotle-burrito-bowl/). So I tailored it to my liking (and also to what was in our house). I have a ton of pictures so...try to follow along!

Cook your rice first!

I used black beans because a. the recipe called for it and b. refried beans are icky

It also called for a splash of chicken broth

And a dash of all of these

The recipe called for me to make my own pico de gallo. I didn't have tomatoes. But I did have mango salsa! It actually gave my burrito bowl a really nice zest.

I made it more pico de gallo-y with some chopped red onion.

My pico de gallo inspired mango salsa-mix. The recipe did not call for Sriracha, but I love spiciness (especially in my Mexican food) and it went perfectly with the dish.

My mixed up salsa thing.

I decided that since I had no green or yellow pepper to add to my bowl, (the sauteed peppers in the Qdoba bowl are delish) I would use kale! My whole family has been making fun of me for being so kale obsessed this week but honestly kale is awesome. It's great in salad, pasta, soup, even in rice! Every time I munch on kale I can feel myself getting healthier. I still want to try that kale smoothie from refinery29, (refer to my post K is for Kale)! Add a little lime, salt, and butter to your rice and you're all set!

This is the foundation of my bowl.

beans

salsa/pico

My friends Katie, Allie, and Kayla have all asked me to do something with avocados! Since I could practically live off avocados, this is probably the most wonderful thing that anyone could ask of me. So I sliced some avocado on top of my bowl.

Now I am out of avocados. I must go to the store and buy a gazillion more.

We were also out of shredded cheese, (guys I seriously have to go grocery shopping) so I broke apart some Havarti that I found in our cheese drawer. Honestly, I would have preferred shredded so for anyone making this at home, and as a mental note to myself for next time, use shredded cheese. Then I topped it with sour cream and voila! My vegetarian burrito bowl!

The recipe itself uses chicken but I just took that part out. You could use chicken if you wanted to. You could use beef or pork if you really wanted to get fancy. I gave some to my dad as a whole bowl was too much for me. He said that he liked this dish best because it was really flavorful and very well balanced spicy/sweet/savory wise. He even enjoyed the kale. He asked for more but I had already eaten it...oops...

I would make this again! I would probably make this tomorrow if I went grocery shopping in time! This meal is not only delicious but healthy! Rice and beans make a complete protein, avocado and kale are super foods that support healthy skin, hair, and nail growth and give your body a ton of vitamins. My only finishing notes are:

1. Use shredded cheese!
2. Cilantro (which I was out of) is a key ingredient in Mexican food and probably would have made this dish even better.
3. Next time I think I'd like to try to make the pico de gallo that went with the recipe (even though mine was pretty amazing)

This was probably the most complicated and time consuming meal that I have made. Considering that I couldn't even make toast my freshman year of college because I would get bored waiting for the toaster to pop up, I am pretty proud of myself. I hope that you are enjoying reading my blog random people from America, Bangladesh, Canada, the UK, and Georgia, (blog stats don't lie) because I have really been enjoying making these recipes and taking photos and talking about them with you all! In the future I really look forward to making cool things, (hummus? chocolate ice cubes?) and I hope you guys continue to read along and enjoy.

I will leave you (until tomorrow) with this lovely picture of my dog Lenny, out for a walk today.