For the days when there are a zillion things going on and unfortunately doesn’t leave much time for cooking, our favorite fast food choice is Burrito Bowls from either Chipotle or Qdoba. But when I do have enough time to cook, it still pops up as a great choice for weekday dinners. For those nights I just prefer to make it myself at home. I feel it’s much more economical and kind of a fun meal to have smack in the middle of the week giving its takeout/picnic vibe 🙂 

Even for a casual dinner with friends it’s a great choice. Some of my friends are vegetarian and some not. So this works out perfectly! For this recipe today I have just used peppers, onions and squash as the vegetables. But mushrooms and Asparagus also go really well in this recipe. I lay out the table with all the fillings and condiments and everybody can mix and match their own. I also put warm tortillas on the side for anybody who wants a burrito instead of a burrito bowl.

Ingredients:

Organic chicken thighs — 3 lbs. (optional)
Taco seasoning – 3 T
Salt – 2 ½ t
Oregano – 1 t
Extra virgin olive oil – 1 ½ T
Red, Green and Yellow bell peppers – 3 peppers, sliced (mix and match colors)
Yellow squash/Zucchini  – 1 cup sliced
Onions — 2 large, sliced
Romaine Lettuce – 1 head chopped
Black beans/Red kidney beans/Pinto beans — 1 can drained and rinsed well or 1.5 cups boiled ones drained
White/Brown Rice – 1 ½ cup raw
Lemon juice – 1 T
Cilantro – handful, finely chopped
Salsa – As needed
Shredded Mexican cheese (optional) – As needed

Directions:
• Dice the chicken, add the taco seasoning, 1 t salt and mix well. Leave it aside for minimum 30 minutes for some flavors to set in.

• Wash the rice. Boil the rice with 2 cups water, lemon juice, ½ t salt. Just before all the water evaporates add the chopped cilantro. Serve in a bowl/platter.

• While the rice is cooking and the chicken is marinating, slice the bell peppers, yellow squash and onions.

• Heat the pan and add about 1 ½ T olive oil. Add the vegetables, 1 t salt, and 1 t oregano. Sauté them for about 7-8 minutes. They should still be a bit crisp. Put them in a bowl.

• In the same pan, without cleaning, add the marinated chicken and cook till done.

• Pour the cooked chicken in a bowl.

• There should be chopped up romaine lettuce in 1 bowl, drained black beans in another, salsa in another and grated cheese in a separate bowl.

• Now everybody can make their own custom chicken/vegetarian burrito bowls.

Enjoy!
Nutritional Content:

Servings: 10

Per Serving (With Chicken): Calories 443 cal, Fat 15.3 g, Sat Fat 4.1 g, Carbs 33.2 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 43.6 g, Vit C 56.6%, Iron 14.7%

Per Serving (Without Chicken): Calories 171 cal, Fat 2.5 g, Carbs 33.2 g, Fiber 3.7 g, Protein 5. G, Vit C 56.6%, Iron 11.5%