Recipe: Burritos

I’m not sure I can express, in words, how delicious these burritos turned out to be. If Chipotle burritos were the most popular football player in high school, these burritos are the successful 6-digit salaried lawyer who grows into his dashing good looks in college and comes back to shame that has-been football player at the high school’s 10 year reunion. To be completely honest, I kind of winged these. Two of the ingredients I used were pre-made: the tortillas (Udi’s: http://udisglutenfree.com/products/large-tortillas/) and Whole Food’s Guacamole. The tortillas were pretty excellent considering they are gluten-free. The taste was solid, the flexibility was pretty good (they could withstand the abuse of rolling the burrito, with only some minor tearing at the corners). They were slightly too “floury” for my taste (sort of like a dusty texture), but other than that they were excellent!

And then there was the guacamole. Oh lord, that guacamole was good. So, so good. If you don’t live near a Whole Foods, you can substitute whatever guac you’d like (or make your own). But if you do, and you don’t immediately get in your car and go buy this guac, you’re missing out!

Serves 4:

Ingredients

Chicken, 2 small boneless breasts, cubed
Tomatoes, 2 small, diced
Green Pepper, sliced
Onion, 1/2 diced
Fresh Cilantro (1/4 cupish)
Black beans (less than a can is needed)
Lime, 1/2
Garlic, 1 clove
Red Pepper Flakes
Chef Paul's Blackening Seasoning
Salt, Pepper
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Brown Rice, 1.5 cups
Cheese (Pick your poison, we used Kearney's)
Udi's Gluten-Free Tortillas

Instructions

For Chicken:

Ingredients
Red Pepper Flakes
One Garlic Clove, Minced
Chef Paul's Magic Blackening Seasoning
Salt

Cut boneless chicken breast into small cubes or rectangles. Dust slightly with salt, more thoroughly with the blackening seasoning, and throw just a few red pepper flakes on at the end. Do this for both sides of the chicken. In a skillet, warm some oil, throw the garlic in with a few more red pepper flakes. Allow the flavors of these two infuse with the oil. Add chicken to the seasoned oil, and cook until browned on each side.

For Seasoned Burrito Rice:

Oil (I used olive), 1.5 tbsp
Cilantro
Juice from 1/2 a Lime
Zest from 1/2 a Lime
Black Pepper to taste

For Cooked Peppers/Onions

Cook in light oil. Salt and Pepper to taste.

Combine all of these ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over finished rice. Mix well.

Recipe: Quick Quinoa

If you’re restricted to a gluten-free diet, Quinoa will quickly become one of your best friends. It’s rich grain flavors bring a bit more to the table than traditional rice (which is naturally gluten free, but often contaminated with gluten when produced by major manufacturers). Texture wise, quinoa offers something akin to a spongy whole grain base that can either stand alone as a pasta-like grain or work well in a taco/burrito filling.

This recipe (originally found on Epicurious) requires no tweaking, is VERY easy to make (especially with a rice cooker), and has rapidly become one of my standard dishes. By the time the quinoa has finished cooking (about 20 minutes), you’ve had ample time to dice all of the ingredients, prepare the butter-based seasoning, and heat up your black beans. Then it’s just a matter of mixing everything together and serving! It’s a great long-day-of-work recipe.

A few things to note:

1) Be careful with which black beans you buy. Certain seasoned black beans may contain gluten. I found BPA-Free canned black beans in Whole Foods by a company called Eden. Their website certifies these beans gluten free. http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=21_32&products_id=102979

2) I usually need two bowls of this recipe to feel full. I’d recommend doubling it if you plan to serve two or three people. It holds very well, and is a great option for refrigerated left-overs!

The Original Recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Black-Bean-and-Tomato-Quinoa-238939

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I use Canola Oil for a healthier alternative)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup quinoa
• 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained (
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve, then set sieve in same pot with 1 inch of simmering water (water should not touch bottom of sieve). Cover quinoa with a folded kitchen towel, then cover sieve with a lid (don’t worry if lid doesn’t fit tightly) and steam over medium heat until tender, fluffy, and dry, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and remove lid. Let stand, still covered with towel, 5 minutes.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.