Thursday, May 24, 2012

Burrito Bowl -- speaks of Summer

I don't know if a Burrito Bowl has anything to do with summer at all. I just wrote that.

I wrote that because I love the seasons in the East Coast and I have come to deeply appreciate the earth's tilt at a current angle of 23.44 degrees.

I love seasons as much as I do the park system here.

And I am not even going into the National Park Service. Not even the Sate Parks. The mere county parks scattered all around with their abundant greenery, springing with life as soon as winter folds away its last London Fog jacket astounds me.

I almost go berserk and on weekends we walk along simple trails amidst trees which hover above us with familiar green canopies and unknown scents.

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The littlest one plonks down besides the lake dipping twigs and pebbles in the clear, sparkling water. "Is there someone down below shining a flashlight?", she asks, surprised by the tiny waves glittering in the sunlight.

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Then they grumble and are tired and want a park with slide and swings. And right in the trees is a clearing with tire swings and an ancient slide.


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We don't always plan a picnic and carry a small snack.This time it was only butter-jelly sandwiches, croissant from Dunkin', oranges and juice which though sparse and minimal seems to be just right for the setting.


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Later in the evening I make a Fish Burrito Bowl at home. A friend had recently introduced me to the Burrito Bowl at Chipotle and I am now a fan.Sadly the family is not big on Mexican food and my Chipotle Burrito Bowl craving is not shared by anyone else.

So I decide to make one with more Indian touches than Mexican spices and am inspired by Indosungod's Fish Burrito Bowl. I loosely follow this Copy Cat recipe but mostly do my own thing First is the Cilantro-Lime Rice. I cook Brown Rice with lots of Lime juice, Cilantro and salt. 


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Second is the Black Beans. instead of Black beans, I use Black Eyed peas which had been cooked and frozen the week before. I saute the cooked beans in Olive Oil with minced garlic, chopped rounds of green chili, cumin powder and ancho chili pepper powder. 


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Now instead of adobo chicken I add fish. Salmon. That has been rubbed with ginger-garlic paste, fish masala, salt, olive oil and baked at 400F. 

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I skip the corn salsa and stick with the pico de gallo, fresh with cherry tomatoes, red onion, crushed garlic and lime juice. I add a touch of rock salt and squeeze a bit of lime juice.

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Instead of the sour cream I strain greek yogurt and add a dollop.It is an easy meal to assemble and I am happy with the minimal work.


Tomorrow there will be more parks.

 I am taking a short break for the long weekend and will see you next week
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13 comments:

  1. Very refreshing recipe and enough of an inspiration to try it over weekend. Will need to do some bit or preparation like overnight soaking of the black eyed beans etc..hence keeping this on priority for weekend. Have a nice weekend.
    Arundhati

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  2. A perfect meal after a whole day of activities.

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  3. Like the outdoor green, though we never seen winter this year, here. The temp is up and down, that is Bay!
    Have u tried fish tacos - that is the only thing I love. Like the rice and fish. Have a wonderful Long weekend!

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  4. Lovely post with all that soothing greenery and happy kids playing in the middle of it. I so agree with the parks system- here in St. Louis too we have a huge park right in the city. The burrito bowl is a perfect lighter meal for this season.

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  5. You look like a photographer. Nice pics.

    I blog @ Manidipa's Kitchen

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  6. As usual love the way you write... Generally I come back and read the recipe later... First time I just read your story!

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  7. I second IshitaUnblogged..lovely style of writing, as always!

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  8. very cleverly whipped up eta-ota diye mexican!

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  9. I think I would like this. I usually leave out the tortilla in the burrito bowl - I've just had it twice, anyway.

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  10. I love the chipotle burrito bowl too... have to try making this at home. Looks great. Enjoy your Holiday.

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  11. The idea of black eyes peas is definitely a hit in my world! I love burrito bowls :)

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  12. Sandeepa,

    As always you inspired me to make a burrito bowl...sometimes called Naked Burrito by the Mexican food outlets in Gurgaon.

    Made a fusion one I guess with If/ Else conditions....like Cillantro rice became green coriander rice...and I used rajma as in double fried bean type as I did not have Lobia or black eyed beans @ home. Made a salsa with cucumber(the seedless one), tomato, onions, Raw mango, green chilli, a dash of seasonings, hearty squeeze of lemon. Chicken I had marinated with garlic, ginger, salt, pepper, red chiili powder and lemon juice. Sauteed it with some chopped green coriander and chopped green chilli(optional).And in lieu of ideal fresh cream, used beaten plain toned milk curd.....It was yummy. Thanks a ton for this. The leftover from dinner was polished off by my son....

    I know it is faaaar from genuinely authentic, but was fresh and enjoyed by all. Hence the credit goes to you. Hope you had a good weekend outing

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