Chicken Burrito Bowl

• Cilantro Lime Rice
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1/4 cup cilantro, diced
  • 1 tbs lime zest, roughly 1 lime
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1 tsp salt
• Black beans
  • 1 can ready to eat black beans
  • 2 tsp fajita seasoning
• Chicken
  • 1 lb chicken breast
  • 3 tbs fajita seasoning
  • 2 tbs olive oil
• Fajita Seasoning
  • 3 tbs paprika
  • 2 tbs chili powder
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs garlic powder
  • 3 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp chipoltle pepper ground
• 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup guacamole

Chicken

Trim the chicken of any excess fat.  Then place it into a zip top bag.  Add the olive oil and fajita seasoning.  Mix to coat the chicken and then allow it to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Roughly 350 degrees when the lid is closed.  Place the chicken directly over heat and cook for about 6-8 minutes per side.  This will depend on the thickness of the chicken.

When the chicken is cooked all the way through and the juices are running clear, remove the chicken from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before dicing.

Cube the chicken into 1/2 inch pieces.  Set aside.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Cook the 2 cups of rice.  I prefer to use a rice cooker.  Takes all of the work out of making rice.

Wash and then finely chop the Cilantro.  The finer the better.

Next zest the limes and then juice the limes.  Make sure to do it in that order.  It is super hard (almost impossible) to zest a lime after it has been juiced.

Pour the rice into a large bowl.  Fluff it with a fork and then add the juice, zest, cilantro and salt.

Mix really well and then set aside.

Black Beans

Pour the black beans into a bowl.  Add the fajita seasoning and stir.  Set aside.

Time to Assemble the Burrito Bowl

In a bowl add 1/2-3/4 cup of the cilantro lime rice.  Then top with 1/4 cup of the black beans.

Next top with 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 cup of cheese, 1/4 cup of salsa and 1/4 cup of guacamole.

You can also add a dollop of sour cream if you wish.

Serve and enjoy.

This is such a simple concept, but it is amazing.  A burrito without the tortilla.  Who would have guessed it would be so good.

No-knead bread with chicken salad is awesome.

Chicken Salad

• 2 cups chicken
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small red onion
• 3/4 cup mayo
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 lime juiced
  
• salt and pepper to taste

In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery and red onion.

In a separate bowl mix together the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Then mix in the lime juice.  Traditionally lemon juice is used in chicken salad.  However, I only had limes in the house.  I used the lime juice and to my surprise, it was awesome.  You have to try it.  Refrigerate till ready to eat.  It is best to make this at least an hour before you want to eat it.  A day ahead is the best.

Place two pieces of thick cut bread on a cutting board and layer on the chicken salad.  Add some lettuce and tomato and you are ready to eat.

This was so tasty, I could have just eaten it right out of the bowl.

No need for No-Knead bread.  (Sorry I had to go for it.)

The ginger beer and lime ad a nice little kick to this cocktail.

The Moscow Mule

• 2 oz Vodka
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 4-5 oz Ginger Beer
• Rocks Glass

The main thing is Ginger Beer.  What is ginger beer you ask.  Well it is a soda, similar to ginger ale.  However, Ginger Beer has a little kick and heat at the end.  In the grocery store you can usually find it in the international aisle.  Goya makes one with an amazing kick.  I tried a couple varieties of ginger beer and found that the Goya brand was the tastiest.  The rest were way too sweet and lacked the kick that the Goya Ginger Beer had.

Ginger Beer

Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Squeeze the half of lime into the glass.  Next add the vodka.  Top off with the Ginger Beer and stir.  This cocktail is awesome.  It has a real bite that is quite refreshing.

Tip back a few of these and you will be tipsy and your lips will be a little bit on fire.  They don’t call it a mule for nothing, the kick is nice.

The Alibi

Using ginger simple syrup, this drink is quick, easy and delicious.

The Alibi

• 2 oz Vodka
• 1 oz Ginger Simple Syrup
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 oz fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 wedge of lime
• 5 oz seltzer water

The first step is to make ginger simple syrup.  If you already have some lying around, skip this step.

In a pan bring the sugar, water and ginger to a boil. Reduce and let simmer for 5 minutes.  Remove the ginger from the pan and let the syrup cool.  Use and refrigerate any leftovers.

Simple Syrup - To make more use equal parts water and sugar...

Fill a rocks glass with ice.  Pour in the vodka, ginger syrup and lime juice.  Stir and then top with the seltzer water.

Cool, refreshing and delicious.

Serve with a wedge of lime for garnish.

This drink is refreshing and delicious.

The Mojito - Sweet and minty, the perfect drink to mask your garlicy breath.

Garnished with a sprig of mint and a lime wedge, Mojitos are amazing!!

Mojito – Makes an 8oz mojito – Double for a pint glass

• 2 oz Rum – Since we are mixing it, no need to spend a lot on a bottle.
• 1 oz Mint Simple Syrup – (Recipe Follows)
• 15 mint leaves
• 2 lime wedges
• Handfull of ice
• 3oz seltzer or sparkling water

Mint Simple Syrup

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 sprigs of mint

Mint Simple Syrup

Before making a mojito you need to make the simple syrup.  Place 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar in a heavy saucepan.  Place over medium heat.

As you can see the sugar is opaque on the bottom of the pan

Cook until the syrup is hot and the sugar is completely dissolved.

The sugar is dissolved and the liquid is hot

Remove from heat and place the 4 sprigs of mint into the syrup.  Let the mint steep as the syrup cools to room temperature. 

Steep the mint until the liquid cools

Remove the mint leaves and place the syrup into a bottle or plastic container.  Place the syrup into the fridge until it is needed.  As long as it is in an airtight container and in the fridge it should be good for at least 2 weeks. 

The leaves are wilted and the mint simple sugar is ready

Mixing the Mojito

In a nice rocks glass pour in the vodka, two limes and the mint.  Muddle using a muddler or the back of a spoon.  Make sure to get all of the juice out of the limes and to break up the mint.

Muddle the limes, mint and rum

Next add the simple sugar and stir.  Then fill the glass with ice and top off with some seltzer.

Garnish with a sprig of mint and a slice of lime.

Unfortunately for me, I had to drink 3 of these as the ice kept on melting before the perfect shot. My job sucks.

If you can find sugarcane it can be cut into strips and used as a nice stir stick.  I was unable to find sugarcane but if you are throwing a party it is a hit.  The cane can be used as a stir stick and people love to chew on them and get the natural sugar.

The tequila makes these amazing

Grilled Steak Tacos with Roasted Peppers

• 1lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 tequila
• 2 limes
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tbs cumin
• 1 tbs oregano
• 1 tbs onion powder
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

Roasted Peppers

• 6 poblano peppers
• 1 zip top bag for steaming the peppers

Lay the flank steak out on a cutting board and dry it off with a towel.

The flank steak

With a flank steak I usually tenderize it before I use it.  To do that use a hard object or a meat tenderizer and hammer the meat.  This will tenderize it and make it so that it is not too chewy.

Take all of your aggression and use it against the poor helpless piece of meat.

Mix all of the seasonings above and place in a zip top bag.  You can add as much tequila as you like.  Jeff likes tequila so I think that we added about a 1/2-3/4 cup of tequila.

Add as much tequila as you like.

Then seal the bag and squeeze as much air out as you can.  Then refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.  2-3 hours is preferred.

Jeff was a great hand model. I think he has a future in the business.

Just like the shrimp tacos from a couple of days ago, we are going to serve these with roasted peppers.  While the meat marinades, roast the peppers.  Place the peppers on high heat and turn them every minute or so until all of the sides are blackened.

It is alright to let them burn as it will make the skins come off easier.

Make sure to rotate them so that all of the sides get blackened.

Once all of the sides are blistered and black time to remove them from the grill

Remove them from the grill when blistered and place in a plastic bag.   The plastic bag will help to steam the skins off.

Zip top bags make the perfect container for steaming the skins off.

After about 10 minutes it is time to peel the skins.  As you can see, the skins come off in giant sheets.

It might be a little dirty, but this is a hands on sort of thing.

Slice into strips and serve these tender, smokey, and tasty treats with any and everything.

Now that the peppers are done, it is time to grill the meat.  Place the flank steak on the grill over high heat and sear the outside. 

Place the meat on a pre-heated grill

After about 5-7 minutes you should have good grill marks.  When you have good grill marks and the meat looks golden it is time to flip.

Flip when you have good carmelization

Now continue to cook for another 5-7 minutes.  The meat should be about medium-medium well.  Remove and let the meat sit for 5 minutes before carving.  This will let the juices redistribute throughout the meat.  Then carve the meat into thin strips.  Make sure to cut against the grain.  Otherwise, the meat will be chewy.

Make sure to cut against the grain

Serve the steak tacos on a flour tortilla with some cheese, roasted peppers, salsa and some sour cream.  Makes for a perfect summer meal.

The tacos are great with just a little lime juice to add a tad bit more acidity.

These tacos were the best of the night.  The meat was cooked perfectly and the seasoning was awesome.  Now that it is summer time, it is time to grill.  You don’t always have to make burgers and hot dogs.  Next time make grilled steak tacos.