Sunday, September 19, 2010

Vegan Party on a Plate

My daughter use to eat at Chipolte everyday. She tells me the meal cost her $10.00, though I'm not sure I believe her. In all honesty, it was probably a ploy to extract more money from me. Anyway, there is a Chipolte Mexican Grill right at the heart of Michigan State University's campus, so it was easy to get to, and it didn't hurt that her roommate worked there either.

Interestingly, I recently learned that Chipolte is known for using the best local, fresh and organic ingredients available. So no matter what the cost was to me, it was worth it. You should really check out this article on the founder Steve Ells and this restaurant. It's impressive.

http://planetforward.ca/blog/fast-food-revolution-chipotle-serves-corporate-social-responsibility/
 
The following recipe is based on what my daughter loved to eat at Chipolte during her college years, and now that I've eaten this dish, I realize why she ate it daily. It's delicious. Serve it with Baked Tostitos and a margarita! Your entire family will love it. Yum!

Ingredients
Serves 4


1 cup brown rice, cooked according to instructions
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
olive oil
2 peppers, red and green
1 large onion
1 large cob of corn
Freshly made guacamole using 2 avocados
Hearts of romaine

Begin by cooking the rice. As the rice cooks, slice the corn off the cob and the onion into wide rings. Chop the lettuce. Rinse and drain the black beans. Put them into a sauce pan with a little water and warm them on the stove. Make the guacamole to your taste. Lightly oil the peppers and onion and lay them on the grill until slightly black and soft. Once the peppers have cooled to the touch, slice into long strips. When the rice is done you can begin assembling the plates. Lay the rice down first, then the beans, peppers, onions, corn, guacamole and romaine. Dive in!

As a side note, we made it vegetarian by adding cheese for the non-vegan family members.








10 comments:

Cheryl Allen Salinas said...

This does look delish! We love chipotle too -- it's one of the only places the four of us can each find what we want, all different choices, by the way. But great for vegans!

Kathy said...

Yet another recipe that looks fantastic. I first tried Chipotle in Tucson and absolutely loved it. I had read about how it started and what they believe in, etc... So impressive. I WISHED there could be a Chipotle in MI and was delighted to find one in Ann Arbor. Yum yum! I'll put this recipe on my "to try" list!

Millie said...

very nice...

http://nuestracena-vegancuisine.blogspot.com

Marcia said...

Hi Kathy!

I don't know where the Chipotle is in A2. Can you give me their location?

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Looks great! Yumm!

Breanna said...

just found your blog, this sounds great! I love Mexican food, especially rice bowls for gluten-free options!

Breanna at Allergic Adventures
http://allergicadventures.blogspot.com

Jackie said...

Thanks for visit.

I like this recipe as I managed to get a few tins of black beans (for some reason we get tons of brands of red beans but rarely see black beans here) and was wondering what to do with them now I finally found them.

Kathy said...

There is one in the main area of downtown A2 - at State and Liberty. There is also one on Washtenaw, after you exit from 23 going towards A2 on your left!
I have a craving now. :)

Merut said...

I live in Colorado - home of the delightful Chipotle. We LOVE it here. Thanks for helping me recreate it in my own home. It is a little expensive, but the quantity is worth it.

Kathy said...

I just tried this recipe. It's really great. I love the rice and beans mixed in with the greens. Not to mention the guac.! It takes some time to do the extra step of grilling the onions and peppers, but it's so worth the effort. Great combination of flavors! Salsa and cilantro might be good on this, too!