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I finally ventured out into the garden, and was promptly rewarded with all of this.

It was quite shocking to see there were things to harvest. I didn’t think the garden was still alive. The mosquitoes, too, were still clearly very much alive. I have my legs to prove it. What’s not clear if it’s still alive is Mr. Groundhog. Why else would he leave me with these beauties untouched?

tomatoes brandywine

winter squash black futsu

It was even more shocking to discover mache (corn salad) growing. I never knew they come back in Autumn.

mache corn salad

There’s so much to learn from the garden. Who would have thought I would be serving summer fare this late in the year, with plenty of fresh tomatoes and corns! I’ll be digging through this bounty for the next few days. A few of these vegetables are a little bit overgrown, like the beans and the cucumbers. But they’re homegrown and have never been touched by any nasty chemical, so they will be eaten. Don’t worry I’ll be able to make them taste better than edible.

In the meantime, here’s dinner tonight. Much, much better than just edible.


burrito bowl dinner
Burrito Bowl Dinner

The Chicken/Tofu
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp chili powder (the kind you use to make chili con carne)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper

1. Mix all seasonings and marinade chicken in it for at least half an hour. By the way, I like to flatten my chicken with a mallet first before marinating and grilling, but it’s optional.
2. Grill chicken on medium-high fire, for just a few minutes on each side (3-5 minutes) or until cooked through.
3. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing. Tofu may be substituted for the chicken for a vegetarian option.

The Tomato Salsa & The Corn Salsa
For the fresh tomato salsa (pico de gallo), mix diced seeded tomato, diced onion, minced jalapeno, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper, and a pinch of sugar (optional).

For the corn salsa, it’s pretty much the same as the tomato salsa. You can use canned or fresh corns on the cob. I used fresh and grill them before cutting the kernels off the cobs. Then mix corns with the same ingredients as the tomato salsa. Obviously, since corns are already sweet, you don’t need sugar.

Assembling the bowl
Layer all the bowl components, starting with cooked rice, or in my case, quinoa, then the meat/tofu, then the salsa, and finally put a dollop of sour cream (a must, according to the husband) and sprinkle with cheese (if you like). You can add beans and lettuce, too, if you like. I like to sprinkle my bowl with more chili powder and lime juice before serving.