Tags
burrito bowl, food, food photography, garden, tofu, vegetarian
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?
It was even more shocking to discover mache (corn salad) growing. I never knew they come back in Autumn.
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
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.
mac said:
Nice surprise harvest, your dinner looks yummy, any leftovers?
The Novice Gardener said:
Mac, if you come over, I’ll serve you something I freshly cook, never leftovers. So, when will you be here? 🙂
deliciouslynell said:
Wow! That is some impressive bounty! And an even more mouthwatering spread! Ooh! My tummy is rumbling now!
The Novice Gardener said:
Thanks, Nell! By the way, where are you? Want me to send you some burrito bowl? Lol 🙂
ChgoJohn said:
How wonderful that you’re still harvesting so much and at such a high level of quality. My plants have all but died and what little remains on them doesn’t look nearly as nice as does your vegetables. Best of all, you really did put it to good use. 🙂
The Novice Gardener said:
Hi John, welcome back! So happy to hear from you after a looong … absence. My garden constantly pulls a stunt on me, who really knows what’s going on out there! Took me completely by surprise, but I’m not complaining. I’d better not speak too soon, I hear the tomatoes calling me to do something right now. Oy, is this never going to end, the growing and the using? Thanks, John, for visiting. 🙂
PotSoup said:
Lovely ! It must be great fun to grow what you cook and eat.
The Novice Gardener said:
It is kinda fun, especially when the garden gives so much with so little care. Sometimes, though, it gets a little overwhelming. You want to eat other things besides what you grow, but you don’t want to waste what you grow. Ay ay ay, I am forever a fickle head! 🙂
midihideaways said:
Gorgeous pictures and what wonderful bounty, I’m very envious!! Those tomatoes just look so juicy and delicious and the cucumbers… Whatever you are doing in your garden is the right thing!
The Novice Gardener said:
Thank you, but I’m not too sure what I did right. I did put in a ton of organic top soil early in the season. That’s it! Must be it! Thanks, Andreas, for the encouragement! 🙂
Obsessive nutrition compulsive said:
How wonderful to be able to make most of the meal from home grown veggies! I could never get such good produce and not do any maintenance! I’m currently doing a lot of kale, broccolini and lettuce harvesting : ) more than enough veggies to consume! And mache looks interesting!
The Novice Gardener said:
Kale and broccolini sound awesome! I have kales, too, but didn’t look too closely. They’ll grow fine even when the weather turns cold so I’ll let them be for now. Just like you, I have enough veggies to deal with in the kitchen right now! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Obsessive nutrition compulsive said:
No problem! I’m glad I’ve found a blog dedicated to gardening 🙂 I prefer having my veggie garden where I can always see them (i.e. right next to the backyard patio) it’s so much more convenient plus I hate wading in pools of bugs (mosquitoes!) luckily, my veggies are not under attack by any mammals i.e. groundhogs but more the much loathed aphids!! Grr!!
The Novice Gardener said:
🙂 I get aphids, too. They’re much loathed here too!
Obsessive nutrition compulsive said:
I wish there are ladybugs farms around where I live (will need to find this out) to get rid of those annoying bugs, or breed my own!
nancyc said:
Wonderful photos of your vegetables! It’s so nice when you get such a great harvest from your garden!
The Novice Gardener said:
I know, right? And this one was totally unexpected, which made it even more exciting. We’ve been going through the bounty the last couple of days. Salad, stir fry, even tarts have been made with it! I’m grateful alright.
Thanks, Nancy! So happy you came to visit! 🙂
Norma Chang said:
Peel and seed your cucumber (even the yellowed ones) slice and add to a stir-fry, with chicken, meat or seafood, delicious. I like to peel every other strip of my homegrown, never sprayed cukes, this give the slices contrasting color and texture.
The Novice Gardener said:
Thanks so much for the idea, Norma. I spotted 2 more cucumbers, but they’re small. Not sure if they’ll get any bigger now that the forecast calls for cooler temp.
Patsy said:
That is a gorgeous surprise harvest and a truly gorgeous supper! I have found people are often surprised how long a garden can produce in a season and it’s so nice to have fresh produce.
The Novice Gardener said:
I was definitely surprised! I think last year we had an early frost that killed many of my plants, but then it got warm again. So, I’m happy to be harvesting so much this late. I spied a few more things to harvest, Patsy, but unfortunately it’s been raining all day! I have to wait for tomorrow. Thanks for visiting and commenting, Patsy. It was very nice to hear from you! 🙂
inherchucks said:
my goodness…What a bounty! Looks like you have the magic touch 🙂
Thanks for sharing and linking up!