Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Breakfast Burrito Bowls








Last week I had a hankering for grilled peppers and onions, so I experimented with a slower-cooker fajitas recipe and served it over rice to make it gluten-free.  The meat didn't cook up great so they were a bit of a flop, but when we threw the leftover veggies and rice in the pan with some scrambled eggs, we stumbled upon a new breakfast favorite!

I don't know why I never thought to pair rice with my eggs before, it seems so obvious now.  Since going gluten-free, I've probably eaten my weight in Chipotle burrito bowls that swap out my tortilla for a bed of brown rice.  So why couldn't you do the same with a breakfast burrito?  It gives you a great source of protein paired with a (gluten-free) whole grain, and the flavor combinations abound!  We loved this fajita-inspired burrito bowl this first time around, but I can't wait to try adding in pinto beans, black beans, fresh pico, cilantro or even avocado.  And you certainly don't have to be strictly gluten-free to enjoy your breakfast burrito this way - my husband really loves this!



It's also been a long-time goal of mine to figure out how to eat more vegetables at breakfast - mission accomplished!  Plus, you can cook up a big batch at the beginning of the week and reheat single servings each morning.  That way if you're in a hurry or, like me, have a history of falling into heart-racing, hands-shaking panic mode when you don't get breakfast in your body pronto upon waking, you're all set and ready to go.

Fajita-Inspired Breakfast Burrito Bowl  
Yield: 6-8 servings
Total Time: 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 dozen eggs
1 onion, sliced thin
4 peppers of various colors, sliced thin
2 cups (uncooked) brown rice
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Start cooking your rice first so it's ready when everything else is done.  In my rice cooker this takes about 30 minutes, however I've seen many sites say brown rice can take up to 45 minutes.

Drizzle a couple tablespoons of oil into a large frying pan, add the sliced onions and peppers, sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt, and saute for about 15 minutes on medium-high heat.  When I'm planning to reheat this for breakfast each morning, I will slightly under cook the peppers so they don't get over-done during reheating.

When the veggies are done, remove them from the pan and turn the heat down to medium or lower.  In a large bowl, whisk together all 12 eggs until blended well, then pour them into the hot frying pan to scramble.  Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.  Like with the veggies, I also take these off the heat just before they are done if I'm planning to reheat in the morning.

When each component is cooked and ready, toss everything together and serve immediately or store in a large container in the fridge.

NOTE
I like a balance of about 1/2 cup of rice and a little less than 2 scrambled eggs per serving, so this is about what the ingredient list should work out to.

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