These burrito bowls fit perfectly into a busy weekday evening: ready in under 30 minutes and makes enough for the whole family or for packed lunches. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients, this dish is flavourful, with a kick of spice from the yogurt chipotle sauce and salsa, plus the freshness of cilantro, tomatoes and avocado.
Although easy is part of the name of the recipe, sometimes even the simplest steps can take some practice. And I have a knack for burning rice. Cooking a perfect whole grain, including rice, is a breeze in a rice cooker, but on the stove top, especially with a gas stove this can take some practice. In January I went to a fantastic cooking class at Cook Culture in Lonsdale, and Chef Aaron Lobo shared a method for cooking PERFECT rice which may have just changed my life…
Perfect rice Preheat oven to 350C. In an oven-friendly pot, add 1 cup rice with 1 1/2 - 2 cups cold water, bring to a boil on the stove top. Turn off heat, and put the pot in the oven, bake for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and voila perfect rice!
I used violet rice in the photo above which is why it looks black.
For people with sensitive digestives systems, this recipe can be made low FODMAP by making a few changes. FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable sugars difficult for some people to digest, especially those with irritable bowel syndrome.
FODMAP recipe swaps
Replace the black beans with tofu, tempeh, or baked chicken
Skip the salsa which is full of high FODMAP garlic and onions, and double the fresh tomatoes, or use low FODMAP salsa available from FODY foods
Use half the amount of corn and avocado outlined in the recipe below, with 1/8 of an avocado and 1 Tbsp corn per serving for overall low FODMAPs.
Many dishes can be made FODMAP friendly by reducing the overall amount of high FODMAP ingredients in each serving. A full cob of corn is moderately high in oligiosaccharides and high in polyols (sorbitol), but a 1/2 a cob or 3 Tbsp corn kernels is low in both FODMAP groups. Avocado has moderate polyols (sorbitol) in 1/4 serving of an avocado, but is low in FODMAPs in 1/8 avocado servings. So you have a favourite high FODMAP food you may be able to enjoy it in small servings!
Easy Black Bean Burrito Bowls Makes: 4-6 servings Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 Minutes Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious
Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 cup salsa (omit if low FODMAP)
3 cups torn spinach
2 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted (1 cup for low FODMAP)
2 (15-ounce) black beans, drained and rinsed (use 1 pkg extra firm tofu if low FODMAP)
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup aged cheddar cheese, grated (cheese aged 1 year or more is lactose free, so low FODMAP)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 avocados, halved, seeded, peeled and diced* (1 avocado for low FODMAP)
For the chipotle yogurt sauce:
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon chipotle paste, or 2 chili peppers minced
1 clove garlic, pressed (low FODMAP: replace with 2 stalks green onion, diced)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more, to taste
Directions:
In a large pot, cook rice according to package directions; set aside to cool. Or cook in oven according to instructions above.
While rice is cooking, prepare chipotle cream sauce. Whisk together the yogurt, chipotle paste, garlic, lime juice, and salt; set aside.
Prep all fresh veggie ingredients.
Assemble bowls with 1/3 cup rice, topped with torn spinach, tomatoes, black beans, grated cheese, avocados, and cilantro. Finish with salsa, and chipotle sauce. Enjoy!
Pack leftovers in wide mouth mason jars for easy weekday lunches or dinners.
* If making recipe for the whole week, toss the sliced avocado with lime juice to keep from browning. Or slice avocado fresh for each serving through the week.
Nutrition Facts (per serving, with 6 servings): 440 Calories; 21g Protein; 59g Carbohydrate; 25g Fibre; 15g Fat; 26% DV Calcium; 26% DV Iron, 39% DV Vitamin C, 46% DV Vitamin A.