Falling in love with Cilantro

I was never a fan of Cilantro, they say it has an acquired taste. It's either you like it or you don't. Mostly it is found in Mexican cuisine ,Vietnamese and Thai. Although I like to experiment with recipes whenever it calls for Cilantro, I get turned off sometimes. But in spite of this I still like to eat in Thai restaurants and sometimes I still eat Mexican & Vietnamese dishes as long as I know I am not eating a whole sprig of cilantro.

Just recently DH took us to Chipotle it just opened in our area and he said it was good. Being a Filipino most of our choices when eating out would mostly be Oriental Restaurants, that's no.1 on the list then anything seafood which is scarce in our area. But this time DH wanted to try something different so it was Mexican this time - meaning eating something that has a great chance of having with Cilantro in it.

Chipotle is similar to Taco Bell since its a chain only different because it's like Subway that you get to choose what you want for your fix-ins. Before we left I checked their site and decided in the Burrito Bowl.

This was my Burrito Bowl: (bottom - top)

Lime Rice

Grilled/Roasted Peppers & Onions

Grilled Chicken

Pinto Beans

Pica de Gallo

Cheese

Guacamole

see here for the specifics of their ingredients

It was bursting with flavor.I fell in love with the bowl so I decided to replicate it at home.

My Version:

Lime Rice

cooked jasmine rice ( steamed )

cilantro ( I used the ones in tubes )

lime juice

mix while the rice is hot

Grilled/Roasted Peppers & Onions

green peppers cut in strips or thick julienne

red onions in strips or thick julienne

olive oil to coat

S&P

spread in baking sheet

BROIL in 2-3mins ( time may vary in different ovens )

Grilled Chicken

marinate chicken breast (bone-in) or you may try this marinate too

or this for a spicier version

*best if marinated overnight

bake in oven or simply follow instructions in marinade packet

once cooked let it rest and chopped when ready to serve

reserve the drippings, its really good when you dizzle it over the chicken before serving

as the white meat tends to be a little dry

Pinto Beans

raw uncooked pinto beans is the best compared to canned versions

chopped bacon

cook beans until desired tenderness

Pico de Gallo

I used Emeril's version

Cheese

I like the Mexican 4 cheese blend of Kraft

Guacamole

I have not made it but chunks of avocados are great.

Arrange them in a platter or a bowl. And there you have my Burrito Bowl. DH was pretty pleased when I served this during Valentines day, he had seconds. I am happy that I had tried this at Chipotle because with this dish I can fall in love with cilantro.

Check out my Burrito Bowl Gallery: