When You're Tired of Making Dinner
Friend, these people I live with. Every single day they need to eat. Okay, so do I, but I remember with some fondness the days before I had a family of sitting down in front of the evening news with a hardboiled egg on a piece of buttered toast for dinner. No other opinions to consider about what was for dinner and who wanted what.I was raised by a Home Economics teacher, so was blessed with learning how to make a meal budget, and how to make a food budget stretch. We eat what’s on sale, and plan our meals around that. We also try to have a really solid balance between vegetables, starches, and proteins. For whatever reason though, right now? I’m so done with it all.Now, to be fair, I have a very non-picky family. They’ll eat almost anything that I prepare but lately, in the midst of this world crisis, I think we’ve just gotten tired of it all. Anyone else? Some friends in the same boat encouraged me to share some of my tried-and-true, family-friendly, easy-peasy, good leftovers meals with you so that you have some new ideas. And, in turn, I’m going to ask you to share some of YOUR favourite, cook-from-memory meals, because I need inspiration too, clearly! Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll post a new recipe. You share yours. Our families rejoice. Sound good?Here’s an easy one to start – and you probably have all the ingredients already. 8 steps and about 25 minutes. Simple!
One-Pot Burrito Bowl
Serves 4 generously (with leftovers for lunch the next day)
Brown 1 lb of ground beef in a Dutch Oven pot, over medium-high heat.
As the meat browns, dice and add 1 onion, and mince and add 2 cloves of garlic. If you have green/red/yellow/orange peppers in your fridge, dice a couple of those too, and throw them in,to add in some great veggies! Cook till onions and peppers are softened, but not cooked right through.
Drain the fat off of the meat mixture, but not all of it – it will help the rice not get too sticky.
Stir in 1 cup of raw, white rice (we prefer basmati.) Incorporate it into the mixture and let it fry into the meat and onion for a minute or two.
Stir in one packet of taco seasoning (roughly ¼ cup if you make your own, or buy it in the large jar like I do), and 1 ½ cups of your preferred salsa.
Add enough water to cover this mixture, cover, and reduce the heat to low-medium. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Stir every so often, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
At the 10 minute point, stir in 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn (no need to thaw) and one can of drained and rinsed black beans.
Simmer, uncovered for another 10 – 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and water is absorbed. Check it and stir every so often, making sure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
Serve burrito bowls as you prefer – right in the bowl with sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced avocado. We also love a fresh lime squeezed on top and a little cilantro. Or, use it is a burrito filling in a tortilla shell. I love my burrito bowl rice filling on top of a bed of crunchy shredded lettuce, with a few oven-warmed tortilla chips for scooping.Note: we also love a green salad alongside this, with tomatoes and cucumbers. Mash some avocado into a bit of ranch dressing to make an avocado ranch, and it's the perfect side!Easy-peasy.