I live in Alaska. I live in a place that has over 20hrs of sunlight in the summer, and less than 2 hrs in the winter. This place is brutal and rugged. The idea of fresh fruit is rather comical. I am a lover of grapes, however, my love for them has diminished in Alaska because they go bad in about 2.5 seconds. Maybe its because everything ends up frozen when it makes its mighty little way up here. Just about everything gets an Alaskan injection of freezing cold and withers into a wrinkly mess. I combat this with moisturizers and anti-aging eye serum. Yes, anti-aging. However drug store remedies don’t seem to have the same rejuvenating effects on fruits and veggies. Tragically this brings me to very saddening announcement: Alaska does not have Chipotle. Not one. Zero. Zilch. If you want a burrito you can go to Taco Bell; a place that had a lawsuit filed against them for their rather loose definition of what constitutes meat. Voommm.
Now for all you Lower 48-ers, you can frolic along to your local Chipotle and sink your teeth into an outrageously large burrito and look like a 16 yr boy as you wolf down the chicken-black beans-pico de gallo-cheese-guac-sour cream- lettuce burrito of ecstasy. I however have to plan a one thousand dollar plus vacation to even start dreaming of the bliss that this Colorado born chain offers. Sooo here’s where things get good… I waste vast amounts of time tooling around the internet searching for the “satisfy me now” dish. Enter Iowa Girl… oh how I love thee. ( I am myself grew up in MN and treasure the true gems of Midwestern people.)
Oh God... Chipotle memories are flooding me
The Rice
Cook 1/2 cup brown rice according to package directions. When done, finish with:
- Small pat of butter (I skipped the butter and didn’t miss it!)
- Salt
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- Sprinkle of chopped cilantro
The Beans
In a microwave safe bowl, heat up 1 can drained and rinsed black beans with:
- Splash of chicken broth
- Dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano & cayenne pepper
The Chicken
Cook two chicken breasts in a skillet seasoned with:
- Chili Powder
- Garlic Salt
- Onion Powder
- Cumin
- Oregano
The Pico
Whip up this easy Pico De Gallo with:
- 1 tomato
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 small red onion
- Sprinkle of chopped cilantro
- S&P
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Tomatillos (I added these, and thought it added a nice crunch)
- 1/2 can yellow corn (I had a left over can and they were a delicious addition)
Thank you Ms. Iowa… you seriously made this Colorado Girl (turned Alaskan 😦 sadly) a happy happy lady
tadwell 