BURRITO BOWL & BROCCOLI RICE

Trader Joe's has this new broccoli rice out in the veggie section. I've been testing out different things to do with it and admittedly, you can pretty much use it for anything you would use cauliflower rice for. It's a little bit heartier than most cauliflower rice, and doesn't seem to have as much water in it. Much like cauliflower rice, it just absorbs whatever flavors you put with it. If you're not near a Trader Joe's, just throw some broccoli in your food processor and pulse away. So if you're part of the world that believes cauli rice is so 2016, try broccoli rice out! 

You know when you go to a Mexican restaurant, and no matter what you order, it comes with rice and beans. And not just your average rice and beans. It's orange (for one) and super flavorful and approximately 773893 times better than regular rice (science). It's tomato-y and spicy, but not in the hot way, just in the flavorful way. I have been craving a lot of Mexican flavors recently, but as per the usual am looking for ways to sneak in more veggies. I whipped up the Mexican "Rice" and then added other burrito ingredients like spicy ground beef, cherry tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and sprinkled with lime juice and cilantro. 

Using broccoli does so much for your day. Broccoli rice ups the micro-nutrient and fiber content and gives you another serving of something green in your day. The biggest win of all though, is because it's much lower in calories than rice, you can eat a whole lot more. If you're someone who feels satiated by volume of food, (like me), you'll love Mexican Broccoli Rice.  

What You'll Need:

(Needed for 2 full burrito bowls)

1 head broccoli, riced (about 3 cups)

2 TBSP tomato paste

3 tsp coconut oil

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup ground onion

1 bell pepper, diced

1 head romaine, thinly sliced

2 handfulls cherry tomatoes quartered

1/2 lb extra lean ground beef

1 tsp coconut oil

1 TBSP chili powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt and pepper

limes, cilantro and avocado for garnish

What I Did:

Add coconut oil to a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until beginning to turn translucent, about three minutes. Saute the broccoli rice in the coconut oil until it begins to soften, about three minutes.

Add tomato paste, garlic powder, salt, and cumin. Mix together thoroughly. The tomato paste has to mix together with the rice evenly, but also has to cook up a little so it takes away some of the acidic flavor.

Turn the heat to medium low and let the rice simmer, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. 

While the broccoli simmers, add remaining coconut oil to a pan. Add the ground beef and all of the spices. Stir the ground beef, using a wooden spoon to incorporate the spices and break up the meat. Cook the meat until no longer pink. 

Once everything is cooked, begin to assemble your burrito bowl! Top with avocado, cilantro, and fresh limes.