Especially after a long Easter weekend when many of us may have had just a little too much sugar and are in need of something slightly healthier, BUT don’t really want a salad. Don’t worry, I have you covered and it’s going to be delicious! I could not be happier to bring you this colorful dinner today. It’s a reflection of all the things I’m loving right now and these bowls radiate with serious Mexican flavor…which you know I love! First though, how was everyone’s Easter weekend? On Saturday, Miss Asher walked her little self down to my house and convinced me go with her and my dad to see some horses over at a ranch a few miles down the road. My dad’s friend owns some horses and one of them just had a baby, so he invited Asher over to come see it. The little guy was just five days old and probably the cutest thing ever. If you follow me on Instagram you saw all the snaps of the cute little baby and his mom. We weren’t there too long, but it convinced me that horses definitely need to happen over here pretty soon! We have the chickens and the goats, so obviously horses are the next step. I mean, right? Easter Sunday was spent cooking away…what’s new? We had almost a complete Gerard family dinner, minus my oldest brother Creighton, and my brother just above me, Brendan. Somehow, everyone else was at the table. Kai is in town for surgery that he had done on Wednesday to repair a torn ACL, Red flew in on Saturday (he’ll be off again on Friday I believe), and the rest of us live here in Colorado! It was a pretty simple dinner, but perfect none the less. It’s always nice when Kai and Red are both around! What did you guys do? Oh, and we also had sunny skies all weekend, so that was a major added bonus. PLUS I’ve even seen a few flowers popping up out of the ground. YES. Signs of life. Whoop, whoop!
Okok, on to Mexi food talk now! How incredible do these bowls sound? I can’t hide my excitement for them. They’re full of color, flavor and texture, plus healthy at the same time. Yes, please! Question: have you guys gotten on this whole cauliflower rice craze? They are now selling it already riced at grocery stores and people seem to be buying it off the shelves! I went to Whole Foods the other day looking for it and there was none in sight. They where completely out! I heard even Costco is selling it now? Anyway, I’ve actually been making cauliflower rice for years. Or well, let me rephrase that, I made it years and years ago for a while when I was on a serious health kick, but somehow forgot about it until someone mentioned she made this recipe of mine, but used the cauliflower rice instead of quinoa. That got me thinking about cauliflower rice and then this bowl was created. Now I can’t get enough of everything happening here. It’s layer after layer of flavor.
If you’re new to carne asada, it’s simply Mexican marinated steak with tons of orange and lime and just a kick of heat. You want to start this recipe off by marinating the meat. You can marinate it anywhere from thirty minutes to overnight. If I can remember, I really like to marinate it overnight for super tender meat and great flavor. It’s one of my favorite meat marinades. SO GOOD. Once you have your meat marinading, it’s time to make the rice! Like I said, you can now buy pre-chopped cauliflower rice at many grocery stores (Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Costco are the three I know of), but you can also just add a large head of cauliflower to a food processor and pulse until it becomes a rice consistency. Easy as that! I like to roast the riced cauliflower in the oven to not only warm it, but toast it up at well. Then I finish with hit of lime juice and a little cilantro. If you’re one of those people who think cilantro tastes like soap, try swapping in basil. Different flavor, but still delish! And then, no good Mexi inspired meal would be complete without a little salsa! Yup, yup! Top this dish with a little mango salsa and you’ll have dinner perfection…any night of the week! Not gonna lie, the salsa is probably my favorite part, but I feel like I say that every time I pair a recipe with salsa. I can’t help it, it’s my favorite! Also, you can use this carne asada recipe for tacos, burritos, etc. The leftovers are insanely good topped with a fried egg. Just sayin’.
Oh, and don’t forget the chips and guac! Happy Monday guys!
