Homemade Chipotle Bowls

It is no secret I love Chipotle. Maybe it's the convenience or maybe it's the delicious cilantro rice.  Thanks to Kristen over at Iowa Girl Eats, I decided to make my own Chipotle bowls at home.  It seemed easy and I had most of the things on hand already.

Here is what you need to feed 4 people:

Cilantro rice:
4 cups cooked rice
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
lemon

Mix everything together

Filling:
2 chicken breasts diced into small pieces (or whatever meat you want)
1 packet taco seasoning
green bell pepper-sliced
onion-sliced

Marinate the chicken with the taco seasoning and cook in an oiled saute pan. Set aside. In the same pan, cook the veggies

Corn Salsa:
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tomatoes -chopped
1/2 onion- chopped
1/2 red bell pepper-chopped
cilantro
lemon

Mix together

Other accompianments:
shredded cheese
shredded lettuce
salsa (preferably Trader Joe's garlic chipotle sauce)
sour cream (or Greek yogurt for a healthier option)

Now turn this..

 ...into this...

..and enjoy! Quick, easy, and delicious.

Crab Cakes

I was craving for salmon cakes, but found a can of crab meat in my cupboard instead.  I looked up a couple of recipes and decided to combine all of them and make my own.

This is an approximate measurement of everything, since I never measure my spices.

Crab Cakes

1 can crab meat (6.5 oz)
1/2 cup panko crumbs
1 egg
1 tbsp mayo
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 juice of lemon
lemon zest
1/4 cup green onions-chopped
2 tbsp parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian herbs
S&P to taste

Mix together the egg, mayo, dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, Italian herbs, and S&P.  Add into crab meat, mix in panko crumbs and parmesan cheese. Mix all together, be careful not to break up crab meat.

Oil up a pan and drop in a quarter sized ball of the mixture and cook on each side for about 3 minutes.  It should be golden brown on both sides.  Taste to see if you got all the seasonings right.  If so, this makes about 3 medium sized patties.  Cook at medium to high heat for the first 3-4 minutes on each side. Then change it to low heat so the inside heats through.

I whipped up a simple dip with what I had on hand.
1/4 cup mayo
1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream)
a pinch of Italian herbs seasoning
a squeeze of lemon
lemon zest

Whisk together and you have a simple dip made in no time.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

The boy loves BBQ chicken pizza, so in an effort to make him happy, I scrapped together something easy.  It's cheaper than any pizza you can get from a restaurant and customizable to your liking

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Pizza crust (I used the Boboli thin pizza crust)
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 sliced red onion
1/2 cup corn (I buy the frozen roasted corn from Trader Joe's)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 chicken breast- shredded (cooked however you want, I had left over roasted chicken)

Preheat your oven according to the packaging details on the back of your pizza crust.
Spray a baking sheet with non stick spray.
Spread the BBQ sauce on, sprinkle with cheese
Pile on the rest of the toppings and stick in the oven for about 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Hash House A Go Go

After hearing so much about this restaurant, a couple of us made the drive down to San Diego to try Hash House.  They are epically known for their chicken & waffles.  Apparently, people are saying it's better than Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles.  I split an order of Andy's Sage Fried Chicken w/ mash potaters and a BIG blueberry pecan flapjack with the boyfriend.

The flapjack went unpictured, but it was the size of a giant dinner plate.  We barely even made a dent in it.

Their infamous fried chicken wasn't all that great.  I'm a big fan of dark meat chicken, so this just didn't do it for me.  The whole meal just felt too heavy for me and didn't sit well.

I declare: HYPE

Old Vine Cafe

I've had Old Vine Cafe bookmarked for a while now and finally got around to trying it for lunch.  I'm a bit against spending $20 for lunch, but their 3-course set lunch was well worth it.  I stalked their menu beforehand so I knew exactly what to order when I arrived.

1st course: Porcini Bisque with a crostino

2nd course: Porcini Mac & Cheese 

3rd course: Grandma's Cheese Cake

I'm sure you can sense the theme I went with for my lunch.  I'm sure if they offered a mushroom dessert, I would've went with it.  The porcini bisque was nice and creamy with the perfect subtle taste of the mushroom.  It wasn't too heavy which I hate in a bisque.  The pocini mac&cheese had the perfect blend of cheeses.

Let's talk about the cheesecake.  I die.  When they first brought it out, I couldn't believe how small it was.  This thin little sliver on this ginormous plate was the biggest tease.  I don't normally eat desserts, but this was hands down the best slice of cheesecake I've ever had.  The graham cracker crust and the berry jam did it for me.

Overall, Old Vine Cafe was well worth my $20 spent on lunch.  I'd be happy to even order the cheesecake for all three courses.

Vegas to OC

No, I didn't go to Vegas this weekend, but I do have a trip planned for March 28-30 :)

Recap of the weekend-

Thursday: I decided to skip class and go to Steve's Match Day at UCI. Match Day is where med school students find out where they do their residency.

Steve opening his letter. I would be such a nervous wreck if I had to open a letter that determined the next several years of my life in front of a huge crowd!

His mother is VERY excited he's doing his residency at UCLA.  

I'm so extremely proud of him. Friends for 9 years :)

We all went to Sam Woo for lunch, then Yard House for some afternoon drinks. 

Later that night I met up with some OC Tweeters at Claim Jumpers for Debbie's LLS fundraiser.  It was great getting to meet and talk to new people. 

Friday: Worked til 6, then Gyu Kaku for the return of our favorite Vegas couple, Carlo and Andrea.  We were celebrating Carlo's belated birthday and decided to do happy hour at Gyu for their cheap eats and drinks. 

Happy Belated C-Lo

The BF decided to go in for the kill

Saturday: Worked til 3. Picked up another acai bowl from Banzai Bowl

So delicious!

Went bowling. I finally broke 100, but still lost. Had dinner with Vy and Vince at a new Peruvian restaurant that just opened near my house called DX Peruvian.  It was alright, but I still prefer Inka Grill in Costa Mesa. 

Sunday: Work til 4 and just relaxing for the rest of the night.

Quote of the day-
Friendship with one's self is all important, because without it one cannot be friends with anyone else in the world --Eleanor Roosevelt

Shaking Things Up

It amazes me how people make a minor quake seem like the end of the world. Then again we do live in SoCal where a little bit of rain prevents people from stepping outside.

For breakfast I created quite the yogurt mess. I topped my Dannon Vanilla flavored yogurt with Pomegranate&Blueberry Clusters cereal from Trader Joe's and topped off with some slices of banana.  I find it weird that I don't enjoy eating my cereal with milk, but rather dumping a bunch of cereal into my yogurt.  Does anyone else do this? 

My grave attempt to study in the library failed this afternoon.  I just can't seem to focus these days.  I brown bagged my lunch for school this morning.  It consisted of half a pita with Trader Joe's veggie burger topped with spicy black bean hummus and feta cheese. Do you see the trend here? Trader Joe's is taking over my fridge.  In my attempt to eat healthy, I find that Trader Joe's has great inexpensive options.  I think it's much cheaper than regular grocery stores and they have great prepackaged food items for people on the go.  

Tonight I'm planning on making some spaghetti squash.  My first try at this and hopefully it turns out well.  I'll hopefully post some pictures of this later on, if disaster doesn't strike in my kitchen.  

Thought of the day:

Do you have a mentor? Someone that has helped guide you through life. Is there a certain person that you look up to?

My professor asked this in class last night and only a couple of students put up their hand.  I was with the majority on this one and realized that I don't have a mentor.  I've never really had anyone that I truly look up to for help in life.  This isn't just a person that you call when you get into a fight with your bf/gf, but someone that helps guide you through life.