Taco Inspired Buddha Bowl
This is one of my go to quick and easy meals. Using our favorite Mexican Rice, I added black beans, homemade guacamole & salsa, fresh corn, vegan sour cream and jalapeños. Recipes for Mexican Rice, Guacamole and Salsa all adapted from America's Test Kitchen.
Ingredients
Mexican Rice
- 2 large or 3-4 medium tomatoes cored and quartered
- 1 onion coarsely chopped
- 2 jalapeno peppers stemmed, seeded & minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper stemmed and minced, include seeds
- ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 cups long grain white rice rinsed
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp gluten-free tomato paste
- 1½ tsp salt
- ½ cup fresh cilantro chopped
Guacamole
- 3 ripe avocados
- 2 tbsp minced red onion
- 1 tsp jalapeño minced you can add more but my family doesn't like it spicy
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
- ¼ tsp salt or more to taste
- 1 medium garlic clove minced (optional)
- ½ tsp ground cumin optional
- 2 tbsp lemon juice or lime juice. I've made it both ways & actually prefer it with lemon juice but like to switch it up and will use whatever is on hand
- MAKES 2 1/2 TO 3 CUPS
Tomato Salsa
- 3-4 firm ripe tomatoes, cut into 3/8-inch dice (about 3 cups)
- 2 tbsp or 1 large jalapeño seeded & minced reserve seeds to add later if you want it spicy!
- ½ cup red onion finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- ½ tsp salt
- pinch ground black pepper
- 2 - 6 tsp fresh lime juice
- Granulated sugar to taste up to 1 teaspoon
Instructions
Mexican Rice
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Place tomatoes and onion in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Transfer liquid to a 4 cup measuring cup and spoon off excess as needed to get to 2 cups.
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Drop a few grains of rice into the oil. If the grain sizzles, oil is ready. Add rice and cook, stirring frequently until rice is a light golden & translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic & seeded jalapeño and cook, stirring constantly for about 1 minute.
- Add in tomato-onion mixture, broth, tomato paste and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Cover and transfer pot to the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, stirring once at 15 minutes. Liquid will absorb and rice will be tender.
- Remove from oven, fold in cilantro and final jalapeño to taste. Only one person in my family likes the additional jalapeño so I leave it out to be added individually.
Guacamole
- Halve one avocado, remove pit, and scoop flesh into medium bowl. Using a fork, mash lightly with onion, jalapeño, cilantro, salt, and cumin & garlic (if using) until just combined.
- Halve, remove pit and add the remaining avocados (not skin) to the mixture.
- Sprinkle lemon or lime juice over the entire mixture and mash gently with a fork until well combined. Can leave chunky or mash more for a creamier guacamole.
- Taste, add salt if necessary, and serve.
Tomato Salsa
- Place a large colander in the sink or on a plate with paper towels.
- Place tomatoes in the colander, layer with jalapeño, onion, garlic, and cilantro on top. Let drain 30 minutes.
- Shake colander to remove excess water & transfer contents of colander to a bowl. Add salt, pepper, and 2 tsp lime juice; toss to combine.
- Taste and add minced jalapeño seeds if desired, sugar, and additional lime juice to taste. The amount of lime juice and sugar will depend on the ripeness of the tomatoes so you need to taste as you add more.
Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthyGFFamily or tag #HealthyGFFamily!
Sure wish you could share your version of the rice, salsa and beans!
Hi Judy! Wish I could share! In fact, your comment is making me crave this again! You can make the rice tho as I actually added it to a later post… You can find the Mexican Rice recipe here
serving sizes of each portion of the meal would be helpful to us who tend to overeat.
Thanks for your feedback Michelle. Right now I don’t provide serving sizes because I am not a nutritionist and in our house feeding two teen (i.e. growing) boys, serving sizes vary. I will look into it for the future.
how long does it take to make this?
Great question! About an hour– The rice is what takes the longest — about 20 mins prep and 45 mins cook time.