Mexican food had always been my favorite! I could eat a bean taco any day especially if it was nicely slathered in ‘hot sauce’ and with a dollop of sour cream on the side! Hence, since starting on Paleo a year ago, I had not had a proper Mexican meal. And the past 6 months I have been on the AIP version of Paleo which meant no nightshades and no spices as well. However in the past few weeks I have introduced spices like cumin slowly without any issues (I hope!) – I have also been able to add very small quantities of cayenne or any hot pepper though to my servings. Just so that I get a faint taste of the heat without it triggering any flare up and I have been lucky that I can enjoy it in small quantities.
So anyways, now that I had been able to introduce spices successfully, I was dying to make something ‘Mexican’! During the week of Cinco de Mayo, I saw a lot of bloggers posting recipes of Mexican Chicken Stir fry with rice (caulirice). And so last week I decided to try making a grilled chicken with cauliflower and veggies stir fry. But as I was marinating the chicken, I noticed I had a ripe avocado available and so thought why not go full blown and treat myself to a Paleo Chicken Burrito bowl! About 30 mins later, I served up these delicious ‘nightshade free’ burrito bowls that were so jam packed with Mexican flavors that all my cravings of the past one year were assuaged. Even without hot sauce there was enough flavor. The garlic, cumin and the cilantro mainly did the job! And the lemon juice more than makes up for the missing tomato. I licked up the bowl so well that it looked as if it didn’t need any further cleaning when I was done with it 🙂
I also served up some rice for the rest of my family. Yummy dinner that we all enjoyed!
- 2 lbs boneless chicken (preferably thigh pieces) cleaned and cut into bite size pieces
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- ¾ tsp cayenne pepper or Kashmiri chilli powder (omit for AIP)
- ¾ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cumin powder (omit for AIP)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- About 2 tbsp coconut oil for sautéing the chicken
- 1 medium size cauliflower
- 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped finely
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ of a red onion, chopped fine
- ½ cup cilantro chopped finely
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- Lettuce, shredded
- Dab dry the chicken pieces with a paper towel. Add all the marinade ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Add the chicken pieces to this to coat well. Keep aside for 15 - 30 mins.
- Heat a large frying/grilling pan and add the rest of the coconut oil. When hot add the chicken pieces and sautee lightly on medium until the pieces are cooked. (You may need to do this in batches since you don't want to crowd the pan).Transfer the chicken pieces onto a dish and keep covered to stay warm and moist.
- Shred the cauliflower into small pieces using a food processor or by using a knife to get a 'rice' like texture.
- In the same pan that you cooked the chicken, add some more coconut oil and when hot add the cauliflower and the garlic. Saute on medium heat for about a minute until the garlic is toasted. Then add the salt and cover with a lid and cook for about 2-3 mins on low heat until the cauliflower is cooked. Do not overcook otherwise it will get too mushy. Turn heat off and keep aside.
- Mix all the ingredients listed under guacamole in a bowl using a masher. Check for seasoning and add additional salt or pepper if needed. Keep aside.
- Mix all the ingredients listed under salsa in a bowl and keep aside,
- To assemble the bowls, place a few tablespoons of the cauliflower rice into a bowl. Add some chicken pieces. Add the lettuce. Then top with the guacamole and salsa. Mix everything well and enjoy!
