Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice

headerI don’t know about y’all, but one of our favorite places to eat is Chipotle. It always tastes fresher than other “fast food” options, and we love their food. My husband orders their bowl, but he only asks for LOTS of rice and steak. He is always raving about how much he loves their rice, so one day I decided to try and recreate it at home. This recipe seems pretty close to what they offer in their restaurant, and it has become one of our “staple” sides for dinner. Plus, it’s almost impossible to screw up, which is always my #1 factor in selecting recipes.

The ingredients you need are:

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2/3 cup white basmati rice (I always use the Mahatma brand pictured below and love it)
  • Juice of 1 lime (remember to roll the lime firmly on the counter with your hands to get maximum juice out)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp coarsely chopped fresh cilantro (I’ve left this out before if I don’t have any cilantro at home, and the rice still tastes great)

1 21. In a saucepan, melt the 1 tbs butter over low heat. Make sure to keep the butter moving, so it doesn’t burn.

2. Slice your lime and squeeze as much juice out as possible. Feel free to add additional limes if you enjoy the flavor.

3. Add 2/3 cup of basmati rice, and stir it in the lime juice and butter for 1 minute to ensure all of the grains are coated.

4. Add 1/2 tsp of salt and 1 cup of water. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan, turn heat down to low, and simmer until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed. I’ve found that if I keep my stovetop on the lowest setting, this should take about 25 minutes.45. Once the rice is cooked, add in 2 tsp of fresh chopped cilantro. Again, I have left this step out before, and the rice is still delish. Also, feel free to add more cilantro if you’re a fan.

And you’re done! How simple was that? I know we enjoy beef with this flavor of rice, so I grabbed some marinated steak at our local grocery store, chopped it up, and cooked it on the stovetop over medium-high heat while my rice was simmering.

3This is a simple quick (about 30-minute) meal, that is a great standby. We’ve enjoyed this rice with chicken fajitas, baked chicken, tacos, and more! Like I said, it’s one of our favorites! Hope you like it, too!
5Siggy Autumn

 

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La Jolla Life: Part 2

LaJollaLifeAs we begin Week 3 of our La Jolla adventure, I figured I would add another update. We are still really enjoying our time here, and trying to explore as much as our schedule allows.

Last weekend we attended a picnic at a park that far outshone any park I’ve ever seen!

PicnicIt had volleyball courts, playgrounds, kites, bubbles, and spray on tattoos! I was cooler than Louis and decided to get a paw print tat on my wrist. It felt very Lion King-esque to me. Is that a thing? I’m making that a thing.

picnictat

In addition to the games they had delicious catered food…no PB&Js, Lays, or ants at this picnic. Cali is too fancy for that apparently. We had a great time enjoying the weather, playing bingo, and admiring the fact that we needed to wear sweatshirts outside in June. A very foreign concept for us Texans! After a few hours of picnic fun, our hunger returned, and we decided to hit up a well known California landmark…In-n-Out!

innout1Apparently there are several not-so-secret “secret” ways you can order your burgers like animal-style, 3×3, etc. However, Louis and I are pretty boring when it comes to our burgers, so we just went simple.

innout2The burgers were pretty yummy. They reminded us of Sonic burgers. The fries were pretty meh though…not sure what all the hoopla is about! Oh well, at least we can say we tried it!

Speaking of food, our hotel conveniently offers free dinners Monday through Wednesday evenings as well as free breakfast every morning. Tuesday is usually “homestyle” food, and Wednesdays are always BBQ night! However, Monday is almost always “Chips & Salad.” The first time I saw that on the community calendar, I assumed they must mean taco salad or something more exaggerated. I was wrong.

chipsandsaladY’all, this is seriously what they have for “dinner” every Monday night. Thankfully, we’re within walking distance of several yummy restaurants. Typically our Monday nights end up looking more like this:

chipotleYes, Chipotle is just as delicious in California as it is everywhere else. Yum.

No, eating isn’t all we do in La Jolla! We also enjoy the beautiful scenery. Even driving around here I am constantly in awe of the landscaping, terrain, and random ocean views that spring up. The other day we were lucky enough to enjoy the sunset down at La Jolla Shores. First, we took a stroll down Ocean Lane. How cute is this?

ocean lane

Even though the streets are painfully steep, they make up for it with cute street names and adorable views.

oceanlane2Once we finally made it down to the shore, we were not disappointed. I’ll let the pictures do the talking here…

IMG_1855 IMG_1868 IMG_1877 IMG_1879

Aside from animating the first two pictures, I haven’t edited any of these pictures! That beauty is all God! I can’t believe this view is only a mile and a half away from us here! So stunning!

This is only a sliver of our La Jolla Life so far, but I’ll update again soon!

CoralSiggy

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