Burrito bowls get a healthy and delicious upgrade with crispy roasted chickpeas and cauliflower “rice”. Trust me, you won’t miss the meat one bit!
Do you watch the local news? I’ll be completely honest, I try my hardest to avoid watching it, at all costs. I will fast forward through TV commercials just to avoid the possibility of seeing one of those 30 second “coming up next on the ___o’clock news” snippets. Now you are probably thinking I am some hillbilly ignoramus who lives in a cave with zero concept of current events, which couldn’t be farther from the truth*. I simply find watching the news terribly depressing. There is always some creep who killed his cat, or a dude who stabbed his neighbor… car jackings, robberies, crazies leaving babies in boxes on the side of the road. Need I go on?? Maybe I am the crazy one, but I don’t want to hear about those unpleasantries, even if they are happening in my city. I want to hear about babies being born, furry puppies getting adopted, rainbows, butterfly gardens, stellar food (of course), and such. They need to make a news show dedicated to that! Now that is a show I can get into 🙂
Anyways, you know what is not depressing, not even in the slightest wee bit? These nutritious and delicious Roasted Chickpea and Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls. I have developed a serious addiction to these bowls of healthy, vegetarian burrito inspired lovin’. Roasting the cauliflower rice adds depth, warmth and a slight nutty flavor. While, roasting and seasoning the chickpeas with taco-esque spices adds crispy, crunchy, slightly spicy, and totally Tex-Mexy appeal. Besides, cauliflower and chickpeas paired together? Match made in heaven!
I served my bowls over shredded lettuce and topped them with ingredients I like in my burrito: roasted corn salsa, juicy mini San Marzano tomatoes, creamy diced avocados, crumbles of rich Mexican Fresco cheese and a few slices of jalapenos for a smidge of heat. As if all that isn’t seriously kick arse on its own, I added a cilantro- lime vinaigrette. The dressing adds a little earthy, tart zing and really finishes off the burrito bowls perfectly.
But, these cauliflower and chickpea burrito bowls aren’t just healthy and scrumptious, they are also pretty dang quick to put together. Season some chickpeas, blitz some cauliflower in a food processor, and throw them in the oven. While those are roasting, dice and slice some veggies, and whiz together the dressing. Badda-bing, badda-boom a Tex-Mex party in a bowl is yours for the devouring. Yay to that!
I know you are going to love these burrito bowls as much as I do. Because what’s not to love? Healthy, easy-peasy and outrageously delicious. Cheers!
-xoxo-
Cheyanne
*I read my daily news on MSN. I like to have control over what type of news I am reading. 🙂
Roasted Chickpea & Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- Cauliflower Rice:
- 1 large head Cauliflower – cut into florets and shredded
- ½ medium Yellow Onion – small dice (about ½ cup)
- 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¾ tsp Cumin
- ½ scant tsp Garlic Powder
- ½ scant tsp Onion Powder
- Pinch Dried Red Pepper
- ¾ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 small Jalapeno – thinly sliced into rings and seeds removed
- Roasted Chickpeas:
- 2 (14 oz) cans Chickpeas - drained, rinsed, excess skin removed & towel dried
- 3 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 ½ tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Paprika
- 1/8 tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Onion Powder
- ¼ tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette: (yield 1 Cup)
- 2 Cup Cilantro Leaves – loosely packed
- 2 Jalapenos – ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 4 large cloves Garlic
- 6 TBS Lime Juice (juice of 4 small limes)
- 2 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 6-8 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil *
- Burrito Bowls:
- Roasted Corn & Poblano Salsa
- Avocado - diced
- Mini San Marzano Tomatoes - cut in half or quartered (can substitute cherry or grape tomatoes)
- Fresco Mexican Crumbling Cheese – crumbled
- Fresh Cilantro Leaves
- Iceberg Lettuce – thinly sliced (can substitute lettuce of choice)
- Tortilla Bowls (optional)
Instructions
- For the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette: Place all ingredients, except olive oil, into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to roughly chop ingredients. With processor running, slowly add the olive oil and puree until smooth and thoroughly combined. Add more olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, for a thinner vinaigrette. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside in the refrigerator for flavors to develop until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- For the Roasted Chickpeas: Place one lined sheet pan into the oven for 5 minutes to get hot. Meanwhile, in a medium sized mixing bowl combine the olive oil and dry seasoning. Add the rinsed and dried chickpeas. Toss to combine. Transfer to hot, lined baking sheet in an even, single layer. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and toss/stir. Place back into oven and continue to roast until brown and crispy, an additional 15-25 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly on the pan for 5 minutes.
- Simultaneously, Roast the Cauliflower: In a large mixing bowl toss the shredded cauliflower with the onions, olive oil and dry seasoning. Spread out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and add jalapeno rings to top. Continue to bake an additional 15 minutes, or until browned and roasted throughout. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- To assemble Burrito Bowls: Place shredded lettuce in a serving bowl or large tortilla shell, top with roasted cauliflower rice, roasted chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, corn salsa and crumbled fresco. Garnish with cilantro. Drizzle with cilantro-lime vinaigrette.
Notes
*Cauliflower Rice Yields about 3 Cups
*For Vinaigrette- Start with 6 tablespoons of olive oil, add more, one tablespoon at a time, for a thinner vinaigrette.
*sigh* I’m going to have to break down and try these roasted chickpeas. I wasn’t really a fan of chickpeas in general until recently so I’ve been wary but this is probably the 8th time I’ve seen them in a recipe this week LOL
Carmella, *giggling* Boy (my husband) hates chickpeas. However, I’ve gotten him to eat these roasted ones, as long as they are straight from the oven and crunchy! It’s funny you have seen so many recipes for them this week.. maybe it’s a sign? 😉 If you try them, I’d love to hear what you think. Fingers crossed they transform you into someone who likes chickpeas, even if it’s just a little! Cheers and thank you so much for stopping by! Oh, and good luck!! lol
These bowls are almost too pretty to eat! Recipe looks super yummy and makes me much happier than watching the depresso news 🙂
Karrie, Thanks sweetness! So glad to hear I’m not the only person in the world that finds the local news depressing! I. just. Can’t! 😉 And these bowls, not to pretty to eat… they are hard to stop eating! Cheers!