Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

Let’s face it, Chipotle knows how to make good food. Their simple menu, assembly line service and fast casual concept draws loyal fans.

Diners prefer Chitpotle over other fast food chains because they can customize their orders and it’s “healthier.” But beware, once you add the guac, cheese and sour cream, the seemingly healthy meal can turn into a calorie bomb.

Even so, there is no denying that Chipotle’s menu is delicious and addicting!

The other day, I was craving a burrito bowl – my go to selection at Chipotle.
Instead of driving ten minutes to the closest location, I decided to make my own.

I mean, how hard can it be? Rice, beans, chicken and chopped vegetables is all you need.

Besides, making your own is more economical. For the price of one Chipotle meal, you can make this recipe instead and feed up to four people.

It’s so yummy I could eat this every day!

Season your chicken generously! I included measurements of the spices for the sake of this recipe, but honestly I just evenly sprinkle the spices directly from its container onto the chicken. When it comes to cooking, you don’t have to be as precise as you do in baking.

If you’re looking to reduce your carb intake, you can totally skip the rice and just make a burrito salad.

Hope you enjoy and satisfy those Chipotle cravings!

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Homemade Chipotle Burrito Bowl

For the rice:
2 cups long grain rice
4 cups water
Juice of one lime
Chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

For the chicken:
1 lb boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic salt
black pepper
1 tb canola oil

Toppings:
Fresh limes
Chopped cilantro
Shredded cheese
Guacamole
1 can corn
1 can black beans
Diced red onion
Diced tomatoes
Chopped lettuce

Directions:

1. For the rice: Rinse excess starch from the rice and cook with water in a rice cooker. Once rice is cooked, fluff the rice using a fork with lime juice, cilantro and salt.
2. For the chicken: Season chicken breasts generously with spices. Heat a skillet with canola oil and sauté chicken until cooked through. 8 – 12 minutes depending on the thickness of your chicken breasts. Once chicken is done, let rest for 5 minutes then dice into cubes.
3. Assemble the burrito bowl by spooning rice into bowls, adding your favorite toppings and placing the chicken on top.

Bagel Nosh: Local bagel shop offers options to fuel up mornings

With the hustle of early morning classes, college students often find themselves skipping breakfast.

Lack of breakfast has been linked to weight gain, diabetes and heart disease. According to Yahoo Health, it can also have negative effects on mood, memory and energy levels.

It is important for college students to fuel up in the morning to ensure they stay focused in class and have the energy to go through their busy days. For a convenient breakfast stop, Bagel Nosh & Deli located at 357 George St. has got students covered.

With no visible sign on its awning, Bagel Nosh could easily be missed. Only a small plastic sign sits in front of the store advertising bagels, breakfast sandwiches and coffee. For reference, the shop is located directly across the street from Subway.

On a Saturday morning, Bagel Nosh had a steady stream of customers ordering bagel sandwiches and breakfast platters. It is a small shop with eight two-seater tables.

The layout of the establishment is made for quick takeout meals. Expect the order to be packaged in Styrofoam containers, foil and parchment paper unless specified otherwise.

The service at Bagel Nosh is generally fast, considering only husband and wife, John and Sunny Yi, run Bagel Nosh. While John prepares the food, Sunny manages the front desk.

I ordered the Baja Omelet, which features three eggs, sausage, mushroom, jack cheese and potato. The platter is also served with home fries and toast.

As I cut through the omelet, jack cheese oozed out and added the perfect amount of spiciness to the mild eggs. The sausage, mushroom and potato were generously and evenly distributed through the omelet.

The home fries were cooked well, but were disappointingly bland even though they were seasoned with paprika, black pepper, garlic and onion powder. Diced onion, green and red pepper provided crunchiness that contrasted with the soft potatoes.

Condiments such as ketchup and Sriracha sauce can be found on the front counter to further enhance the breakfast platter.

For $4.95, I recommend the Baja Omelet for its large portion size. Just make sure to add a little salt, pepper or ketchup.

Customers have a choice between white or whole-wheat toast to go along with their omelet. In an attempt to be healthy, I opted for whole wheat. The two slices of crunchy toast were slathered with creamy butter.

Bagel Nosh also offers a variety of hot grilled sandwiches, which can be ordered as a roll, wrap or sub.

I chose the number 20 chicken sandwich on a roll. It included fresh mozzarella, roasted red pepper, tomato, honey mustard and caramelized onion.

The chicken was moist and tender, but the juicy chicken and slices of tomato left the bottom roll soggy. The roasted red pepper and honey mustard added a natural sweetness to the savory sandwich.

Instead of the chicken sandwich, I would recommend ordering other hot grilled sandwiches like the Honey Mooner. This sandwich included honey turkey, cheddar cheese, lettuce, roasted pepper and mayo.

Although Bagel Nosh’s menu includes more than 50 deli-style sandwiches, they are known for their bagels. Customers can watch their bagel being prepared behind a glass screen full of ingredients.

My favorite selection was the Nova Special 1. This bagel sandwich layers smoked salmon, cream cheese, onion and tomato. I ordered mine with a firmly crusted, yet chewy everything bagel. The sharpness of the red onion complemented the fresh-tasting smoked salmon.

Other bagel options include poppy seed, sesame, garlic, whole wheat, French toast, sugar cinnamon raisin and blueberry. John Yi noted all bagels are made fresh on-site.

To accompany the meal, Bagel Nosh offers a wide range of flavored coffee, teas and bottled beverages.

The bagel shop is also a great place to have lunch. They offer salads, specialty wraps and even burgers.

Maria Vasquez, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said she is a regular at Bagel Nosh. As a resident of Rockoff Hall, she considers Bagel Nosh a convenient cafe for breakfast and lunch.

She described the Milano wrap, which combines grilled chicken, zucchini, spinach, blue cheese, roasted peppers and pesto mayo, as “exquisite.”

Originally published in The Daily Targum

Bonchon Chicken bonds Korean food with world cuisine

Bonchon means “my hometown” in Korean, and the goal of this New Brunswick eatery is to bring Korean comfort food to customers around the globe.

Jinduk Seh founded Bonchon Chicken with the goal of sharing one of Korea’s favorite comfort foods with the world, fried chicken. With years of experience cooking Korean cuisine, he perfected a fried chicken recipe that is juicy, crispy and flavorful, according to Bonchon’s website.

The restaurant, which opened in June 2013 at 1 Penn Plaza, New Brunswick, has utilitarian décor in an airy, clean space.

Chicken is the star of Bonchon’s menu, offered in the form of wings, drumsticks and strips. Although the boneless white meat chicken strips are very good, I recommend the wings and drumsticks for maximum crunch factor

Shrimp Shumai comes with five pieces of shumai, served on a bed of baby lettuce with honey mustard mayonnaise and sesame seeds.

After choosing the type of chicken, customers have the choice of soy garlic sauce, hot sauce or half and half flavors.

I ordered the lunch special, for $7.95, available daily from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Customers have the option of eight wings, four drumsticks, eights strips or a combo of four wings and two drumsticks.

The special also comes with a side of pickled radish, coleslaw or steamed rice.

Since the food is prepared fresh, it took about 20 minutes for the chicken to arrive.

The fried chicken was crunchy, savory and sweet. With the crispy skin and light breading, Bonchon’s Chicken delivers a “crunch” that can be heard around the world.

When asked how Bonchon prepares their signature wings, New Brunswick franchise owner Henry Choi was reluctant to share.

“This is our trade secret, and [it is] no easy task to achieve the perfect crispy crust,” he said. “Lots of time, effort and planning definitely contributes to making the skin paper thin and crispy.”

I ordered my wings half with soy garlic sauce and half with hot sauce. The soy sauce provided a depth and balance to the savory chicken and the garlic flavor was not overpowering.

For those who want a “kick” in their chicken, Bonchon’s hot sauce glaze is the way to go.

It wasn’t spicy at first, but the heat hit after the third bite. Luckily the pickled radish calmed down my taste buds.

The acidity and slight sweetness from the pickled daikon radish complemented the savory wings.

In addition to their famous chicken, Bonchon also serves traditional Korean fare such as Bibimbap for $8.99.

Bibimbap, which means “mixed rice,” is traditionally served with steamed rice, assorted vegetables, red pepper paste and a choice of protein.

The bulgogi bibimbap at Bonchon came with thin slices of rib eye steak, pickled radish, sautéed carrots, julienned yellow squash, steamed spinach and a side of red pepper paste.

The crunchy carrots and pickled daikon paired well with soft rice and tender beef. The beef was seasoned well and had a mix of sweet and salty flavors.

Even more, a light sprinkling of sesame seeds added a nutty flavor to the dish.

Although I enjoyed the bibimbap, the temperature of the should-be hot dish was warm at best.

I was also disappointed to find that the dish lacked a raw egg as advertised on the website.  Traditional bibimbap is served in a hot stone bowl in which raw egg is cooked against the sides of the bowl.

Nonetheless, the bulgogi bibimbap is a winner with its contrasting textures and flavors.

Bonchon’s Shrimp Shumai can be fried or steamed. This appetizer came with five small pieces of shumai and was served on a bed of baby lettuce topped with honey mustard mayonnaise and sesame seeds.

The shumai was soft but lacked flavor and had no discernable pieces of shrimp. For $3.99, I expected a more generous, higher quality portion.

For students on the go, the restaurant offers delivery and pickup services.

“We can even cater to those who have difficulty finding parking by offering curb side pickup on Church Street directly behind our location,” Choi said.

Overall, Bonchon serves fresh food with a mix of Korean, Japanese and Chinese influences in a clean environment.

If you enjoy fried chicken, Bonchon’s crispy soy garlic and hot sauce glazed chicken will increase your expectations of fried chicken. I recommend you to order the biggest size you can because this chicken is addictive.

Originally published in The Daily Targum

Creamy Chicken, Spinach, Mushroom Skillet Pasta

I made this pasta dish on a whim using ingredients I already had in the fridge. This recipe is easily adaptable with other vegetables and pasta. I used three kinds of cheeses in this recipe and it was wonderful! The cream cheese adds a slight tanginess. I also added a couple of diced hot peppers for an extra kick. This is a quick and easy recipe but make sure you find the biggest skillet you have, because this makes a lot of food!

Ingredients:
1 box penne pasta
2 chicken breasts, seasoned to your liking
2 tb oil, separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups spinach
2 tb butter
2 tb flour
4 cups button mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 cups milk
4 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Boil pasta to desired tenderness. While pasta is cooking, heat pan over medium heat and add 1 tb of oil. Season the chicken breasts and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes, then cut into bite sized pieces.
2. In a large skillet, add 1 tb of oil and minced garlic. Sauté garlic, spinach, and mushrooms until spinach is wilted and mushrooms have softened. Transfer vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
3. In the same skillet over medium heat, add butter and flour and whisk until combined for 1 minute. Add milk and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Add in Parmesan, Mozzarella, and cream cheese. Whisk until cheese has melted and sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add cooked pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and chicken into the skillet and mix until combined and heated through. Yields 6 servings.

Basil & Walnut Chicken Salad

The first time I had grapes in a sandwich was a year ago when I had a Napa Almond Chicken sandwich from Panera Bread.  Finding grapes in a sandwich was a tasty surprise.  It gave an interesting sweetness that contrasted with the saltiness of the chicken.

I used to rely on cold cuts for sandwiches, but they are quite expensive and not to mention unhealthy. They are full of sodium, nitrates, and other preservatives.  $4 a pound for a bunch of chemicals?  No, thank you!

Now, I always use chicken breasts for sandwiches.  They are healthy and so versatile!  Lately, I have been addicted to this basil and walnut chicken salad.  So addicted, I have made it at least 6 times this summer.  The grapes provide a nice burst of juicy sweetness, while the celery, onion, and walnuts offer a nice crunch.  For a low-fat version, use Greek yogurt.  You can also swap the walnuts for pecans or almonds!

I toasted my walnuts to bring out the flavor.

On a toasted tortilla.  Yummy!
Or on a roll with avocado!

Basil & Walnut Chicken Salad
Adapted from Lauren’s Latest

1 cooked chicken breast, diced
1 cup red grapes, sliced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup onion, diced
1/3 cup toasted walnuts
1/4 cup chiffonade basil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and serve on a sandwich.