Grocery Monday

Monday is grocery day at our house.  And, yes, I do love Mondays.

I usually go to a couple of stores when I grocery shop.  One store for staples such as canned goods, condiments, maybe this week's produce.  Then a second stop for proteins and specialty items.  Here in Ann Arbor, I'm lucky to have a myriad of choices of grocery stores.  In dreary January that helps, since grocery shopping in the middle of winter doesn't deliver much excitement as, let's say, a trip to the farmer's market in June.

(Bonus points for me today...I remembered to use my own grocery bags.  I didn't leave them at home and then curse at the cash register when I realized that I left them at home.

Roasted poblano peppers.

 G and I have been enjoying homemade burrito bowls since we tried them at Chipotle during our Christmas road trip to New York.  So the first stop I made when I returned home from the store was at my gas stove top.  I placed two poblano peppers on a high flame and let them char on all sides (for about 5 minutes).  Then I placed them in a paper bag and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes.  Once I was ready to make my bowl, I peeled off the skin and then sliced the peppers into strips, discarding the stem and seeds.

Today's protein of choice was beef.  In a medium saucepan, I browned:

1 1/4# ground beef

Then I added:

1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

Then I added some seasonings:

1 T. chili powder
1/8 t. cayenne
1/3 c. water
salt and pepper, to taste

I let the beef and bean mixture sit at a medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, I placed chopped Romaine lettuce, halved grape tomatoes, roasted poblano peppers, corn, cilantro, and drizzled it with extra virgin olive oil and lime juice.  Then I topped everything with the beef and bean mixture and sprinkled on some chopped green onions.

If G and I wanted to indulge more with these burrito bowls, I could add:

Guacamole
Salsa
Sour cream
Crushed tortilla chips
Pepper jack cheese or Queso Fresco, which is a crumbly white cheese similar to feta, but with a milder flavor.