Taco Grain Bowls with
Crispy Chipotle Chickpeas
Provided by Jessica Mallory, RDN, CD
Vitality Health & Fitness, LLC
Ingredients list
3 cups of Instant brown rice
3 cups of vegetable broth (may use Boullion seasoning instead if desired)
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 1⁄2 cups of sliced Roma tomatoes *remove seeds for less “soggy” tomato pieces
1/2 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 limes, sliced into wedges
3 avocados, halved and then sliced
1/3 cup of low-fat sour cream to yield 1 tbsp per meal
1 1⁄2 cups of salsa
3⁄4 cup of grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 15 oz cans of cooked chickpeas (garbonzo beans), drained and rinsed
Chickpea Seasoning Ingredients
o 3 tsp of olive oil
o 3 tsp of chili powder
o 1 tsp of ground cumin
o 3⁄4 tsp of salt
o 1/3 tsp of garlic powder
o 1/3 tsp of onion powder
o 1/3 tsp of cayenne pepper *optional
Directions
For the Baked Chickpeas:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or a few paper towels and allow them to drain.
The dryer, the better. Then, transfer them to a large mixing bowl.
Over the chickpeas, add olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, onion powder and garlic
powder. Toss this thoroughly with a spoon to ensure the chickpeas are evenly coated.
Then, transfer the seasoned chickpeas to the prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
Bake the chickpeas for about 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan halfway through baking time, until the chickpeas are heated through and starting to become a little crunchy.
Remove the chickpeas from the oven and then allow to cool.
For the Brown Rice:
While the chickpeas are in the oven, combine uncooked instant brown rice with low sodium vegetable broth in a saucepan, and bring to boil.
Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
Then, fluff with a fork and set aside to cool.
For the other ingredients:
While the rice and chickpeas are cooking, prep the taco bowl additions by slicing the tomatoes, rinsing/chopping the lettuce, slicing the limes, slicing the avocados and preparing the cilantro (separate the leaves from the stems and dice the leaves into small pieces, throw the stems away).
To assemble each of the taco bowls: Add 1 cup of romaine lettuce, 1⁄2 cup of cooked brown rice, 1⁄2 cup of chickpeas, 1/3 cup of sliced tomatoes, 1⁄2 of an avocado, 2 tbsp of cheddar cheese, 1⁄4 cup of salsa, 1 tbsp of low-fat sour cream, 1 tbsp of cilantro. Squeeze the juice of 2 lime wedges on top and enjoy.
