Earlier this year I had Chipotle Mexican Grill for the first time in California.  Needless to say I loved it.  I especially loved the guacamole and chips.  After a bit of research, I realized that the recipes for their food items were published online so you can try them at home.

If you have never heard of Chipotle Mexican Grill or have never tried the food there… you must!  Their food with integrity philosophy is really eye catching and hits close to home when you think of prepared food in a restaurant setting.

Chipotle’s Story

“Food with Integrity” is our commitment to always look closer, dig deeper, and work harder to ensure that our actions are making things better, not worse. It’s our promise to run our business in a way that doesn’t exploit animals, people or the environment. It is the philosophy that guides every decision we make at Chipotle.

Well of course I had to try it out.  I did this a while ago and just never posted it for you to enjoy.  Here is the low down on what I feel is one of the top 5 guacamole I have ever had.

Ingredients

• 2 Hass Avocados
• 1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
• 1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
• 1/4 of a lime, juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth.
2. Add additional lime juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalapeno seeds!

Zesty Tip: This recipe is an approximation based on the original Chipotle recipe. Please use it as a base for your guacamole creation, and feel free to make improvements based on your own personal preferences.

Ok, I have to get to work…. 3 million things to do after being away last week and away all weekend.  Have a great start to your week and I cannot wait to hear your favorite guacamole recipe in the comments.  You know you have to tell me them so don’t be shy.

Take care

zesty

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Holy Friday!  This week flew by for sure which is surprising after vacation - normally I find the first week drags.  Not the case at all for me which is nice.  I got a good amount of work done this week as well which makes me feel good.  I got a pretty decent response from people interested in the “Help the Student Event” I will be running next month.  I cannot wait!  I have so many fun ideas on how to be frugal yet creative in the kitchen.

Guess what is in store for today…. well you already know if you read the title but I thought I would ask the question anyhow.  I know, lame isn’t it?  Oh well that’s me.  Alright, so let’s begin.  Mexican Beef and Bean wrap.  Sound exciting?  Yeah I thought so.

This is super easy and tasty.  I like the cumin in the beef… I find it smells like sweat but I love the flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans
• 1/2 Cup salsa
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 Tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tsp Cumin
• Sliced Bell peppers
• 6 (8- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
• 1 Cup shredded lettuce
• 1/2 Cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• Cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)

Method

1. Mix beans, salsa and chili powder in 1-quart saucepan.
2. Heat over medium heat about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warm.
3. In another sauce pan, brown the beef with the cumin until cooked through, toss in peppers and let cook for 3 minutes. Add the bean and salsa mixture to the pan and mix thoroughly.
4. Spoon about 1/4 cup bean mixture onto center of each tortilla; spread slightly.
5. Top with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes.
6. Fold over sides of tortillas.
7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Let’s avoid drying out the meat.  I always use lean ground beef so you have to be careful not to over cook it but at the same time cook it through.  Once it turns from pink to brown you are good to go.  Add the moisture from the beans and peppers and you will be set.

I am off to the dentist today… oh how I love that visit.  Do you find your teeth feel weird after the cleaning… almost loose? But I love rubbing my tongue over them when they are clean.  Do you get your teeth cleaned bi annually or annually.  I am every 6 months.  Enough about the dentist – Have a super Friday and send me a note if you want to participate in Help the Student event!!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Happy Friday!!  WHOOOOO HOOOOOO.  As I type this post I am stranded in the house as the driveway is completely filled in from a snow drift.  No big deal as our snow removal guy is en route.  This gives me just enough time to share this delicious, quick and easy chicken recipe with you and kick off Friday with a bang.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Cup of Mushrooms ( sliced)
• 1 1/2 Cups Salsa
• Mozzarella cheese
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Black Pepper

Method

1. Preheat Oven to 350 Degrees
2. In a preheated sauce pan add the olive oil and begin to brown the chicken.



3. Add the mushrooms and let cook down for about 3 minutes.



4. Turn the chicken and brown the other side and then transfer to baking pan.



5. Top the chicken and mushrooms with the salsa and top with the cheese.







6. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and cooked through.



7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Over cooking a boneless chicken breast can really turn into a bad experience.  Make sure to just cook it through until no longer pink.  Remember that boneless does not take as long as bone in too cook.

Do you Remember

Remember back when I baked homemade beer bread.  It was very good but had a funny after taste and many of you tried the recipe and some suggested the same problem with the amount of baking powder.  Well I was concerned about that so I made the recipe again last night and tweaked the 4 1/2 Teaspoons of baking powder to 3 Teaspoons.  It was much better.  I also halved the amount of melted butter on top and it was still delicious.

Here are a couple of snapshots of the finished product.

I hope you have a great Friday and I will talk to you on Monday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty