Carne Asada Burrito Bowl {gluten-free and paleo-friendly}

With Cinco de Mayo later this week, it felt more than appropriate to share a Mexican-inspired dish to kick this week off right. As someone who loves Mexican food, with a preferred avoidance of corn, beans and most dairy, it can make hitting up a local authentic So Cal taqueria challenging, at best. Burritos are nearly out of the question.

At best I can always hack any Mexican menu and throw together a killer salad with fajita meat or carne asada, a bed of lettuce with the meat and just load up on guacamole or avocado and skip the cheese, sour cream, rice and beans. I generally avoid the tortillas and skip the chips (or pack my own) – but more and more I am finding this isn’t enough. Many restaurants use spice blends and marinades that contain gluten. Going out for Mexican is just not as fun as it should be.

Bland chicken breast on drab iceberg lettuce, often what I end up with, I’ll skip it, thank you, please. Chipotle has amazing offerings, for on-the-go white people Mexican fast food and it serves it’s purpose, but I still find myself wanting for more. More flavor and more options. Once again, if you can’t find it, you make it. This is what’s gotten me this far in my cooking game.

At home, I can bust out killer marinades and rubs and we build legit tacos, either with lettuce wraps or grain-free cassava flour tortillas or lately I just create the most epic bowl of burrito-inspired goodness.

The best part about this recipe – the options are endless for toppings, so you can customize to your preferred taste and dietary requirements. Got a lot of random stuff in the fridge, leftover salsas or various peppers or veggies – add it to the bowl.

I love a bed of quality green leaf lettuce and cauliflower rice, (adding cilantro and lime to the cauliflower rice takes it to another level, BTW), from there, things tend to progress aggressively. I add avocado (or guac), tomatoes, red onion, green onions and cilantro. Lime wedges are a must and salsa is dependent on my mood and what we happen to have on hand. This time around I had a mango pineapple jalapeño salsa that I nabbed at Whole Foods along with a homemade pico de gallo, but anything works here. Salsa verde, salsa macha or a traditional restaurant-style salsa are all great options or maybe something truly unique, like this strawberry avocado jalapeño, to mix it up.

Carne Asada Burrito Bowl

gluten-free, grain-free, paleo, whole30, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 20

Servings: 4 -6

Ingredients

Carne Asada

2 tablespoons chile powder
2-3 tablespoons chipotle chiles, in adobo
⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons Terra Delyssa Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 tbs coconut aminos, tamari or gluten-free soy suace
4 large cloves garlic
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves and tender stems only, divided
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoons coconut sugar, brown sugar or other granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ lbs grass fed skirt steak

Burrito Bowl Options - Build Your Own to your Liking:

cauliflower rice, or regular rice if you do grains
lettuce or other greens
red, white or green onions, diced or sliced (quick pickled onions are also great)
tomatoes
avocado or guacamole
your fav salsa or pico de gallo, see above for suggestions and links
cilantro
lime wedges
queso fresco or other cheese
sour cream
black, pinto or refried beans
roasted corn
jalapeños
hot sauce
grain-free or regular tortillas or tortilla chips, I served with cassava flour tortilla chips

Instructions

Add all of the carne asada ingredients, besides the steak, to a high speed blender. Blend until a smooth sauce is created. Place the steak in a sealable gallon-sized ziplock bag and pour the marinade over the steak. Squeeze all of the air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate the marinating meat for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to cook: Remove steak from marinade and wipe off excess marinade.
Set half the burners on your gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover the grill, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
Place the steak directly over the hot side of the grill. If using a gas grill, cover the grill. Cook, turning occasionally, until steak is well charred on outside and center registers 110°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 5 to 10 minutes total. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice thinly against the grain.
Build your burrito bowls: Start with a bed of lettuce and cauliflower rice (or regular rice) place the steak on top and add any desired toppings, sauces and salsas. Serve with tortillas or tortilla chips, if you'd like.