Best 5 Tex Mex Grain Bowl Recipes

TEX-MEX BEEF BOWL WITH AVOCADO CILANTRO DRESSING

Steps:

• Preheat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat until just barely smoking.
• Combine garlic powder, chili powder, kosher salt, paprika, and cumin in a bowl; rub over all sides of flank steak.
• Grill flank steak in the preheated grill pan, flipping halfway through, until browned and cooked to desired doneness, about 8 minutes. Let steak rest on a work surface for 10 minutes. Thinly slice steak against the grain.
• Divide rice, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, tortilla chips, black beans, jalapeno peppers, and lime wedges between 2 serving bowls; top with steak, cotija cheese, and 1 tablespoon cilantro.
• Combine avocados, water, 1/2 cup cilantro, sour cream, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a blender; blend until dressing is smooth. Pour dressing over each bowl.

TEX MEX SHRIMP AND SQUASH GRAIN BOWL WITH AVOCADO DRESSING

Steps:

• For the squash: Prepare the quinoa according to the package instructions. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the butternut squash on the baking sheet. Spray with the olive oil, then sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper, and rub the seasonings on the pieces. Roast, turning once to ensure they are not burning, until crisp-tender with brown edges, about 20 minutes.
• For the avocado dressing: Blend the avocado, almond milk, cilantro, jalapeno and cider vinegar, if using, lime juice, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add a tablespoon of water or a bit more lime juice to make the sauce thinner, if desired. Set aside in an airtight container.
• For the grain bowls: Add the olive oil, garlic and onion to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns brown and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, then toss in the shrimp. Add the chili powder and smoked paprika and cook, tossing occasionally, until the shrimp is plump, the outside edges are seared and there are no more visible raw areas, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the kale to the skillet along with the lime juice. Cook, tossing occasionally, allowing the kale to wilt under the steam of the lime juice until the kale has softened yet is still crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove everything from the heat.
• Divide the quinoa, butternut squash and shrimp and kale mix among three bowls. Toss together in the individual bowls. Top with equal amounts of the dressing. Garnish with cilantro, green onions and lime juice.

TEX-MEX SHRIMP AND GRITS

Steps:

• For the grits: Bring 3 cups of the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Slowly stir in the grits. Return to a boil and cook over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Turn down the heat to low and stir in the pepper jack, queso blanco and crema. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter and keep warm.
• Heat the remaining 2 cups chicken stock in a separate pan.
• For the shrimp: Meanwhile, add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet over a medium-high heat. Sprinkle the shrimp with the taco seasoning and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the skillet and cook until they begin to turn pink, 1 to 2 minutes on each side, then remove and set aside. (The shrimp will finish cooking later in the sauce.)
• Add the chorizo to the skillet and break it up with a spatula. Add the onion and all the peppers to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the chorizo is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute. Stir in the hot stock and hot sauce to taste. Return the shrimp to the skillet with their juices. Cook until the shrimp are cooked through, an additional 2 minutes. Add the lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• To serve, spoon the shrimp and sauce over the grits and garnish with the cilantro.

TEX-MEX CHICKEN SALAD BOWL

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375˚. Combine the lime zest, fajita seasoning and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl; rub all over the chicken. Heat a large nonstick ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring, until warmed through, 30 seconds; remove to a bowl. Add the vegetable oil to the skillet. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to rest 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, combine 1 cup spinach, the halved avocado, buttermilk, lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a blender. Puree until smooth. Blend in 2 to 4 tablespoons water until thin enough to drizzle.
• Divide the remaining spinach among shallow bowls. Arrange the corn, sliced avocado, tomatoes, cabbage and tortilla strips on top. Slice the chicken against the grain and add to the bowls. Drizzle with some of the dressing and serve the rest on the side.

GRAIN BOWLS WITH GRILLED CORN, STEAK, AND AVOCADO

Steps:

• Season steak with 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat or heat grill pan over medium-high. Grill steak, turning occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of steak registers 120-125°F for medium-rare (2-3 minutes per side for skirt; 3-4 minutes per side for flank). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes or until cool.
• Meanwhile, grill corn until charred on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to cutting board and let cool.
• Slice corn off cobs into a large bowl. Add grains, feta, scallions, oil, lime juice, and 1/2 tsp. salt and stir to combine. Divide corn mixture among bowls.
• Thinly slice steak against the grain (to make slicing easier for skirt steak, cut into 5"-6" segments, then slice against the grain). Top bowls with steak and avocado. Drizzle jalapeño sauce over; season with salt and pepper.
• Do Ahead: Steak and corn can be grilled 3 days ahead. Transfer to separate airtight containers and chill.