Mexican Inspired Meal Prep

Some of the freshest ingredients you can find here at the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market this season include tomatoes and corn. These are both a cheap, delicious, and nutritious vegetable that will be around all summer long; therefore, I decided to make a pico de gallo and corn salsa to have prepped for meals throughout the week! In addition to the salsas, I made a big batch of cilantro-lime rice and pinto beans to have on hand for future meals. Read more to find some inspiration for your own dishes this summer.

One meal I made with the prep: burrito bowl with roasted sweet bell peppers and onions, rice, beans, romaine, and the salsas.

Fresh produce from local farmers:

Crooked Sky Farms:

• beautiful heirloom tomatoes
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• sweet corn
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• green bell peppers
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• yellow jalapeño peppers
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• pinto beans and cilantro (not pictured)

Blue Sky Farms:

• red and white onions
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making the pico de gallo salsa

ingredients

• 4 heirloom tomatoes, diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 1 yellow or green jalapeño, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

preparation

1. start by dicing up the tomatoes and adding them to a medium bowl
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2. next, dice the white onion and jalapeno pepper and add to the bowl
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3. next, chop up the cilantro and add to the bowl
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4. finally add your lime juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper to the bowl
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5. mix all the ingredients well, and add more salt if needed
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making the corn salsa

ingredients

• 2 ears of corn, cut off the cob
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 yellow or green jalapeño pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

preparation

• begin by bringing a large pot of water to a boil
• peel the corn and add to the boiling water for 5 minutes
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• once the corn is cool enough to handle, remove the corn from the cob with a knife and add to a medium sized bowl
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• next, dice up the red onion and jalapeño and add to the bowl
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• finally, add the chopped cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to the bowl and give it a good mix
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making the beans

for this meal prep, I decided to make pinto beans which I purchased right from Crooked Sky Farms! Check out my previous blog post on how to cook dry beans to see the process start to finish. You can keep the beans in their cooking liquid for up to 10 days in the fridge making it very easy to use them for future meals throughout the week

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making the rice

to prepare the rice, I simply cooked 4 servings of white long grain rice from my local sprouts farmers market and added the juice of two limes and about 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro. This is another easy food to keep in the fridge for future meals because it heats up so easy and fast! I used this as the base in my burrito bowl and it was so delicious with both the salsas and beans!

making the roasted green bell peppers

These roasted fajita peppers were an amazing addition to the meal the night I was making prep. They only need to roast for about 20 minutes but were the perfect way to add more volume and veggies to the dish.

ingredients

• 3 green bell peppers, sliced
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper

preparation

1. begin by preheating the oven to 425 degrees F
2. remove the tops and seeds from the green bell peppers and slice them
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3. slice the white onion and add to a medium bowl with the green peppers
4. toss the peppers and onions with the olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper (I find that tossing the veggies in the seasoning ensures they get the full amount of flavor from it)
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5. place the tossed onions and peppers on a non-stick pan and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until roasted golden brown on the outside
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Now you can make all these ingredients and make wonderful meals all week long!

• the first night I made the prep I made a burrito bowl with lots of rice and roasted peppers.
• The following days I used the salsas, beans, and rice for a taco bar and burritos.
• the salsas are also amazing on their own as a quick snack with tortilla chips.
• whatever you decide to do with all the separate ingredients, I guarantee it will be amazing because of how good they all go together. Get creative with some different proteins and wraps to go with all these fresh ingredients!

 

 

Posted in All Recipes, Downtown Phoenix, Gardening, Health & Wellness, Local, Loyal Local, Recipe, Recipe Box, Summer, Sustainability, Taste of the Market, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vendor Feature, Vendors, What's In Season