Mexican Lettuce Wraps

Every time I go to P.F. Chang's I have to order their vegetarian lettuce wraps. I love the warm veggies and tofu combined with the crispy lettuce leaves. While I was home for a month, my mom was craving a mexican- inspired dish. We had some beans in the cabinet but I wanted to do more than just a burrito or bean salad (that came a different night). The result was inspired by my favorite aforementioned dish just with a different filling. Some of the spice quantities are approximate because I was improvising at that point. I highly suggest you pick your seasoning and add it a bit at a time until you're happy with the flavor.

Mexican Lettuce Wraps
By Caroline Mac

Ingredients:
1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 zucchini, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped

1 c fresh cilantro

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 can each low sodium black and pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 t Penzey's Arizona seasoning, or equivalent mexican spices

1-2 t Penzey's Southwest seasoning, or equivalent southwestern spices

1-2 t smoked paprika

Chile garlic Cholula hot sauce, to taste

Lots of lime juice, to taste

Olive oil for cooking

1 head butter lettuce, leaves left whole

1-2 heads romaine, whole leaves

1 Avocado, sliced


Step 1: Coat the bottom of your saute pan with olive oil and heat over medium- high heat. Add all veggies and garlic and saute until they begin to become tender.

Step 2: Add cilantro and spices, stirring for a minute or two longer. Reduce heat and add beans, lime, and hot sauce. Stir and until everything is thoroughly mixed.

Step 3: Remove mixture from heat and allow to cool. Spoon mixture onto butter lettuce leaves and into romaine boats. Top with avocado and serve immediately.

Note: You may want to have a spoon and fork handy, as this dish can get a bit messy...

Enjoy!
~Caroline~

Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

My friend Paige and I were overdue for a cooking night. Our choice? Stuffed bell peppers! Since neither of us had ever made this dish, we decided it would be safest to follow a recipe. Next time I'll definitely create my own! This yummy recipe is protein packed and was really delicious. I added a little extra heat to up the Mexican-style feel of the dish. It would still taste great without the spice, which I why I put "to taste" next to the cayenne. I can't wait to create my own fillings in the future!

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
Adapted from Vegetarian Times

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
2 T olive oil
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
1 T ground cumin
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced

10 oz frozen chopped spinach, partly thawed
2 15-oz  cans fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
15 oz can black beans, no salt added, rinsed and drained
3/4 c dry quinoa
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 c shredded cheese (I used vegan cheese)
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

Step 1: Heat oil over medium-high heat and saute onion, celery, and garlic until tender and fragrant. Add cumin and cayenne and saute for another minute. Reduce heat to medium, add tomatoes and spinach and cook for 5 minutes or until liquid is mostly evaporated (there will still be some, which is ok).

Step 2: Stir in beans, quinoa, and carrots, as well as 2 cups water. You can use a little less water is there is still a lot of water from the spinach and tomatoes. Bring this to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Quinoa should be tender. Stir in cheese.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour tomato juice in the bottom of a baking pan. Fill each pepper half  as full as possible with quinoa mixture and place in baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before eating.

Enjoy!

~Caroline~