Vegan Taco Lettuce Wraps (GF)

Last week I made a meal I'd created before but never written up, so here goes.

For some people, lettuce wraps are a great way to cut the carbs from their diet. But for me, because I love those healthy carbs, it's just a way to add more veggies to a meal. 

Choosing the lettuce is the biggest obstacle in making lettuce wraps. You want something sturdy, but not too tough and bitter. I've used Romaine before, but it's not as flat a I'd like; it can break easily when you try to wrap it around the stuffing. The butter lettuce worked pretty well, I think. I almost went with lacinato kale, but I think it would have been to tough to digest raw.

These wraps have a taco-inspired mix inside, consisting of quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes, green peppers, and onions. It's seasoned with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Because I almost never measure anything, I'm going to guess at the amounts that went into this meal:

2 c. cooked quinoa

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 c. frozen corn (which I just happened to have in my freezer)

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 tbs olive oil

1-2 cloves garlic, chopped

liberal shakes of chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper

1 head butter lettuce

I prepared my quinoa in a rice cooker and set it aside to do its thing.

I then heated the olive oil and garlic in a pan over medium to medium-high heat, then added the chopped onion and green pepper until they got a little bit tender, and then finally added in the tomatoes corn, and black beans, all of which were already pre-cooked. I let that simmer for about five or so minutes. Then I turned the heat off and added in the cooked quinoa and stirred everything together.

Just before serving. Before it got really messy.

I won't lie--these can be very messy to eat. It's definitely finger food, and if you're as sloppy as I can be, you might want to go ahead and toss a napkin in your lap. And tuck one in your shirt. But it's so worth it! This is one of my most delicious meals, if I do say so myself.