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Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

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Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Hi there! How is Monday morning treatin’ ya?

We had quite the weekend. Between entertaining friends who stayed with us all week, my birthday on Thursday, a friend’s housewarming party on Friday, my company’s annual party on Saturday, and 20 inches of fresh powder in the mountains (that Nate took advantage of but I did not), we were pretty much out of commission by the time Sunday morning rolled around. These days I have to admit I don’t usually go out on both Friday and Saturday nights (and definitely not wearing monstrous heels), so this weekend was a reminder that I’m not as young as I used to be… and that sleeping in is necessary sometimes.

Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

As a side note, I still can’t feel one of my toes after wearing those heels all night. Maybe I’ll forget about this and bring them the next time I go to Vegas… but until then, I’m pushing them to the back of my closet. Flats are the way to go!

Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

Anyway, after a busy weekend, I seldom feel like slaving over a hot stove all day Sunday. I much prefer going to yoga and then tossing together a quick meal like this, that involves just a little chopping and a few minutes of cooking time.

We loved these tacos because they’re so fresh and light. Nothing is as refreshing as homemade salsa, and using lettuce leaves instead of taco shells lightens up the meal. No sense in cancelling out all those chaturangas I just did!

Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

I based these off my chickpea tacos, using beans, onions, garlic, and the same spice mix. I know the ingredient list looks long, but honestly you just need a few fresh ingredients for the salsa, and the rest you most likely have in your pantry. I swear these come together quickly! If you’d rather use guacamole or regular salsa + cheese + sour cream, etc., go for it! But fruit salsa is allllways a good idea.

Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa

5.0 from 5 reviews
Black Bean Lettuce Wrap Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa
 
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These lightened-up tacos feature spiced black beans and homemade mango-avocado salsa wrapped in fresh lettuce. Quick to prepare and bursting with flavor!
Author:
Yields: 6 tacos
Ingredients
For the tacos:
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 onion, finely diced (yellow or red)
  • 14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (or about 1 1/2 cups cooked)
  • 6 leaves bibb or iceberg lettuce
For the taco seasoning (or use 1/2 packet of your favorite taco seasoning):
  • 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 cup water
For the mango avocado salsa:
  • 1 mango, peeled and diced
  • 1 avocado, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
  • 1/4 red onion, diced
  • 1 Tbsp lime juice
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. First prepare the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, combine all taco seasoning ingredients. The tacos come together quickly, so I like to do this before anything goes on the stove.
  3. Add olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add garlic and onion and saute until soft, 4-5 minutes.
  4. Pour in black beans and taco seasoning and stir to coat. Saute, stirring occasionally, until beans are heated through and some of the water is evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
  5. Serve with lettuce leaves to be used as taco shells and mango avocado salsa.
  6. Enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from my Chickpea Taco recipe and FoodNetwork.com.

 

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce

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Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce

I warned you:  Sweet Potato Fever over here. Can someone come over to my house and tell me if I’m turning orange around the edges?

Here’s how we’re getting our sweet potato fix today: roasted, in a bowl with quinoa and broccoli, and drenched in a slurpable sauce. This right here is barely a recipe. Buuuut it’s one of the meals I’ve been eating most often recently, so of course I wanted to share. It’s a great way to use up any vegetables you might have gotten overzealous with on your last shopping trip… ahem sweet potatoes.

I almost always use sweet potatoes when I make this, but the other vegetable can be changed up. I usually try to use something green. Here it was broccoli, but I’ve also done Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and kale. Green beans or asparagus would also be great as we head into spring!

For a hot meal, this is super fast to make. Quinoa is a quick-cooking grain, and I love that it’s cooked and tender by the time the veggies finish roasting. The dressing can also be whipped up in about 30 seconds, making life so easy.

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce

I recently made this for lunch for Nate, our friend Pete and myself before an afternoon of skiing. I was out of the house when Nate texted me, saying he and Pete were stopping to get Pete’s ski stuff and would be home soon to eat. Eek – for a second I thought I was going to have to renege on my offer to make lunch. But I quickly got my head screwed on straight, raced home, and popped these veggies in the oven. Lunch was ready by the time the boys got back! Success.

This is also one of my favorite lunches to pack for work. It’s so healthy, and the tart and salty sauce is just the type of thing I look forward to eating all morning. Not to mention the sweet potatoes!

Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce

5.0 from 1 reviews
Roasted Veggie Quinoa Bowl with Miso Tahini Sauce
 
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Author:
Yields: 3 servings
Ingredients
For the bowl:
  • 1 large sweet potato (1 1/2 to 2 lbs), peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 3 small heads broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • sprinkle of salt and pepper
  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
For the miso tahini sauce:
  • 2 Tbsp white miso paste
  • 2 Tbsp tahini
  • 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • 2-4 Tbsp water (as needed)
  • 1 small clove garlic, minced (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 and line 2 baking sheets with tin foil.
  2. Toss sweet potato with 1 tsp olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and spread onto one of the baking sheets. Do the same with the broccoli, remaining olive oil, and another sprinkle of salt and pepper and spread onto the other baking sheet. Roast both for 20-25 minutes, until starting to brown, stirring once halfway through.
  3. While vegetables are roasting, cook quinoa. Add to small pot with 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until tender. Drain any remaining water.
  4. Finally, prepare the miso tahini sauce. With an immersion blender (or a whisk), mix together the miso, tahini, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp water, and optional garlic. Add additional water to reach desired thickness.
  5. Once vegetables are done, you're ready to eat! Scoop quinoa into each bowl and top with vegetables and miso tahini sauce.
  6. Enjoy!

 

Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Quiche

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Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

A.K.A. My obsession with sweet potatoes reaches new heights.

I have to warn you about my sweet potato consumption lately. It has been INTENSE. My realization that winter is almost over prompted not only soup panic, but sweet potato panic. I’ve been incorporating them into almost every meal we eat. So, if you read this blog regularly, you can expect to see a lot of sweet potatoes in the next week or two. As in… 66.67% of the posts I have planned for the next week involve sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

I hope you’re OK with that… especially when those sweet potatoes take quiche form.

Now, I’ll be honest, the idea for this quiche was born out of some desperate-looking leftovers on my counter and in my fridge (sweet potatoes and goat cheese). Pantry cooking is not my forte, although I’m trying to be better about it and will hopefully do a post about that soon. But sweet potatoes and goat cheese seemed like a good combo, and so they found their way into this quiche, along with some sage, red onions, and Swiss cheese.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

And let me say that it is taaaaasty. I definitely forgot how much I like quiche.

When I wasn’t eating eggs or dairy, I didn’t think I had too many quiches in my future. Luckily, I was wrong. I had a LOT of quiche in my life on the day that I made this little beauty. Probably too much. It was yummy, but I think I recommend moderation. Do as I say, not as I do.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

I realized after making this quiche that it may slightly resemble my blood orange upside down cake, hah. I guess I’m loving everything round and orange recently!

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

This is one of the most flavorful quiches I’ve ever had. The goat cheese and sweet potatoes really are a great combo, and the sage and red onion add another punch. Mmmm I’m wishing I had some leftovers of this right now. Writing about really good food just isn’t as much fun when you’re not simultaneously stuffing your face with it.

I used my mom’s easy press-in pie crust for this quiche. In my opinion, quiches take long enough to cook; the last thing I need is to be chilling and rolling out a pie crust on top of that. You can even mix this pie crust right in the pie plate and then just press it on in. And if you’re better at working with pie crusts than I an, you might even be able to crimp the edges of yours. Clearly, that didn’t happen with mine. My mom somehow manages to put beautiful crimps in this crust, but I have yet to manage it.

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

This quiche would be great for brunch, lunch or dinner. I’ve eaten it for all three! It’s one of the tastiest ways I’ve gotten my sweet potato fix lately :)

Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Quiche

5.0 from 2 reviews
Goat Cheese and Sweet Potato Quiche
 
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Author:
Yields: 1 quiche, about 8 servings
Ingredients
For the crust:
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp milk (I used plain unsweetened almond milk)
For the quiche filling:
  • 1 1/2 medium or 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh sage leaves
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese (or other cheese of your choice)
  • 4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
For the custard:
  • 3 large eggs
  • 3/4 cup milk (I used plain unsweetened almond milk)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • pinch of nutmeg
Instructions
  1. First, prepare the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400 and line two baking sheets with foil. Slice half of one sweet potato into 1/4-inch rounds for the top of your quiche. (This is optional. I needed 13 slices to top mine.) Brush with olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Chop the remaining sweet potato into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
  2. To the bowl of chopped sweet potatoes, add the red onion, sage, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Toss to combine. Spread in an even layer on the other baking sheet. Place both sheets in oven and bake until potatoes are tender and starting to brown, about 20 minutes, stirring/flipping slices once halfway through. Remove from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350.
  3. While sweet potatoes are roasting, prepare the crust. Add all crust ingredients directly to a pie plate (or to a separate bowl, if you prefer) and stir to combine. Press into an even crust and, if you have enough crust, crimp the edges!
  4. Whisk together all custard ingredients (eggs through nutmeg).
  5. Now you are ready to assemble the quiche. For the bottom layer, sprinkle half of both types of cheese. Top this with the chopped sweet potato mixture, followed by the remaining cheese. Pour the custard mixture over everything, and arrange optional roasted sweet potato slices on top.
  6. Bake quiche at 350 until set in the middle and custard is starting to turn golden brown, 45-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Adapted from Kitchen in the Yard.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake

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Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

Remember when I didn’t eat cheese for 6 months?

Hah.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

Sorry, former vegan self. Sorry but I’m not sorry. I ate a lot of cheese this weekend, and it tasted reeeeally good.

I’ve actually been craving this dish for a few weeks, since a co-worker brought in some buffalo chicken casserole for lunch. As she warmed up her leftovers in the microwave and the smell wafted through the kitchen, it was alllll I wanted.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

I had brought a salad.

Major food envy.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

I knew I had to recreate it for you guys ASAP. My one hesitation to go out of town last weekend was that I’d have to wait an extra week to bring this dish to life! Such hardships :) Luckily, that gave me an extra week to fantasize and brainstorm… making the end result positively perfect.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

Nate agrees. That’s him going back for seconds.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call this dish healthy, but it is vegetarian – come on, aren’t those synonymous?! It’s loaded with veggies, replacing 1/2 the pasta and all of the chicken that would be used in a regular buffalo chicken casserole. It’s just cheesy enough to be indulgent, but still loaded with nutrients.

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

It’s like a cross between buffalo chicken, mac and cheese, and veggie pasta dish. Also known as…the tastiest thing ever. For real. I don’t think I have to try too hard to convince you on this one.

Guess who’s going to have the jealousy-inducing leftovers for lunch this week?!

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake | coffeeandquinoa.com

Boyfriend-Approved Buffalo Veggie Pasta Bake

Serves 6

Ingredients:

For pasta:

1/2 lb whole wheat pasta

1/2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large yellow onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

sprinkle of ground black pepper

8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 lb Brussels sprouts, sliced (about 5 cups sliced)

1 Tbsp butter

1 Tbsp whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk (or other unsweetened milk of your choice)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese, divided (4-5 oz.)

1/2 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s RedHot

To top:

3-4 green onions, thinly sliced

additional hot sauce

1 recipe lightened up blue cheese dressing

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Cook pasta in a large pot until slightly al dente. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.

Next, saute your vegetables. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pan. Add garlic, onion, and carrots, season with ground pepper, and saute until soft, 9-10 minutes. (The carrots will not soften up much in the oven, so you want to get them to your desired softness on the stovetop.) Add the mushrooms and saute 3 minutes more, then add the Brussels sprouts and saute another 2 minutes. Pour vegetables into the pot with the pasta and scrape pan clean.

Now prepare the roux. In the same pan, melt the butter. Stir in flour and let bubble 1-2 minutes. Stir in the milk. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes. Add 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir to melt. Stir in hot sauce. Pour the mixture over the pasta and vegetables and stir to combine. Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cup of cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbling. (If cheese starts to burn before 25 minutes, cover the top of the dish with tin foil and continue baking.)

Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions. Serve in scoops, topped with additional hot sauce and blue cheese dressing.

Enjoy!

Time:

1 hour

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

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Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale | coffeeandquinoa.com

Let’s talk lentils.

Just by talking about them, I think we’re getting the week off to a healthier start than we otherwise would. Don’t you?

It is, of course, the week of Valentine’s Day, so I have a hunch we’re all going to be eating our fair share of chocolate over the next few days. It can’t hurt to eat some green stuff now, before the Hershey’s kisses and Ferrero Rochers set in. (Mmmm Ferrero Rochers.)

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale | coffeeandquinoa.com

Lentils are one of my favorite bases for a quick and healthy meal. They’re filling yet light, chock full of protein, take on pretty much any flavor you want, and taste great with lots of veggies. Lindsay from Pinch of Yum is in love with lentils too, and her lentil creations are some of my favorites. A little while ago I was craving some gingery lentils, and this is the dish I came up with.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale | coffeeandquinoa.com

This is a great weeknight meal, and to make it even quicker, you can cook your lentils ahead of time. (I usually do this the night before, or in the morning while I’m showering and getting ready.) Everything comes together very quickly once the lentils are cooked, so you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes if you plan ahead! Now that is a great start to the week.

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale | coffeeandquinoa.com

 

Thai Coconut Lentils with Kale

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 cup dried green or brown lentils

1 Tbsp coconut oil

2 Tbsp tom ka paste (spicy coconut paste, found in Asian markets)

2 small cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced or grated ginger

6 green onions, sliced, divided

1 14-oz can lite coconut milk

1 bunch curly kale, rinsed and torn into bite-sized pieces

Instructions:

Cook lentils according to package directions. (I like to bring mine to a boil with 1 1/2 cups water, simmer for 40 minutes, then drain excess water.) This can also be done ahead of time.

Heat coconut oil in a large pan or skillet over medium heat. Once melted, mash the tom ka paste into the coconut oil. Stir in the minced garlic and ginger and half of the sliced green onions. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in the coconut milk and heat through. Once hot, add the kale and cooked lentils. Continue sauteing, stirring frequently, until kale leaves are softened and bright green.

Serve immediately, topped with remaining green onions. Enjoy!

Time:

50 minutes (15 minutes if the lentils are already cooked)

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