lettuce wrap burritos

i love the combination of hot and cold with these burritos - you don't often find lettuce wraps stuffed with a warm inside. not to mention that these burritos are pretty healthy, and serving them lettuce-wrap-style gives them a fun crunchy texture you wouldn't get with a regular tortilla. be sure and have lots of napkins around - if these are overstuffed, you might run into some messy eating. :)

• 1 head fresh broccoli
• 1/2 large zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 can kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 can rotel
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon taco seasoning
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3/4 cup water
• 4-5 large romaine leaves
• fixins: guac, olives, salsa, jalapenos

heat coconut oil in large non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. chop the broccoli, zucchini and pepper down and toss them into the skillet. saute for 1-2 minutes, then add in the water to help soften the veggies. when veggies start to become tender, add the kidney beans, rotel and spices.

saute/simmer for approximately 10 minutes, or until the liquids have cooked off. remove from heat and let cool a little before spooning mixture into the lettuce leaves. add your favourite burrito fixins' and enjoy!

high raw salad (from lettuce wraps)

i wanted to make these lettuce wraps again, but i didn't have any large enough pieces of lettuce that would serve as a wrap. so i compromised with a salad, and it was so good i had to share! it's basically the same recipe, except in a bowl. :)

• 1/2 zucchini
  
• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 2 tablespoons bragg's aminos
• 1 ½ teaspoons dulse flakes
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 avocado
• 2-3 roasted red peppers
• almond cheese
  
• shredded lettuce
  

peel and julienne the veggies, then let marinate in the liquid aminos, dulse and minced garlic.


combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl and serve as a salad. i didn't make a separate dressing because my red peppers came from an oil-packed jar. that plus the almond cheese made the salad rich and creamy. if you don't use oil-packed peppers, you may want to add a little something for creaminess... depending on taste.

falafel

who loves falafel? i do, i do! although this recipe looks really long, the process goes fairly quick once you've soaked your chickpeas (about 8-10 hours). just get all your spices out, plus your measuring spoons and you'll have falafel patties in no time at all. serve with vegan tzatziki or hummus.

• 1 ¼ cup soaked chickpeas/garbanzos
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cumin seed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper *optional
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1-2 tablespoons water

after chickpeas have been soaked (not cooked!), blend up them up in a food processor. add the rest of ingredients and pulse a few times until well-mixed. be cautious with the crushed red pepper - this does add quite a bit a spice. the consistency should be fairly thick - you should be able to roll the falafel patties without any sticking to your hand. if it's too wet, you can add a little whole wheat or chickpea flour in to thicken it up again.

personally, i like to let my falafel sit for a few hours before cooking (to let the flavours meld), but you can also just cook them right away. roll into balls about the size of a golf ball, using a little flour if needed to prevent stickiness. sometimes i will flatten balls into patties if i plan on stuffing them in a pita wrap. spray a standard 8x11 baking dish with non-stick oil, and bake for 30 minutes at 380°f, flipping the patties halfway through.

i eat falafel in pita, on salad, or as you can see, made into lettuce wraps. i think lettuce, tomato and cucumbers go perfectly!

raw veggie wraps w/ almond cheese

one of the reasons i didn't transition to veganism earlier in life is that i really loved cheese. plus, as an ovo-lacto veg, cheese was one of the bigger staples in my diet. however, in my research of a raw-foods diet, i came across several different nut cheese recipes and gave them a shot. to my delight, most of them were delicious. and i mean delicious in a gourmet-cheese type of way. the almond cheese recipe below is one i came up with from experimenting with several different recipes.

• 1/2 zucchini
• 1/2 cucumber
• 2 carrots, peeled
• 2 tablespoons bragg's aminos
  
• 1 ½ teaspoons dulse flakes
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
  
• 1/2 avocado
• several large lettuce leaves

for the almond cheese:

• 1/4 cup untoasted almonds
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon cold press olive oil

slice zucchini, cucumber and carrots into thin spears. lay on a plate or shallow dish, and marinate them in the braggs, garlic and dulse flakes for several hours. if you don't have bragg's, you could substitute low sodium soy or nama shoyu cut with a little water. flip occasionally.

meanwhile, soak the almonds in water at room temperature. after about 5 or 6 hours, drain and blend in a magic bullet or food processor with tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. this will be a thick spreadable cheese, but if you need to thin, just add a teaspoon of water and re-blend. spread cheese on a lettuce leaf and fill with the marinated veggies. add a slice or two of avocado and wrap up.

this recipe makes enough for about 3-4 lettuce wraps.

sloppy joe lettuce wraps

march 20th is the great american meatout! if you aren't veg, today is the day to give it a shot! below is an easy sloppy joe recipe i created for an upcoming vegetarian cooking demo for kids. for them, i'll be serving the recipe on buns, but i loved the idea of making them into lettuce wraps for myself.

• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard
• 6 oz. tomato sauce
• 5 lettuce leaves
• condiments of your choice

rinse kidney beans in a colander, then transfer to a large bowl. lightly mash kidney beans with a potato masher (or strong fork) - you don't want to turn them into complete mush, but you'll want to mash so there is a binding consistency. stir in the rest of ingredients and either microwave or heat on stove.

spoon mixture onto a leaf of lettuce, and add your favourite toppings... here with kraut, pickles, mustard, and ketchup.. i went a little crazy, but the end result was so yummy. serve with a side of cider cucumbers or cheesy zucchini.