Everynight after my husband goes to bed, which happens to be pretty early these days considering he has to be to work at 5:00 am in the summertime, I head straight over to Hulu and hang out with my best friends: Ina, Giada, and Bobby.

And yes, in case you were wondering, we are on a first name basis.  They are pretty much my best friends and we do everything together.  We drink wine, throw cocktail parties, discuss cooking tips, have grill nights and champagne brunches, and whenever Ina leaves the room we always have a lot of fun, even though she tells us not to have any fun without her.

Ok, so the part about us actually hanging out might be a little bit of a lie, but a girl can dream, right?!  Whether they know it or not (I’m 100 % sure they don’t know it) they have kept me company many a night.  I get so much of my culinary inspiration from cooking shows and if I could pick only one t.v. station to watch for the rest of my life, it would, hands down, be the Food Network and I would never get bored. 

It was while watching Giada that I was inspired to make this salad. (Giada’s original salad recipe)  Giada’s aunt Raffy, who I find hilarious, was on the show and she exclaimed that she had never had a brussels sprout leaf salad before.  I love brussels sprouts so much and I eat them all the time, but I realized that I had also never had a brussels sprout leave salad before either!  

I immediately ran out to the store, stocked up on brussels sprouts and came up with this salad.  I added quinoa to mine because I always like to throw some type of grain into my veggie salads so that I can eat it for dinners and lunches and still feel full.  And, I decided to throw some apricots in because I love the idea of combining fresh fruit with savory salads and I think that apricots and brussel sprouts work really well together, it also doesn’t hurt they they are bright and beautiful!

I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and eating lot so delicious summer salads!  I know I am!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Quinoa Salad with Apricots, Endive, Brussels Sprout Leaves & Toasted Almonds

 

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Recipe type: Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried quinoa
• 1 pound brussels sprouts
• 1 head Belgum endive, cut into ½ inch pieces
• 3 apricots, sliced into small wedges
• ⅓ cup toasted sliced almonds
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse and drain the quinioa. In a medium pot, add the quinoa and two cups of water. Place on the stove over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until all water has been absorbed and quinoa is cooked through. Set aside.
2. Remove the outer leaves from the brussels sprouts, you can save the insides for another use. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil, throw in brussels sprout leaves and cook for about 1 minute. Remove brussels sprout leaves and immediately throw them into a bowl of ice water. Let them sit for a few minutes to stop the cooking process.
3. In a small bowl, add the olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk until combined.
4. In a large bowl add the quinoa, brussel sprout leaves, sliced apricots, sliced endive, toasted almonds, and dressing. Mix until combined.

Notes

Inspired by Giada's Brussels Sprout Leaf Salad

3.2.1311

I’m not necessarily one for dressing cats up in outfits, but you gotta admit that Cheeto looks pretty darn cute in his little tie!

The post Quinoa Salad with Apricots, Endive, Brussels Sprout Leaves & Toasted Almonds appeared first on She Likes Food.

You guys, I had such a fun and fall filled weekend last weekend!  I made us start this pumpkin picking tradition last year.  Although the pumpkin patch is about an hour and a half away from our house and we don’t stay for too long, I think it is so much fun to go pick out and cut our own pumpkins!  They also have delicious caramel corn and they greet you with handfuls of it as soon as you pull into the parking lot and they have roasted corn on the cob that is hard to pass up.  It really doesn’t get much better!

This year it was a little windy and a little overcast, but we still had a great time and I think I just might have picked out the perfect pumpkin!  We will do the pumpkin carving this weekend and I might even get energized enough to roast some pumpkin seeds.  It all depends on how much Halloween candy I can get my hands on.

When we first moved to Tucson I became obsessed with Groupons.  I have never lived in a place where they could be used before and my groupon obsession kind of got out of hand.  I bought a bunch so we could go out to eat for cheap, I got one to take a glass blowing class that was really fun, and I even bought one to take a class to learn how to use my dslr when I first bought it (that one was totally worth it!).  And then I bought one for a wine tasting at a vineyard that was surprisingly close to our house, considering we live in the desert.  Next to my camera class, this was the best buy yet!

We got six wine tastings, one full glass, we got to keep the glass, and then we got 10% off of any bottles that we bought.  As much as I loved the pumpkin patch, this was by far the highlight of my day.  The view was beautiful and it even started sprinkling a little bit while we were there which only added to the mystic!

Not only did the pumpkin patch have pumpkins, but they also had a bunch of different kinds of produce that you could pick yourself.  I kinda have a thing for peppers, so I loaded up on pablano peppers.  I’m a huge wimp when it comes to spicy peppers, but I can eat the other ones like they are candy!

They also had a bunch of little sweet potatoes, so I just had to buy those too.  I’m used to seeing dinosaur sized sweet potatoes at the grocery store, which I love, but for some reason I just can’t say no to a mini version of a vegetable.  I once saw some mini cauliflower at the store and figured I would think of a recipe and then come back the next day to buy them.  Well, they were completely out the next day and I still have dreams about how cute they were!  So, I loaded up on the small sweet potatoes and that is exactly how these loaded sweet potatoes were born.  You could use any size you like, but the small ones are my new favorites!

Guacamole recipe for topping

Tex Mex Loaded Sweet Potatoes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Recipe type: Entree, Side, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 - 8 small sweet potatoes
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups cooked black beans, or 1-15 ounce can
• ¾ cup diced pablano peppers, about 1 large pepper
• ½ small red onion, diced
• ¼ cup chunky salsa
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• olive oil
• guacamole for topping, recipe above
• tortilla chips or tortilla strips, for topping
• cilantro leaves, for topping

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a fork. Place a sheet of tin foil onto a large sheet pan. Put sweet potatoes on sheet pan and place into the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, depending on size of sweet potatoes, until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
2. While sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions.
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat with a small layer of olive oil. Add the diced peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes, until onions are translucent and peppers are softened. Add in the black beans, quinoa, salsa, and all of the spices. Stir until everything is mixed together and heated through.
4. Cut a slit in the sweet potatoes and squeeze the sides so they open up. Spoon ¼ - ½ of the quinoa mixture into each sweet potato (depending on how big your potatoes are). Then top with a spoonful of quacamole, cilantro leaves, and tortilla strips.

3.2.2802

The post Tex Mex Loaded Sweet Potatoes appeared first on She Likes Food.

You guys!!  Today is a really special day, for three reasons.  First, it has been exactly one year since I hit publish and shared my very first recipe!  I had no idea what the heck I was doing, but I was pretty proud of my first recipe and photo.  Although, looking back, I’m not quite as proud of the photo anymore, haha!

But, you live and your learn and I feel like I have learned so much this year.  I first started She Likes Food because I came up with the crazy idea that I wanted to become a food stylist/photographer.  I contacted a local food stylist, named Kim Krejca, was so nice and helpful and told me I should start a food blog to gain some experience.  I have always loved cooking and photography, so it seemed like the perfect thing to do.  

I know that some people probably thought I was a little crazy when I told them of my new-found career goals and I honestly don’t blame them.  I still feel a little bit crazy when I tell people I have a food blog, but it is the most satisfying and creative project I’ve ever done.  I’ve met so many supportive blogging friends (you all know who you are!), I’ve developed recipes for some of my favorite brands (Chobani and Bob’s Red Mill), I’ve greatly improved my recipe development skills as well as my food photography and styling skills, and I’ve also recently began contributing recipes and photographs to a gluten free magazine (more on that soon!).  I’m really excited to see what this next year brings!

The second reason this post is special is because I’m sharing these awesome Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers with you!  And you know what makes them even more awesome??!  I’ve piled them high with my Baked BBQ Sweet Potato Chips and creamy slices of avocado!  I have a veggie burger obsession and the only cure is more veggie burgers!

I really want to thank everyone who has supported me and this blog!  I really wouldn’t still be doing this if it weren’t for all the nice comments I get from you guys, they really do make my day, especially when I’m feeling burnt out or like I’m not doing enough.  So, I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who has been a part of this blog, whether it has been since the beginning or even if this is your first visit!  

*Giveaway is no longer going on*

4.6 from 5 reviews

Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Recipe type: Entree, Sandwich, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1½ cups cooked quinoa
• 1-15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (or about 1½ cups)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoons salt
• ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon chunky salsa
• ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs, divided gluten free if necessary
• Olive oil, for browning burgers
• 6 hamburger buns, gluten free if necessary
• Optional toppings include. Baked BBQ Sweet Potato Chips, avocado, tomato, mayo, lettuce, onion

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients plus ¼ cup of the bread crumbs to a food processor. Process for 45-60 seconds, until all ingredients are blended together, but still a little bit chunky. Transfer mixture to a medium sized bowl and refrigerate for about ten minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs. Form mixture into patties. You will get about 6 patties, depending on the size you make them. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper and place black bean burgers on. Refrigerator for about 20 minutes.
2. Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat the bottom with olive oil. Cook the burgers for about 3-5 minutes on each side, until crisp and heated through. Top with your favorite burger toppings and enjoy!

3.2.2925

Cheeto can’t believe it is almost Christmas!

The post Easy Vegan Black Bean Burgers appeared first on She Likes Food.

A few weeks ago I went to a talk about food (what to eat, what not to eat, what is healthy, what is bad for you, etc…).  At the beginning of the lecture, the woman had everyone close their eyes and picture their ultimate comfort food.  Then she asked for people to yell them out.  People yelled out things like, pizza, macaroni n’ Cheese, and mashed potatoes.

I’m pretty sure everyone fell into her trap and she was hoping people would think of typically unhealthy meals when they thought of comfort food.  I remember her asking, “Does anyone think of broccoli?”.  While I do enjoy foods like mac n’ cheese and pizza, when I think of comfort food, what comes to my mind is a big bowl of roasted vegetables, quinoa, and a delicious, yet simple, dressing.

I didn’t originally make this recipe thinking that I would post it on the blog.  I originally made this version of the recipe as a last minute “It is New Year’s Eve and I need to find a way to eat lots and lots of black eyed peas for dinner so that I can have lots of luck in the New Year”.  I grabbed a can of black eyed peas on my way home from work and once I got home I realized that I had some broccoli, sweet potatoes, lemon, thyme, and tahini lying around.  I roasted the veggies, cooked the quinoa and put them into a big bowl with the beans.  I squeezed some lemon juice on top, drizzled some tahini & threw in some thyme leaves.  

I mixed everything up and called it dinner.  I ate the leftovers the next day for lunch and then I found myself craving more so I made it again the next night, and the next night…  And, now while I’m editing the photos and writing this post, I’m craving it again.  I love this bowl because it is really simple with just a few ingredients and what makes it really delicious is the easy squeeze of lemon and drizzle of tahini on top.  I decided to change it up for the blog and use some white beans instead of black eyed peas, but you are welcome to use any kinds of beans you like.  I prefer a milder tasting white bean for this recipe.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Roasted Sweet Potato & Broccoli Winter Bowls

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Recipe type: Entree, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 4-5

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried quinoa, rinsed
• 4 heaping cups diced sweet potatoes, ½ inch dice
• 4 heaping cups small broccoli florets
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups cooked white beans
• Tahini for drizzling
• Lemon wedges for squeezing
• Fresh thyme leaves
• Salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the quiona according to package directions.
2. Place diced vegetables on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and roast until tender and slightly caramelized, about 30 minutes, flipping once.
3. Assemble the bowls: This recipe will make 4-6 bowls, depending on size. In each bowl, add an equal amount of quinoa roasted vegetables, and white beans. Drizzle with desired amount of tahini and lemon juice. Season with salt, to taste and top with fresh thyme leaves.

Notes

There isn't much accurate measuring needed for this dish. It is more of a, make each component and then mix them together in a small bowl and then squeeze some lemon juice over, drizzle some tahini, and add some salt. Feel free to let me know if you would like more accurate directions.

3.2.2925

The post Roasted Sweet Potato & Broccoli Winter Bowls appeared first on She Likes Food.

Can you believe that it is already July?!  Craziness!  But truthfully, I’m already counting down the days until fall.  It is so hot here and for some awesome reason the air conditioner works perfectly in every single room of the house except for the bedroom.  I also have a weird thing where I can’t sleep very well unless I have a heavy blanket on me, so I’ve been sweating profusely under my big down blanket every night for the past few weeks. 

There is, however, a silver lining on the hot Arizona summers.  Everyday around 4:00 PM we get heavy torrential downpours, or monsoons as they call them here.  You definitely don’t want to get stuck out in one, but they are really enjoyable if you are cuddled up safe inside, although Cheeto has been known to get scared and hide under the bed when the thunder gets loud!

Another thing I do really love about the summer is all the fresh tomatoes I get to eat!  Tomatoes just aren’t the same when they aren’t in season so I make sure to eat a bunch while they are in their prime.  I love having tomatoes of all sizes around to snack on or throw into salads, but I thought these Quinoa and Chickpea Stuffed Tomatoes would really highlight the tomatoes themselves and who doesn’t love food served in an edible bowl?!

These stuffed tomatoes are really fresh and light and are perfect for a summer lunch or a fun side dish.  Although I did break down yesterday and turn the oven on to make some roasted sweet potato and broccoli tacos (apparently I was thinking it was winter) I have been really loving eating quick, easy and light summer recipes lately.  If you are enjoying them too, this one is perfect for you!

Quinoa and Chickpea Stuffed Tomatoes

 

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Recipe type: Lunch, Side, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• ½ cup dry quinoa
• 1 -15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained - or 1½ cups
• ½ cup small diced cucumber
• ½ cup corn kernels
• ¼ cup chopped red onion
• 2 radishes, small diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ lemon
• 6-8 large tomatoes
• salt
• pepper

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon herbs de provence or dried oregano

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, chickpeas, cucumber, corn, onion, radishes, garlic, dill and parsley. Squeeze the lemon over the salad and mix again.
2. In a small bowl, mix together all of the dressing ingredients. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix until combined. Add salt to taste, if desired. Using a sharp knife, cut the tops of the tomatoes off on an angle and then scoop out the insides using a spoon.
3. Lightly salt and pepper the insides of the tomatoes and then spoon the quinoa and chickpea mixture in.

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The post Quinoa and Chickpea Stuffed Tomatoes appeared first on She Likes Food.

This salad is really similar to the second blog post I ever posted on this site!  I think I was a pretty good cook when I first started this blog, but my creativity in the kitchen and cooking abilities have really evolved since then.  This is the first of a few recipes that I really liked but wanted to kick up a notch, and I also really wanted to re-do the photos!

I’m not a huge city girl, the town I grew up in only had about 2,000 people, but one nice thing about living in a big city is that there is always something fun going on.  This weekend was the Meet Yourself festival in downtown Tucson, affectionately nicknamed the Eat Yourself festival because it is pretty much just a bunch of food vendors!  We were excited to get out of the house and go downtown but it was SO hot down there!  It was so hot that they had sunblock stations set up.  It didn’t feel at all like I would hope mid-October weather to feel.  All I wanted to do was bury my head in my raspberry sorbet!

We did have a lot of fun but I was a hot mess and I’m pretty sure i got sunburned through the thick layer of sunblock I was wearing!  Basically my mind is all about this fall quinoa salad and this salad and these muffins but the Arizona weather just won’t catch up!  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some cooler weather soon because I have lots more fall recipes planned for you

5.0 from 1 reviews

Fall Quinoa Salad with Kale, Sweet Potato & Maple Tahini Dressing

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

Recipe type: Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes (4 cups)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 4 cups chopped kale, I used curly kale
• ½ teaspoon lemon juice
• ⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts
• ⅓ cup dried cranberries

Maple Tahini Dressing:

• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons tahini
• ¼ cup water
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the chopped kale into a large bowl and add lemon juice, ½ teaspoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Massage the kale for about 1 minute and place in refrigerator until ready to use.
2. Cook the quinoa according to package directions. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the sweet potato with 1 teaspoon olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and black pepper. Roast the sweet potatoes until fork tender, 25-30 minutes, flipping once.
3. Add all dressing ingredients to a jar and whisk until combined. Add the quinoa, sweet potato, walnuts and dried cranberries to the bowl with the kale and mix until everything is combined. You can either add the dressing to the big bowl of salad and mix it in or add the dressing to each individual serving of salad.

3.2.2925

The post Fall Quinoa Salad with Kale, Sweet Potato & Maple Tahini Dressing appeared first on She Likes Food.

 First, I want to aplogize if you tried to access my site in the last few days!  It was down for an entire day and then the mobile site wasn’t working so well until this afternoon.  It was really frustrating and I’m so sorry for any inconvenience it caused any of you!  I’ve now switched to a more reliable hosting site and hopefully it won’t be happening again (fingers crossed!).

I sat down on Thursday morning all ready to publish a Potato and Lentil Taco post that I’ve been sitting on for a while.  I tried to login to my site dashboard and realized everything was down  I got mad for a second but then decided to cook instead.  And what I cooked was these BBQ Black Bean & Quinoa Tacos with Cilantro Slaw and they might just be the best tacos I have ever eaten!  No lie!  One of these days I’ll post the lentil and potato ones but I just couldn’t keep these ones from you!

I seriously couldn’t stop eating them.  I had them for a mid-morning snack, then again for lunch and then a third time for an afternoon snack.  When my husband came home and asked what was for dinner, I was a little hesitant to offer these babies up because I had my heart set on eating the leftovers for lunch the next day.  But, I was nice and let him eat some and even he said that they were one of the best things I’ve ever made.  So, if you are looking for a delicious and filling vegetarian taco (that I promise meat eats will love too) then look no further!

Don’t be intimidated by the ingredient list!  Most of it is just spices and condiments that you already have in your kitchen

BBQ sauce adapted from The First Mess and also my Vegetarian Sloppy Joes with Lentils and Chickpeas recipe.

4.5 from 2 reviews

BBQ Black Bean & Quinoa Tacos with Cilantro Slaw {vegan}

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

40 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Recipe type: Entree, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• ½ cup dried quinoa
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small shallot, diced (about ¼ cup)
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• ½ teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
• Corn tortillas for serving

Cilantro Slaw:

• 4 cups shredded green cabbage*
• 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1 heaping cup shredded carrots
• ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
• ¾ cups non-dairy mayonnaise (I use Just Mayo and it's so good!)
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon celery seed

Instructions

1. Rinse the quinoa and add it to a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup of water. Simmer quinoa until water has evaporated and quinoa is tender, 20-25 minutes. While quinoa is cooking, add all slaw vegetables to a large bowl. Mix the remaining slaw ingredients together in a medium sized bowl and then pour over the vegetables. Mix with a spoon or your hands until the vegetables are evening covered with sauce and refrigerate until needed.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and shallot. Saute for a few minutes until shallot becomes tender. While the shallots are cooking, add all the remaining ingredients, excluding the garlic, to a small bowl (you can add them one by one to the pan but I find it easier and less stressful to add them all to one bowl while the shallots cook). Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another minute. Next, add all of the remaining ingredients (that you've already added to one bowl) and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat stirring occasionally.
3. Once BBQ Sauce is finished cooking, add the quinoa and black beans to the pan and stir until combined. Warm tortillas and fill with desired amount of BBQ filling and top with coleslaw. Recipe makes about 8-10 tacos depending on how much you fill them.

Notes

You could also use 8 cups of pre-packaged coleslaw mix.

3.2.2925

You will also love:

BBQ Cauliflower & Chickpea Tacos with Creamy Lime Slaw

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes with Lentils & Chickpeas

The post BBQ Black Bean & Quinoa Tacos with Cilantro Slaw {vegan} appeared first on She Likes Food.

This post is sponsored by Udi’s Gluten Free.  Thank you so much for supporting the brands that support me!

It’s been years since I’ve eaten at a taco bell, but I have to admit that it used to be one of my favorites.  Not only because I’m obsessed with Mexican food, but also because they’ve always had a lot of vegetarian options,which was surprising for a fast food chain especially back in the day.

When I was in high school I probably ate at taco bell much more than I would like to admit!  And the really funny thing was that the closest taco bell to my house was in the next town over located inside of the Walmart.  So we would all go to Walmart just to eat at taco bell, it sounds sad but it was true.  And I always ordered the 7 layer burrito.  It was packed with rice, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, lettuce and tomato and it was my favorite.  Today I’m sharing my version of a vegetarian 7-layer burrito and I’ve changed a few things up.  I’ve used quinoa instead of rice, black beans instead of re-fried beans and I’ve also added roasted sweet potatoes because these days it’s hard for me to eat anything that doesn’t include sweet potatoes!

While I’m known for loving my tacos, I also really love burritos.  So, when I first started experimenting with gluten free eating I really, really missed eating burritos.  Don’t get me wrong, tacos are delicious and I could eat them all day, but there is something so satisfying about wrapping up all your favorite ingredients into a huge tortilla and enjoying it all without toppings falling out the back.  Which is why I was so excited when I discovered Udi’s gluten free tortillas!  They are soft, heat up well and don’t fall apart when you try to fold them.  They’re perfect for this 7-Layer Vegetarian Burrito as well as all of your other burrito needs!

5.0 from 1 reviews

7-Layer Vegetarian Burritos

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

35 mins

Total time

50 mins

 

Recipe type: Entree, Gluten Free

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced (about 3-4 cups when diced)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 1 cup chopped spinach, or lettuce
• ½ cup diced tomatoes
• 1 large avocado, either sliced or mashed
• 4 Udi's Gluten Free Tortillas
• Additional toppings: salsa, cilantro, jalapeno, plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss diced sweet potato with a small amount of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast sweet potato until fork tender, flipping once. About 30 minutes.
2. While sweet potato is roasting cook the quinoa. Rinse the quinoa and add it to a medium sized saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook quinoa for about 15-20 minutes, until water has cooked out and quinoa is tender.
3. Place about ¼ cup shredded cheese (more or less if you like) on each tortilla and place in the heated oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is melted.
4. Assemble the burritos by topping them with equal amounts of the quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, spinach, avocado and diced tomato. You can use more or less of any of the ingredients that I've listed above. Top with any additional desired toppings and enjoy!

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Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post 7-Layer Vegetarian Burritos appeared first on She Likes Food.

I think everyone should have a salad like this in their repertoire.  It’s perfect to make at the beginning of the week and take for lunch each day.  It’s a great side dish for a BBQ or picnic and it’s always a hit at every potluck I bring it to.

I saw an article a while ago talking about how the art of the salad has died.  People don’t eat as many regular green garden salads anymore.  Instead, everyone packs their salads with all kind of crazy ingredients that make them meals rather than salads.  I have to say that I’m definitely guilty of that!  I do still really enjoy salads that consist of lettuce, a few simple vegetables and a light dressing, but I also love salads so much that I want to eat them as my main course!

This salad is packed with kale, quinoa, chickpeas and tomatoes, but you could also add your other favorite vegetables as well.  It is dressed with a simple tahini lemon dressing, which has become my go-to with “meal salads” like this.  It’s creamy, nutty and has a delicious kick from the lemon.  This salad is hearty enough if you are still dealing with cold wintery weather, but also light enough to eat as a lunch if it’s a little bit hotter where you are!

Kale, Quinoa, Chickpea & Cherry Tomato Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Recipe type: Salad, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• ½ cup quinoa, dried
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 small bunch lacinato kale (5-6 cups when chopped)
• 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• ¼ cup roasted sunflower seeds, or more if desired

Lemon Tahini Dressing:

• ⅓ cup tahini
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup water
• ½ teaspoon salt, or more to taste if desired

Instructions

1. Cook the quinoa according to package directions.
2. Add all dressing ingredients to a large bowl and mix until combined and a smooth dressing is formed. Chop the kale and add it to the bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Mix everything until dressing and ingredients are evenly distributed.

Notes

Salad can be stored in the refrigerator in an air tight container for 4-5 days.

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The post Kale & Quinoa Salad with Cherry Tomatoes & Lemon Tahini Dressing appeared first on She Likes Food.

These days I feel eternally tired.  I’m not naive and knew that becoming a parent would really infringe on my love of sleep, but some days I just feel exhausted all day long.  Even if the hours I’ve slept in one night add up to 10, it sure doesn’t feel like 10 when I have to wake up every few hours.

And when I’m tired, all I want to do is just grab the easiest, most convenient thing to eat at every meal.  Sometimes that involves peanut butter and a banana and other times it involves an embarrassing amount of chips and salsa. 

As much as I love my chips and salsa, I need much more than that to sustain myself, so I’ve been getting into meal prep a little more these days and it’s been working wonders!  If I can spend an hour one day making these Tex Mex Sweet Potato Lunch Bowls then that means I get to eat a healthy and filling lunch all week long and I don’t have to live off of snack food for every meal.  

These Make Ahead Bowls combine lots of my favorite ingredients so that makes them even more amazing and I find myself looking forward to lunch everyday.  Even more than I usually do   If you struggle to eat a healthy lunch everyday or just don’t feel like you have time to prepare something, then these bowls are calling your name!  Make them on Sunday and you will be thanking yourself!

Make Ahead Tex Mex Sweet Potato Lunch Bowls

 

Print

Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

A delicious and healthy lunch recipe that can be made ahead and enjoyed all week long!

Recipe type: Entree, Lunch, Gluten Free, Vegan

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 small sweet potatoes
• ½ cup dried quinoa
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Avocado Dressing:

• 1 large avocado, pitted
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a medium sized baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Pierce each sweet potato a few times with a fork and bake until cooked through and fork tender, 45-50 mins.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Add all dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy, about 30 seconds - 1 minute.
3. Assemble lunch bowls: Cut sweet potato open and top with ⅓ cup quinoa and ⅓ cup black beans. Drizzle desired amount of dressing on top and serve with greens and chips, if desired.

Notes

If making ahead, leave off the dressing and any other additional toppings until ready to serve. Sweet potatoes can be enjoyed warmed up for 1-2 minutes in the microwave or cold.

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