I have been desperately craving Mexican food since starting whole30, mostly because I miss rice every moment of every day. I was reading through the minimalist baker blog (my absolute favorite food blog) and I was inspired by something she called “romaine boats,” which is basically a taco but instead of a tortilla you use a leaf of romaine. It’s not nearly the same thing, but I figured it would get the job done.
The thing that really makes this recipe is the slow-cooked black beans. They take 2-3 hours to cook, but they are SO worth it. My vegan friend at the restaurant turned me on to them, and I haven’t bought a can of black beans since.
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| The jalapeno pepper is in the witness protection program. |
To make the black beans you’ll need:
• 3 hours (the most elusive ingredient of all)
• Half a bag of Trader Joe’s dried black beans (about 1 ¼ cup) sorted and rinsed
• 1.5 cups vegetable stock
• 1.5 cups water
• Half an onion, cut in half
• Half of a head of garlic, peeled
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• Cumin, salt, and chili powder to taste
Just throw all this stuff in a pot, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer for 2-3 hours or until the beans get soft. Give it a stir every once in a while to make sure the beans are cooking evenly. The onion and garlic will kind of disintegrate, making the whole thing stewy and authentic. Drain the extra liquid and voila! Delicious, flavorful beans. This makes about 3 or 4 servings.
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| Isn't it amazing how 3 cups of liquid and nearly 3 hours can turn this... |
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| ...into this??? Beans inspire me every day. |
When the black beans have been cooking for about an hour and a half, preheat the oven to 375: it’s time to make the cauliflower.
For that you’ll need:
• 1/2 head of cauliflower
• 2 TBS Olive oil
• Cumin, salt, fajita seasoning
Wash and chop the cauliflower into somewhat small pieces, toss it in the oil and seasoning and lay the florets out on a cookie sheet to roast for about 30 minutes. Shake the pan a few times so they roast evenly. Did you know that cauliflower is actually a pretty good source of protein? Sneaky sneaky!
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| I always think of Parks & Rec when I make cauliflower where the Pawnee citizen thinks it's dead broccoli. |
While the cauliflower roasts, prepare your lettuce tortillas by washing and drying your romaine. You can also dice up a tomato and an avocado for garnish if you’d like. I topped my fake tacos with Trader Joe’s salsa authentica, my favorite salsa.
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| Fricken yum! |
All together this meal costs about $1.10 per serving! Hot diggity! It makes for great leftovers too. Another added bonus of the lo-cal lettuce tortilla is that it doesn’t get soggy from the black beans and collapse like corn tortillas do. See, everything doesn’t suck on whole30!