Mexican Anyone?

As you all know I love food, and when you love food you best know your way around the kitchen!  Here are a couple of vegetarian recipes I've created, feel free to introduce these into your meal planning to spice things up a little bit. #FOODIE

top left: mild corn salsa, top right: cilantro rice,
bottom left: fajita veggies (onions & peppers)
bottom right: the finished product

If your taste buds are anything like mine then you love... Chipotle!  This is my homemade version of the Mexican takeout fav.  To create the corn salsa, mix fresh green bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, corns and black beans.  For the rice it's just plain white rice.... *sings plaaaaaain white riiiice* (Jamie Foxx Show reference... get it? no? okay moving on).  The secret to getting this rice to taste like that of Chipotle's is you MUST add in the fresh cilantro, it sets it off.  Now that I'm about that low carb life though, I would probably substitute the rice for lettuce; turning it from a burrito bowl to a burrito salad. You can try quinoa for a substitute as well if you're feeling fancy... I've personally never cooked with quinoa.  Next up is the fajita veggies, this is simple just julienne some onions and peppers and sautee them in a skillet with some olive oil and taco seasoning.  Now just top the masterpiece with whatever you'd like i.e. guac, sour cream, cheese (now once again if you're about that low carb life, then you'll probably want to nix those last few toppings).  And voila! it's complete... oh and don't forget my two salad dressings!!! (in my best sh*t DC girls say voice).

Shelless Taco and Fried Yuca

Now if you have some leftover corn salsa, please try this next meal.  You'll need "ground beef"- vegan crumbles out by the Morning Star brand work great.  You're going to brown the "beef" in a skillet with some olive oil and taco seasoning.  Instead of a taco shell, you're going to use a Romaine lettuce leaf as your holder.  Top the leaf with crumbles then your corn salsa, and then as a substitute for guacamole use only the avocado.  Next up is the yuca, never heard of it?  Neither had I until my Puerto Rican coworker kept talking about it and actually brought in the canned version for me to make sure that I tried it.  Yuca is a South American root much like a potato.  I cooked it, to the advise of my coworker, with salt, pepper, vinegar, and onions.  Yuca is not one of my new favorite foods and doesn't do it for me quite like a potato, but it was cool to try something new out.  To avoid too many carbs I would suggest replacing the yuca with the fajita veggies featured in the above meal if you feel like a side item is needed.