Cauliflower Power Tacos

This was AMAZING. My picture, however, is not as amazing, but please please don't judge this recipe by the picture! I found the recipe over at Betty Crocker.

Ingredients:

Roasted Cauliflower

• 1 medium head cauliflower (2 lbs), separated into florets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Crispy Chick Peas

• 1 can (15 oz) chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground oregano

Cilantro-Pepita Pesto

• 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/3 cup pepitas
• 1 very small clove garlic, cut in half
• 2 tablespoons chopped jalapeño chiles
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

8 gluten-free white corn tortillas, heated as directed on package 

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Place cauliflower florets in large bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir until evenly coated. Arrange on large cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until cauliflower is tender and browned.
2. Meanwhile, mix crispy chick peas ingredients. Spread on 15x10x1-inch pan. Bake 15 minutes; stir. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer or until chick peas are slightly browned and crispy.
3. Meanwhile, in food processor, place all pesto ingredients except oil. Cover; process using quick on-and-off motions. With food processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil through feed tube, stopping halfway through to stir mixture with spatula. Remove pesto to small bowl.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pesto on each tortilla; top with about 1/2 cup roasted cauliflower and 1 tablespoon crispy chick peas. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve with remaining chick peas.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds.

2. I only did 1 Tb of the jalapeno chilies, and the only time I felt like it was too spicy for me was if I got a big chunk that my blending missed. If you are worried about spice nix the jalapenos and maybe try seranos or something more mild.

3. My hubby and I are not huge fans of corn tortillas so we used flour tortillas instead. Whole wheat tortillas are even better!
4. Also delicious with sliced avocados on it. 

Bean Tostadas

(Left: without the lettuce, Right: with the lettuce)

These are delicious and super simple to prepare! 

Ingredients:

• Tostada shells
• Avocados, diced
• Tomatoes, diced
• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Cilantro, chopped
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Onions, diced
• 1 can refried beans

Directions:

1. Saute mushrooms and onions in a little olive oil until onions are translucent.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tostadas on a pan and heat for 3-5 minutes.
3. Microwave refried beans until hot.
4. To assemble, spread refried beans on tostada, then top with all the toppings (whichever ones you want, that is).
5. Enjoy!

Chimichurri

I found the recipe for this marinate/sauce at Our Best Bites.

They used it as a meat marinate, but I loved this as a dipping sauce for pizza (meat or veggie pizza) and it was yummy drizzled on my steamed asparagus. If you decide to make it, tell me what you liked eating it with.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 C chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 C chopped cilantro
• 1/2 C loosely packed oregano leaves*
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 1 T red wine vinegar
• 3 T chopped garlic (6-7 cloves)
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• 1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
  
  *Fresh is best, but if you don't have access to fresh oregano, you could use fresh cilantro and parsley and add in 1 Tbs plus 1 tea dried oregano leaves.

Directions:

Place parsley, cilantro, oregano, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely chopped. Remove mixture and place in a bowl. Add red pepper flakes and then stir in olive oil by hand.

Notes about this recipe:

1. I used water instead of red wine vinegar and it was still delish.

Cilantro Lime Quinoa

I found this recipe at Whole Food Mommies.

Ingredients:

• 1 c. quinoa, cooked according to package
• 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped finely
• 1 Tb. olive oil
• Juice of 1 lime
• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to combine.

Notes about this recipe:

1. Be sure to get your cilantro leaves off the stem before chopping finely.
2. I cooked my quinoa in 1/2 vegetable broth and 1/2 water, to give it more flavor. You could completely replace the water with veggie broth if you wanted, or just stick to the water.
   
3. I used it as a taco filler, along with sauted veggies & black beans with fajita seasoning. (See picture below.)