Note from Dr. C   I made this with brown rice instead and it was awesome!  Sitting outside in our gazebo eating theses on a yummy spring evening was AMAZING!

Taco vegetarian lettuce wraps with quinoa and black beans put a tasty spin on tacos that will actually keep you full with 16 grams of protein per serving!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 3 ears of corn, shucked (or 1 cup frozen)
• 1 15 oz. can black beans
• 1/2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 lb. mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, split in half
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese ( I have used feta too!)
• 1 head of lettuce (I like butter leaf), washed and leaves separated
• 1 avocado, diced

Instructions

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. 
2. Rinse quinoa and add to pot. After quinoa has boiled for about 5 minutes, add corn cobs. Continue boiling for another 10 minutes until both quinoa and corn are fully cooked (if using frozen corn just hold off and add it with the peppers).
3. Remove from heat and pull out corn cobs. Drain quinoa and set aside. Use a sharp knife to scrape the corn kernels off of the corn cobs.
4. While quinoa and corn cook, melt coconut oil over high heat. Add onions and bell pepper and sauté until peppers start to brown.
5. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking until veggies are cooked and lightly browned.
6. Stir in salt, chili powder, paprika, cumin, half of the chopped cilantro, and 1/4 cup salsa. Add quinoa and black beans. Stir and remove from heat.
7. Serve veggie filling, grated cheese, additional salsa, cilantro, and avocado to lettuce wraps.