romaine tacos with cumin quinoa filling

i had great intentions for sharing this recipe earlier today because i think it makes for great meatless monday dish - but i got distracted by a special postal delivery.  and so here we are now on monday evening, long after everyone's dinner i'm sure.  oops.  but, if you like the looks of this there's nothing to keep you from bookmarking this one for next week though, right?

with a slight lightening up of winter's bite in the past couple days here in the north, i was inspired to make something that wasn't a piping hot bowl of soup and instead came up with these romaine & quinoa tacos.  they make for a great lunch or light dinner.  i found the cumin-scented quinoa flavour to be warming but they're also crisp with bright cilantro and refreshing romaine "taco" shells.

these actually kind of make me want to hit the park for a picnic.
how long again until june??? 

romaine tacos with cumin quinoa filling
serves 2-3 hungry folk
1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable broth
pinch of sea salt
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup sweet potato, peeled & cubed
1/3 cup cooked black beans {either cooked from dry or well-rinsed canned beans}
1 green onion, diced
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
romaine leaves to serve

combine the quinoa, water, broth, salt and cumin seeds in a small pot and bring it to a boil.  reduce the heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.  turn off the heat, full the quinoa with a fork and set it aside to cool to room temperature.  meanwhile, cook the sweet potato by steaming it or simmering it in an inch of water.  test with a fork to see that they're done and drain.

add the sweet potato to the quinoa along with the beans, onion & cilantro and stir to mix it all up.  to serve, pile into romaine lettuce leaves, season if you like with a squeeze of fresh lime or hot sauce.

these made a perfect weekend lunch on sunday afternoon.  m was a bit more voracious than i so he opted to go with  corn tortillas around his romaine tacos - a more filling variation. 

or, for someone who's both hungry & impatient {looking inward with non-judgment}, i can vouch for the deliciousness of the quinoa mixture on it's own out of the bowl with a fork.  yummy stuff my friends, yummy stuff.

countdown 'til picnic season when i can eat these tacos with my feet in the grass: 

a mere 5 months.

submitted to wellness weekends @ diet, dessert and dogs