I hate cooking meat. Thinking of touching chicken makes me cringe. (Side note: I only use Mrs. Meyers handsoap and am wondering if it kills all the raw meat germs?! ) Therefore, I'm happy to only cook vegetarian/vegan meals in my house. Finding recipes that are flavorful, meatless, only require a few ingredients, and can be eaten as left overs (for my lunch) are staples for me.

Did you know?!

These are my favorite because I'm all about some plant protein. Did you know that black beans and quinoa have large amounts of protein? More than chicken! For this recipe, it contains ± 36.5g of protein between the quinoa and black beans. So if you feed 4 people, that's ± 9g per serving of plant protein. Another easy way to add protein is with nutritional yeast. Each tablespoon contains 3g of protein. If you haven't ever tried this, it's a seasoning that gives a cheese flavor. You could easily include this in this recipe.

Let's get cooking!

Ingredients:

• Flour or corn tortillas
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup quinoa (I used tri-colored but you can use whatever)
• 3 tomatillos
• 2 limes
• 1 yellow onion
• 1 poblano pepper
• Monterey jack cheese - shredded
• Mexican/Taco Spice Blend (linked to my favorite homemade spice combo that I make in bulk and use a lot!)
• Olive oil
• Toppings of your choice - avocado, sour cream (I found a bomb probiotic one that I love lately at Whole Foods!), salsa, green onions, etc.
• Rice (if you want to serve it on top)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 475ºF. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add 1/2 cup of quinoa and cook for 16 to 18 minutes. Drain and place in medium bowl.
• While the quinoa cooks, wash and dry the tomatillos and pepper. (I use Trader Joe's produce wash). Line baking sheet with aluminum foil for easier cleanup. Place vegetables on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until browned and softened. Once cooled, remove the skin of the poblano pepper. Also discard the stem, ribs, and seeds. Chop tomatillos and pepper.
• Dice onion. Rinse black beans. Cut limes into 6 pieces each.
• Heat 2 tsp of olive oil in pot or pan. Add onion. I also added some garlic because I love it. Cook 2-3 minutes or until softened. Add 2 TBS water, chopped pepper & tomatillos. Season with salt & pepper. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until thickened. Turn off the heat and stir in the juice of 2 lime wedges.
• In the bowl of quinoa, add the black beans, mexican/taco seasoning, juice of 4 lime wedges, some olive oil, salt and pepper.
• In a small/medium baking dish, line the bottom with a very thin layer of the quinoa/black bean mix. Fill each tortilla with the quinoa/black bean mixture and place in baking dish with the seam side down.
• Top with the onion/pepper mixture. Then top with the shredded cheese. (Use vegan shredded cheese to make this dish vegan).
• Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.
• Serve with toppings of your choice, extra lime wedges, and rice if you like! Enjoy!