Sweet Potato and Black Bean Lettuce Cups

A few weeks ago I went to a restaurant that did not have any vegan dishes on the menu so I talked to the waitress and she was able to help me out! What I ended up with was some beans in lettuce cups and veggies, and while it was pretty good I wanted to recreate it to be a delicious full meal at home. The idea was a good one so I figured why not make it my way with lots of delicious ingredients!

 

Stewed Black Beans ( I make these ones from scratch but feel free to buy them from the store or use my recipe for quick stewed black beans from this recipe)

Ingredients

  • Scant 2 cups dried black beans soaked over night in water
  • 3-4 cups of water
  • 1/2 small/medium onion diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1-2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1-2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Instructions

  1. Place all ingredients (starting with 3 cups of water) in a heavy pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let the beans cook for about 1 hour or until soft and thickened. Stirring the beans periodically throughout the hour. Add some salt and pepper to taste

 

Sweet Potatoes and Corn

Ingredients

  • 2 medium orange flesh sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 ears of corn, ends trimmed

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Pierce the flesh of the potatoes on one side with a knife. Place the potatoes pierced side up into the microwave for 3 minutes or until softer to the touch
  2. Cut the potatoes into cubes and place into a bowl with the spices. Mix to combine. Spread the potatoes on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes on one side then flip and bake another 20 minutes or until all sides are golden and crispy.
  3. For the last 10 minutes of baking place the corn in the oven as well directly on the racks and flip once during baking.
  4. When you remove the corn let cool for a few minutes with the husk on
  5. Cut the corn off the cob into a bowl

 

Assembly

  • Butter lettuce
  • Avocado
  • Beans
  • Potatoes
  • Corn

Carefully remove the leaves of butter lettuce from the head leaving them intact. Add some beans, potatoes and corn to each lettuce cup. Top with avocado. You could even add salsa, or chopped cilantro and it would be delicious!

Let me know what you think if you make this recipe! I’ll see you all next Friday! =)

 

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