Black Bean and Avocado Lettuce Wraps

I know I'm really into wraps these days, but this recipe was actually featured on The Slender Student last week for my Team Slender guest post!

The vibrant green lettuce is filled with protein, healthy fats and fresh produce to keep you satisfied until dinner.  I think you'll love it and find that it only takes minutes to put together.  Easy peasy.

black bean and avocado lettuce wraps

Makes: 4 servings

Per serving: 180 cal. | 5.9 g fat (1g sat.) | 25.1 g carb | 8.8 g protein

2 cups black beans, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small tomato
4 large butter lettuce leaves
½ avocado
1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt
Pepper

1. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, sauté garlic with a drizzle of olive oil. Add black beans and stir to warm. Use a fork to slightly mash beans. Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Place ½ cup black bean on each lettuce leaf. Top each with a slice of tomato, two slices of avocado, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

3. Wrap the leaves into tight rolls and slice in half, if desired. Enjoy right away or pack yours in a tupperware for a tasty lunch on campus! 

adapted from rabbit food for my bunny teeth

A Skype Seder

Being an event planner's and a rabbi's daughter, Jewish holidays are a pretty big deal in my family. This especially applies to Passover, during which our Memphis home furniture clears out and over fifty guests enter with food, wine, family and spirit galore.

I have to admit that while I do love Austin, I haven't been able to find a replacement for those family-filled gatherings.  There's just something about the unmatched warmth of home and Southern Jewish hospitality.

So my brother, friends and I came up with a solution.  We bought the matzah and seder plate items, made the charoset (a sweetened apple dish) and hard boiled the eggs.  We cooked salmon with roasted brussel sprouts and cauliflower (see the recipes here) for our main course, along with matzah ball soup from our campus' Hillel kitchen.

Since I guess I have some spirituality and party plannin' in my blood, I had to make the individual seder plates for the five of us as we sat around the laptop for our one-of-a-kind seder.  We held them in our laps on the couch and felt like we were right there in my living room!

The charoset was absolutely delicious, addicting and SUPER easy to make.  All you need is a spoon to keep taste-testing throughout the process!

passover charoset

6 red apples, peeled and diced

Manischevitz

Cinnamon

1 small package of pecans, diced

1. Mix in a bowl.

2. Taste.

3. Add any ingredient needed for full flavor.

4. Repeat.

5. Refrigerate.

Our first night of Seder was quite the success.  While I wish I could've been in Memphis, this felt just right.  Now I just need a piece of matzah toffee crunch.  Happy Passover, y'all!

Passover Desserts

Get it? Passover?! I know you're smirking.

The Easter decor and recipes are all over the blogosphere, but my dear cousin in Florida reminded me that the Passover holiday is coming up this Monday evening.  Whoa!  I found this to be a fabulous opportunity to help y'all out with dessert ideas for large seders or a single sweet tooth.  I have compiled a list of my flourless favorites for you to try out this upcoming week.

P.S. If any of you readers are depressed about the lack of carbs in your life next week, go ahead and try some of my recipes that my rabbi father would not approve of on Monday.  I'm thinking tomato bruschetta, veggie quinoa fried "rice,"half-the-guilt truffled mac & cheese, or my most recent black and blue berry crumb bars?  Dig in this weekend.

food 52's alice medrich's

coconut macaroons

A quick and easy recipe that yields a beautiful result.  They're tasty with a piece of chocolate on top or without.

martha stewart's

matzah s'mores

Great for the kid in all of us!  As Martha cleverly writes, "hide the matzah this Passover, and you might just find it under a marshmallow."

martha stewart's

chocolate cake with espresso glaze

A flourless version of the decadent chocolate taste we all crave.  A side of a rich espresso glaze attracts the coffee-lovers, too!

david lebovitz's

chocolate-covered caramelized matzah crunch

Uhh, yum.  David (my Parisian expert idol, by the way) doesn't hesitate to bring out all the flavors, from vanilla extract and sea salt to a perfected toffee and chocolate covering.  Say bu-bye to dry matzah.

smitten kitchen's

chocolate soufflé cupcakes with mint cream

When a flourless chocolate cake is treated like a soufflé, the outcome is magical.  And the minty whipped cream makes all of the difference.  It's an eye-opening solution to any dessert, actually.

Black and Blue Crumb Bars

These bars will blow any cobbler away.  Yes, I'm serious.

How could this be?!  Because you can enjoy these for breakfast or dessert with vanilla ice cream a la mode.  And who doesn't love some sweetness beyond the late night snack?  

Trust me; I tried them both ways in Seaside, Florida this past week for spring break.  No regrets, y'all.

I chill the bars for an easy cookie-like morning snack and pop them for 30 seconds in the microwave to get the ultimate, buttery crust you'd find in a pie.  Basically, these bars can and will please anyone!

black and blue berry crumb bars

makes approx. 36 small bars

1 cup white granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 egg

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 cups fresh blackberries

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or your fingers to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the berries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until top is slightly brown.  Cool completely (you can even chill them in the fridge) before cutting into squares.

adapted from smitten kitchen

George's (Alys Beach)

ambiance
George's is located in Alys Beach, a grecian-like neighborhood of beach houses with all white exteriors and unbelievable architecture. The angles and simplicity make me feel like I'm in Europe! George's is a tiny cafe right off the highway filled with a warm staff and small but satisfying menu. The left side of the menu is entitled "mis-be-have" for your sandwich with fries option, while the right side reads "be-have" for salads and the healthy works. The dishes, therefore, can make even the pickiest of eaters happy! And who cares about misbehaving when it comes to eating...right?!

food

thai beef and noodle salad

crab cake remoulade roll

Our family opted to try entrees from all over the menu. Dad got the famous grilled grouper sandwich that magazines say "you must eat before you die." Julia and her friend Dena got the best burger on 30A. I tried the crab cake remoulade roll with bacon. I ended up taking the remoulade off, but I really enjoyed the fried green tomato on top. Mom ordered the thai beef and noodle salad with avocado and mango. The thai peanut dressing was awesome - I could've ordered an extra side of it! We also got the G.A.S.P. (garlic, artichoke, sun-dried tomato, pesto) in a pita with a side of nutty kale cous cous with honey and almonds. Our plates were clean by the end of the hour!

warm chocolate goo with vanilla gelato

key lime pie

candy bar mini cake

But how could we ignore dessert...Julia insisted on the warm chocolate goo, which turned out to be a simply darn good brownie. The homemade key lime pie was a classic. My favorite was the candy bar mini cake. The owner, Anne, told us that she spent two full Sundays after tasting a similar dish in NYC. The cake consists of snickers, rolos, heath bar, oreo, and reese's.

Interested yet?! Good.

Sesame-crusted Grouper

Remember that quinoa fried "rice" recipe that I created a few months back?! Here's the Asian-inspired grouper entree that compliments the quinoa so well.  It's light and healthy, and the fish cooks beautifully in the skillet.

I'm heading to Seaside, FL for a relaxing Spring Break with the family on Saturday morning - if anyone has recipe recommendations, now is the time to send them my way! I'll be experimenting in the beach house kitchen throughout next week.  Email any ideas to cara.greenstein@gmail.com or simply comment below!

sesame-crusted grouper

Makes 4 servings 

2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
½ cup green onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
4 6-ounce grouper fillets
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sesame seeds
Salt
Ground Black Pepper

1. For vinaigrette, mix the soy sauce, mustard, ginger, white wine vinegar and green onions. Add more soy sauce for a less acidic sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of canola oil without whisking.

2. Dredge the fish on one side with flour. Spread some of egg over floured side of the fish with a pastry brush. Then, dredge in sesame seeds.

3. In a medium-hot oven-safe skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons canola oil. Once hot, add fish, sesame-seed side down. Bake in 375 degree oven for 5 minutes.

4. Take fish out of the oven and carefully flip it over. Return to oven and bake 1 minute, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

5. Gently mix vinaigrette and pour over fish. Serve atop veggie quinoa fried “rice” for an Asian twist.

adapted from country home magazine