Spicy Vegetarian/Vegan Quiñoa Tacos

So, I have been trying to be better about stretching groceries and making meals out of what we have left to help with the budget. You know, like my guy Tim Gunn always says, "Make it Work!"

Occasionally, it makes for some veerrry interesting combinations. And by interesting, I mean pretty bad. And by pretty bad, I mean tasteless and/or cardboardy.

However, every now and then a star is born, and we have a fantastic dinner! Enter, these tacos. I think it is more appropriate to call them, "Hobo Tacos" but that doesn't sound too appetizing. It's also probably not P.C. Sorry. I highly recommend just grabbing whatever you can that sounds good and mixing it in!

We are trying to eat less meat (the whole grocery budget thing, again), but if you have any leftover chicken or beef, throw that in as well! This meal can also easily be made vegan if you pay attention to the tortillas that you buy (or just use lettuce leaves), use primarily fresh or frozen veggies that have been thawed, and forego any dairy additions.

All of these amounts are estimated and are just what we happened to have on hand. You can add less or more to your taste and according to how many mouths you need to feed!

Spicy Vegetarian Quinoa Tacos

1/2 c. cooked Quinoa

1 can black beans

1 c. cooked corn (I used thawed freezer corn)

1/2 can diced green chilies

1 can garbanzo beans

2 tomatoes, diced

3 or 4 leaves Romaine lettuced, chopped (not chopped if using as tortilla substitute)

1 cloved garlic, minced

1/2 c. cilantro, chopped

1-2 tbsp. olive oil

8 tortillas

(I prefer corn, but flour or whole wheat work, too!)

optional: vegetable oil to cook/crisp tortillas on stovetop, salsa

Other things that we might have thrown on, had they been in our sad, empty fridge: avocado, red onion, cheese, sour cream, bell pepper (any color), a chipotle pepper in adobo (minced), a little bit of jalapeno pepper, other beans or lentils

Cook the quinoa according to the directions on the box (don't forget to rinse it beforehand! This is the secret to making it fluffy and delicious). While it is simmering, add the black beans, corn, green chilies, garbanzo beans, and garlic to a big bowl and mix. When the quinoa is cooked, fluff it with a fork and add it to the bowl. Let it sit and cool a little bit while you chop the tomatoes and cilantro. Add those both, along with the olive oil, and give the whole mixture a good toss, making sure that everything is incorporated.

We like to have our tortillas a little warm and crispy, so we heat them over the stove with some oil until they are browned and bubbly. This is just us being tortilla snobs, though. Plain is just fine, too.

Enjoy!:)