We spend the majority of our lives either sleeping or at work, thus the people who surround us in the office can have a profound impact on our happiness. This may explain why I absolutely love my job. I am lucky enough to work with some badass ladies and, even better, one of them is my food twin. Since meeting each other, we’ve begun taking frequent joint popcorn breaks and discussing our homemade kale and tofu lunches (we also happen to obsess over the same junk foods – really, this girl is my food twin). So, it’s no surprise that this same coworker is responsible for introducing me to the vegan/vegetarian gem of Greenwich Village. This place has a menu straight out of my dreams.
After commuting to the office from out of town Monday afternoon, I popped into Quantum Leap for a quick takeout lunch (oh – by the way, so did my food twin, and we had no idea until we discussed our lunches later that day). Despite feeling a bit bloated from an indulgent weekend, I ordered the Mexican Bowl – and promptly inhaled it at my desk while catching up on email. Normally, I’d opt for something different for the rest of the week – but this bowl was SO delicious I decided to recreate it. I stopped at the store after work to grab $9 worth of groceries, then lugged my suitcase home and whipped up my lunches for the remainder of the week in a matter of minutes.
Give this one a try. It checks all of the health-food boxes (GF, Vegan, Dairy Free) without tasting like health-food. I made 4 servings.
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower – made into rice (see other posts on my blog or read a quick example here)
1 15 oz can of corn, drained
1 9 oz bag of chopped romaine lettuce hearts
1 soft avocado
1 15 oz can of small white beans, drained
Salsa of choice
Optional: feta, chipotle in adobo sauce
Directions:
Place 3 tbsp of salsa in a pot or large saute pan and warm over low heat, adding in the can of drained white beans. Stir thoroughly and add in one chipotle in adobo sauce if you’re open to the spicy, smoky flavor. Stew on low heat for about 15 minutes.
In the meantime, remove the pit and skin of the avocado and mash the flesh in a large bowl. Dice up the hearts of romaine so that they are smaller and finer.
Remove the beans from heat. In a serving bowl for 1, scoop 3 large spoonfuls of cauliflower rice (make sure the rice is warm, so that everything aside from the lettuce, corn, and avocado is warm).
Top with each ingredient, from corn to lettuce to beans, then finish with a big scoop of mashed avocado.
I topped mine with Sriracha and feta cheese, but you can feel free to vary the serving style. Enjoy!
