Last weekend we went to a cactus rescue sale. I really wish I had brought my camera with me because it was a sight that you would only see in Arizona, or another southwestern state. There is an organization that goes around to construction sites and digs up all the cactus that would normally be demolished to make room for a new road or building. A few times a year they have a huge sale and they lay out all of the cactus under a huge tent. They let people in a few at a time and you can go around and dig up all the cacti that you want. It was so much fun and we scored big!
Unfortunately, they aren’t quite as much fun to plant as they are to buy. The planting process looked a lot like me “supervising” while the husband did the dirty, and prickly work š
Now, onto the food! I realized that it has been about ten days since I posted my last Mexican recipe, and in my opinion that is ten days too long! And, I also do realize that this recipe might be very similar to this recipe, but really, is it possible to eat too much sweet potato, black beans, and avocados??!! I didn’t think so!
I’ve mentioned before that my father used to own a Mexican restaurant, so you could say that salsa pretty much runs through my veins and instead of tears, I cry black beans. Ok, maybe that last part went a little too far, but you get the point!
I made these lettuce cups for lunch last weekend while my husband was at work and had no plans of even telling him that I made them. Firstly, I figured he probably wouldn’t be interested in them and secondly, I hoped that he wouldn’t be interested in them so that I could eat them all myself. He came home from work and I was going through the cupboards and telling him everything we had that I could make him for dinner. Then he looked over at my plate and asked why he couldn’t just eat what I was eating. I tried to make some excuses, like “they have cilantro in them and you hate cilantro” or “I’m just using lettuce as the tortilla, so you probably won’t like them”, but I guess even a cilantro hater knows a good meal when he sees one! I was hesitant to share my precious lettuce cups, but being the good wife that I am, I finally gave in and let him have some.
That being said, I immediately made another batch of these so that I could enjoy them for lunch the next week. And being the smart wife that I am, when my husband asked what I was still doing in the kitchen, I replied “just doing dishes”.
So, I know that it is summer and it is hot outside and you are probably trying hard not to heat up your house with the oven, but trust me, these lettuce cups are so worth it that you won’t even realize that the house is a little bit hotter. The only thing you will be thinking about is what excuse you can use to deter the other people in your household from wanting to eat them!
The tortilla strips are totally optional, but I don’t know if we can be friends anymore if you skip them. Kidding! But, if I were you I would make a few extra so you can snack on them when you get hungry in the middle of the night! (not that that ever happens to me…)
Sweet Potato & Black Bean Lettuce Wraps with Crispy Tortilla Strips & Smashed Avocado with Lime
- Yield: 4 - 6 1x
Ingredients
- 1 head of Butter lettuce, you could also use romaine or iceberg
- 4 corn tortillas
- chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired
Roasted Sweet Potatoes:
- 1 medium sized sweet potato, peeled
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Black Bean Mixture:
- 1/2 red onion, small diced
- 1 small bell pepper, small diced, you can use any color you like
- 1 15 ounce can of black beans, or about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Smashed Avocado & Lime:
- 1 avocado
- juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Dice the sweet potato into small cubes. On a large sheet pan place diced sweet potato, spices, and olive oil. Toss to coat and place into the oven for about 20 – 25 minutes, flipping once.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Stack the tortillas on top of each other and cup them in half. Stack those halves on top of each other again and cut into thin strips. Place tortilla strips on a medium sized backing sheet and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat and bake for about 10 – 15 minutes, flipping occasionally, until tortilla strips are crisp.
- Place a large pan over medium heat and drizzle in a little bit of olive oil, add the red onion and green pepper. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and black beans. Then add all of the spices and stir. Cook mixture for about 5 minutes until vegetables are tender and beans are heated through.
- Dice up the avocado and add it to a small bowl. Mash the avocado to desired consistency and add the minced garlic, lime juice, and salt. Stir until combined.
- In a large bowl, add the sweet potatoes and black bean mixture. Stir to combine.
- Separate the lettuce leaves and lay them out. Scoop a spoonful of sweet potato and black bean mixture into each lettuce cup. Top with smashed avocado, tortilla strips, and cilantro leaves, if desired.
- Category: Entree, Gluten Free, Vegan
I had no idea there was such a thing as a cactus rescue sale!
Sweet potatoes are one of my very favorite foods. These lettuce wraps look fantastic. Such pretty pictures!
Thank you Christin! Sweet potatoes are one of my absolute favorite foods too š
I just found your blog, but oh my gosh your food looks so good & healthy!
I book marked your website to make some of your recipes. :))
Thank you so much, Kevin! Your comment just made me really happy! I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes š
Yayyyyy! I am so glad that it made you happy. =D
I have never heard of a cactus rescue sale! Cool concept though. And look at those roots! I wouldn’t even know where to begin with planting one. The colors in these lettuce wraps are so vibrant! I totally would not share these. š
Unfortunately, they are not fun to plant at all! Thankfully, I just stood there while my husband did all the dirty work! They are pretty fun to look at once you have them in though!
This is just a fresh and delicious recipe, Isa! So light and flavourful too š
Thanks Olivia! Colorful food just tastes better š
Your food is always so fresh and healthy looking! These lettuce wraps look soo good and the addition of the tortilla strips is perfect š
Aww, thanks so much, Katie!! I tried to be good with using the lettuce wrap instead of a tortilla, but I just couldn’t go without any tortillas involved š
Wow a cactus rescue sale? I would totally love to go to one of those too š These lettuce cups look amazing! Love how light and fresh they are and the black bean and sweet potato combo is just perfect š
It was so much fun, Kelly! Except planting them was not so much fun,haha! They really are light and fresh and the flavors go together so well š
Your hubby sounds pretty similar to mine when it comes to food! He thinks a lot of the food I make is ‘weird’ and tells me that he craves just having a sandwich for lunch sometimes, but then surprises me sometimes by being complimentary about something I thought he’d hate!
And yet, that usually happens when I want to keep something just for myself!!!
These sound just wonderful – I love the idea of using the lettuce as a ‘receptacle’ and the tortillas as a topping – a sort of role reversal for the tortillas and greens!! Love it!
I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one with a picky husband! Sometimes it makes me sad he won’t eat the food, but sometimes I just want it all to myself! He is the exact same way as your husband, he just wants pepperoni pizza or a ham and cheese sandwich, haha! Using the lettuce wraps really made them so light so I felt like I could eat a bunch of them without guilt!
Yum! These look so light and refreshing and delicious! And I’m super jealous of your cactus sale! That sounds amazing!
Thanks Monet! They really were light and refreshing! The cactus sale was a lot of fun, but not as much fun to plant them!
Oh my gosh, how funny, a cactus rescue!! I’ve never heard of such a thing… but I’ve also never lived in Arizona! I can’t imagine planting those things is much fun…. I had to re-pot a small houseplant sized cactus and even that was torture! The lettuce wraps look awesome… they are something I love to eat but never think to make!! I need to try it!
I had never heard of them either until I started living in AZ, haha! I did feel like I was doing a good thing though! oh gosh, they are so not fun to plant! You can’t just pick them up and place them where you want them to go. You have to wear thick gloves and use pieces of thick carpet to move them around! I need to start eating more lettuce wraps too! So glad you like them, Jess š
You are so good on mexican food! I love the look of these wraps – delicious flavours, the crispy tortilla strips and just everything about them!
Thanks so much, Jessica! I’m so glad you like them! They are some of my favorite flavor combinations š
That is just wild about the cactus sale! I wouldn’t have ever guessed that existed! These lettuce wraps look great. I really love a smokey sweet potato/black bean flavor combination! I am trying these!
Haha, I didn’t know they existed either, until I moved to cactus country! I’m obsessed with smokey sweet potato and black beans these days! I think I could eat them for every meal, and for the last week I have been š I hope you enjoy then, Annie!
A cactus rescue sale? Haha. That’s actually the funniest thing I’ve heard in a longggg time! It’s like the SPCA for cactus! They are beautiful though, prickly, but pretty! These lettuce wraps are also sooooo pretty! I’m obsessed with every ingredient in here and the tortilla strips are not optional -what are you talking about??? š These look SO good and I love your Mexican food recipes. I need your expertise to show me the way because I am a Canadian-Danish country girl. I love you lady and I hope your feeling well and your cacti are thriving!
al xxxxxxxx
Haha, it really is! Eric had just gone to Petco that morning and said that there were three adorable kittens that he wanted to adopt, and I was like, we are doing our civic duty by saving these cacti, so no need to adopt a dozen kittens! Besides, Cheeto probably wouldn’t like that too much! I 100% agree, the tortilla strips are not optional for me either, in fact I made a bunch extra and ate them as snacks! I just figured that since I was already swapping out the tortilla for lettuce some might not want to add tortilla on top, but now that I say that, it sounds totally ridiculous! Tortilla strips = not optional at all!! I say, just add smoked paprika and cumin to everything and you can call it Mexican food! I’m beginning to realize that that is what I do, haha! Stomach is feeling a little bit better and cacti are flowering š Love you! xoxo
Oh gosh. I TOTALLY made some tortilla wraps similar to these lettuce wraps yesterday for dinner! They totally rocked my tastebuds, so I know that these lettuce wraps are bound to be amazing. Bring on the sweet potatoes! Oh, and I’m totally obsessing over that smashed avocado with lime. Just give me a spoon and I’ll be good. š Pinned!
Sarah! I do remember that we share a love or roasted sweet potatoes!! I def did some spoon eating with the avocado too! My husband doesn’t really like avocados (I seriously don’t know what is wrong with him!) so I ate the entire avocado myself! I just can’t help myself sometimes š Thanks for pinning!!
You make the best food Izzy. Period š
Thank you so much, Kathy!! š
Ah ha ha, you may cry black beans, but my kids cry when they see black beans. I can’t get them on the bean wagon. They want nothing to do with them. I on the other can can’t get enough. With my husband away, I can have these all to myself š
Hahaha, that is too funny! It seems like there are a lot of people who don’t like black beans! I think they are some of the best things ever though! I’m scared that one day when I have kids they will inherit my husband’s taste buds. I hope you enjoy them all to yourself, Cindy š
Sounds like a cactus rescue sale is a great cause! I’ve never heard of that before, but that’s probably because I live in the midwest! š These lettuce wraps look delicious, Izzy! I love that you used lettuce in place of a tortilla. And that smashed avocado sounds like the perfect touch! And I can never get enough of Mexican foods, either!
It really is! I felt like I was doing my civic duty and making our yard prettier, haha! My husband has gotten obsessed with cactus and I think he wants to fill the entire yard! There really is no such thing as too much Mexican food, at least I haven’t come across it yet and it eat it a few times a week š
These look amazing! I want to come over to Arizona and basque in the heat and eat all the yummy Mexican food š One of the places high on my list to travel to!!
I can’t wait to try these lettuce wraps (yumm!!!) and your salsa recipe!
And a cactus sale – that gave me a chuckle! It is already chilly here š
You are always welcome, Ceara!! There is definitely a lot of heat to basque in and so much yummy Mexican food! It really is such a beautiful place though! I’m so jealous of your chilly weather! I don’t think it is going to start cooling down here until November!
Honestly, I do sometimes save the really good food all for myself and tell the.boy I don’t think he’ll like it. Is that mean?
Love the flavors in these lettuce cups! The black bean sweet potato combo is one of my favorites.
Haha, not mean at all! Once my husband was looking through the blog and he didn’t recognize one of the recipes and was asking when we had that when really I had eaten all of it and not shared any with him!
Now this is a summer taco! It’s cooler here so I have no excuse not to heat up my oven for sweet potatoes. Love the addition of tortilla strips as well.
On another note, I must figure out why I haven’t been getting your e-mail updates. Maybe I’ll try re-subscribing.
Thank you, Katie! I need to move where you live because I am sooo sick of the heat! It sure doesn’t stop me from using my oven though! Hmmm, have you checked your spam folder? I’ve found that sometimes they accidentally get sent there. I’ve been having some issues with my subscribe link, that I am hoping to get it figured out soon! Let me know if you still don’t find them in your spam and I can try to add you again manually š