Soyrizo and Quinoa Stuffed Lettuce Leaf Tacos

I am generally against food products pretending to be other food products. I'll explain.

Veggie burgers do not pretend to be regular burgers. 


Having an honest name helps, for a start. I don't eat a veggie burger and go, "Boy, I wonder what kind of meat they put in this" or "You think this'll taste like bison or just regular beef?" When I watch someone bite into a black-bean burger, I don't expect them to turn to me and say--"Wow, who knew this was made from vegetables? Could have fooled me!"

What I'm talking about is someone trying to let margarine masquerade as butter, or someone who hands you a tofu-dog instead of a hotdog and goes "Come on, it's just like the real thing!" 

I'm sorry, did you accidentally lose all of your taste buds and a small portion of your mind recently? No, they are most certainly not the same. 

But every once in a while, I go against my own (and Michael Pollan's) food rules.




Although I live with a vegetarian, I am not one myself. But sometimes, the vegetarian alternative can be the preferable one, for lots of reasons outside of the obvious animal rights ones.  


Soyrizo is one of the few exceptions I've made because it is just. that. good. It has the same spice and richness as the original Mexican sausage without making you feel like you could slick back The Fonz's hair for a full 3 seasons of Happy Days simply from touching the stuff.

Also, real chorizo--equally delicious of course--has about 90 billion percent of your day's recommended fat intake, or you know, something in that ball park. I don't ever exaggerate. Clearly. 

This way, you get that great chorizo flavor, without the feeling that your hips may or may not fit through the next doorway you try to go through. Plus, they're wrapped in lettuce, which has got to mean you're scoring all kinds of healthy-points.

So....Who wants an ice cream sunday for dessert? We totally earned it. Sort of.

Quinoa and Soyrizo Stuffed Lettuce Leaf Tacos

Serves 3-4

1 teaspoon olive oil

½ medium onion, sliced

½ cup frozen corn, defrosted

½ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

8 oz soyrizo

½ teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups quinoa, cooked

3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

juice of ½ lime

6-8 medium-large lettuce leaves (romaine or iceberg work best)

1-2 avocados

plain yogurt or sour cream, optional

salsa or hot sauce, optional

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté. Once onion has begun to soften and brown in color, add corn, tomatoes and soyrizo. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, until everything is heated through and the soyrizo has become aromatic. Remove from heat and add seasoning, cooked quinoa, and cilantro. Stir together until ingredients are combined. Add lime juice and toss to coat. 

Spoon soyrizo mixture into the lettuce leaves. Slice avocados and add 1-2 slivers into each lettuce leaf. Serve. Optional: top with yogurt, sour cream, hot sauce, or salsa as desired.