Everyday Dinner

Everything But the Kitchen Sink Lettuce Cups with Vegan Green Goddess Dressing

Make This Super Simple & Healthy Meal In A Flash
February 14, 2017
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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Roasted Chicken & Vegetarian Lettuce Cups with homemade Vegan Green Goddess Dressing, Waiting On Martha
Roasted Chicken & Vegetarian Lettuce Cups with homemade Vegan Green Goddess Dressing, Waiting On Martha

Lettuce cups are a lot like nachos in my mind (and you know how deep my love for nachos runs).  You can truly throw anything you want in them and enjoy as an easy, fresh, guilt-free take on your favorite dishes.  I call these particular lettuce cups my “Everything But the Kitchen Sink” lettuce cups because I whip them up when I’m too weary to run to the store, instead using all sorts of things I find in the fridge for an easy and healthy weeknight meal.  Sound familiar?!

While these healthy lettuce cups are absolutely delicious the big winner here is the homemade vegan green goddess dressing.  I made mine dairy-free, using Vegenaise and Tofutti (two of my favorite vegan substitutions that taste just as good), amongst a lot of other goodness.  Guys, this dressing is so good that it might even overtake my love for homemade french onion dip.  The dipping possibilities are endless with this vegan green goddess dressing; I’m dunking chips in it as you’re reading this! And I promise you will NEVER taste the dairy free difference.

But back to the lettuce cups.  I mixed things up and made a few vegetarian chalked full of Mediterranean chickpeas and fresh avocado and the others with my favorite rotisserie chicken.  Even with the pulled rotisserie chicken, the dish is incredibly simple and fast to make, and not to mention super healthy to enjoy. I’m a big fan of making a rotisserie chicken on Sunday, then incorporating it in dishes for 2-3 days during the week.  The glory of a great leftover meal like this one never fails to put a smile on my face. 

For the actual lettuce cups I prefer to use a head of iceberg lettuce.  In order to get 5-6 cups out of each head of lettuce, I first chop off the bottom in one big slice.  Next, I flip the head over and very, very lightly hit it down on the cutting board.  This will loosen the center pieces, allowing you to slowly pull it apart.  Voila!  You have your lettuce cups.  Check out the recipe in it’s entirety below and please let me know if you decide make these this week, you’ll love them!  Truly, MKR 

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Everything But the Sink Lettuce Cups with Green Goddess Dressing
Yields 6
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Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
20 min
Cook Time
5 min
Total Time
25 min
For the Lettuce Cups
  1. 1 head of iceberg lettuce pulled apart into 5-6 cups
  2. 1 rotisserie chicken, pulled apart
  3. 1 large can Garbanzo beans, rinsed
  4. 1 red onion, thinly sliced in rounds
  5. 1 fresh avocado, sliced
  6. 1/4 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
  7. a small handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
  8. Plus any leftover herbs you have from your Green Goddess Dressing (see below)
  9. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  10. salt & pepper to taste
For the Green Goddess Dressing
  1. 1 medium avocado
  2. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  3. 1-2 tablespoons vinegar
  4. 3-5 tablespoons water
  5. 1/2 cup Vegenaise (vegan mayo)
  6. 1/2 cup Toffuti (vegan sour cream)
  7. 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
  8. 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  9. 4 tablespoons chives, finely sliced
  10. 2 cloves garlic
  11. Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. For the dressing combine all ingredients into a blender and blend till combined.
  2. On a large platter lay down your lettuce cups and fill with desired toppings. Drizzle with vegan green goddess dressing and enjoy!
Notes
  1. *One head of lettuce should give you 5-6 cups.
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/

Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

An Incredibly Filling and Healthy Dish to Make Tonight
January 16, 2017
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > Everyday Dinner

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Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes recipe by @waitingonmartha
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It’s that time of year friends; I always find myself craving the hearty warmth of a bowl of chili come January.  But with the new year’s goals to refresh, recharge and renew, I’m leaning towards a healthy, vegetarian (and vegan) option to satisfy those cravings.  Enter my Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes…each bite is just as as comforting as it sounds. 

Like nachos (you know I love my nachos as seen here, here and here), stuffed sweet potatoes offer a plethora of options for loading and stacking and filling.  Here, I used a mixture of three types of beans (pinto, kidney and black beans) to make up the base of the chili.  Next, I added white onion, green onion, garlic, a few jalapenos and all the spices to give it enough heat, and just a bit of corn to give it that sweet.  See, I’m such a sucker for the culmination of the sweetness of the sweet potatoes with the spice of the cayenne, paprika and cumin.  It’s the perfect counterbalance that has me going back for more and more. And with plenty of protein and fiber packed in each bite, I can happily say it’s an incredibly filling and healthy dish.  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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Vegetarian Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
45 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 large sweet potatoes, baked
  2. 2 tablespoons olive oil
  3. 1 large white onion, diced
  4. 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped
  5. 1 large green pepper, seeded and chopped
  6. 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
  7. 6 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
  8. 2 cup vegetable broth
  9. 1 32- ounce can crushed tomatoes
  10. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  11. 1 can black beans
  12. 1 can dark red kidney beans
  13. 1 can pinto beans
  14. 1 cup roasted corn
  15. 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  16. 2 tablespoons chili powder
  17. 1 tablespoon cayenne
  18. 1 teaspoon coarse salt
  19. Toppings: chopped green onion, white onion, cilantro, sour cream (optional)
Instructions
  1. Bake your sweet potatoes in the oven (400 degrees) until full cooked. 20-40 minutes depending on size. I like to wrap my sweet potatoes in tin foil and prick with a fork to allow for faster cooking.
  2. While sweet potatoes are cooking begin your chili. Over medium heat, add oil to a deep pot or dutch oven and add garlic, onion, peppers, and jalepeno. Saute 5 minutes to soften vegetables. Next add vegetable broth, tomatoes, black beans, red kidney beans, pinto beans, and corn; stirring to combine.
  3. Season chili with cumin, chili powder, cayenne, and salt. Thicken chili by stirring in tomato paste. Simmer over low heat about 10 minutes. Place sweet potatoes in a large casserole dish and split. Scoop chili over each potato and garnish with toppings. Enjoy!
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Healthy Greek Shrimp, Quinoa & Avocado Salad in Under 30 Minutes

Full of rich Mediterranean flavors, this salad will quickly become a weekly dinner favorite
January 9, 2017
Story By: Mandy Kellogg Rye
Filed Under > 30 Minute Meals

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A Healthy Greek Salad with Spicy Shrimp, Avocado & Hummus Waiting On Martha A Healthy Greek Salad with Spicy Shrimp, Avocado & Hummus Waiting On Martha

Three cheers for an easy meal that’s fresh, healthy and clocks you under 30 minutes.  It was due time I shared the recipe for my healthy Greek salad with spicy shrimp, rainbow quinoa and avocado. Complete with some of the best Mediterranean flavors (cherry tomatoes, hummus, cucumber, arugula, lemon, oregano and garlic), it’s both a powerhouse lunch and a dinner entree that will be on high demand.  I love to add a pinch of cumin and cayenne for a kick (because #duh) and top with my favorite Greek salad dressing.

Of course, you’ll feel great about eating this salad. With plenty of fresh veggies, good fats and lean proteins, it will sustain you without slowing you down.  Instead of feta or another cheese, I opted to use hummus because it still gives you that irresistible creamy texture.  And if you’re looking to make this salad vegan, simply remove the shrimp and sub it for tofu (or nothing at all).  It lends itself to be a fantastic, easy lunch whenever I do so. 

To serve, I love to plate the salad on a large platter.  But if you’ll notice in the pictures, I created four miniature salads on the platter, rather than mixing it all up.  This way, when serving themselves, each individual can grab the corner and get every ingredient perfectly proportioned without disrupting the others serving.  Everybody’s happy!  Enjoy!  Truly, MKR

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Mediterranean Shrimp & Quinoa Salad
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. Fresh arugula (I used 1 1/2 containers)
  2. 1 1/2 cups rainbow quinoa
  3. 1 pound fresh, wild caught shrimp; tail on, heads off and deveined
  4. 1 cucumber, halved and then cut into half circles
  5. 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  6. 1 cup hummus (any flavor you prefer)
  7. 1 avocado, sliced
  8. 1 lemon halved
  9. Your favorite greek dressing
  10. For the Shrimp
  11. Juice of 1 lemon
  12. 2-4 garlic cloves, finely diced
  13. 1 tablespoon oregano, finely diced
  14. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  15. 1 teaspoon cayenne
  16. 3 tablespoon organic olive oil
  17. 1 teaspoon salt
  18. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
  1. Add 1.5 cups of quinoa to 3 cups of water in a medium size pot, covered, and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer and continue to cook for 10 minutes or until you see that the majority of the water has evaporated. Keep covered, and remove from the heat, fluff with a fork.
  2. While the quinoa is cooking add your shrimp to a medium/large bowl and add lemon, diced garlic, diced oregano, cumin, cayenne, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper. Mix till shrimp are completely covered.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive to a skillet and heat over medium/high. Once hot, add shrimp and cook approximately 2 minutes per side or until done.
  4. Begin layering your salad: arugula, quinoa, tomatoes, cucumber, shrimp, avocado, and a few dollops of hummus. Squeeze half a lemon over the plate, and serve with your favorite greek dressing.
Welcome by Waiting on Martha https://waitingonmartha.com/
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