Taco Lettuce Wraps {Gluten-Free}

In my quest to master a gluten-free lifestyle my biggest problem has been dining out.  You'd think Mexican food would be a safe bet as long as you chose a corn tortilla?  WRONG.  Almost every place I've encountered uses flour in their ground beef mixture.  I have no idea why.  In my entire life of cooking and eating Mexican cuisine, not once has flour been involved in the meat mixture.  So I'm finding more and more it's much easier to eat at home because I know exactly how everything is prepared.  Thankfully Mexican is my favorite kind of food and it's easy to prepare gluten-free.  In an effort not to burn my family out on beef tacos with crispy corn shells, I've been trying new and creative ways to serve tacos outside the box.  When you think of lettuce wraps, P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps are the first thing that comes to mind.  Those are fabulous, and we enjoy them often but why are lettuce wraps limited to Asian cuisine?  Well now they are not.  Switch up taco night and enjoy the filling on a crisp piece of butter lettuce.  It's a little healthier and a lot delicious!

Just like a taco, with a fresh, crisp lettuce "shell"

Taco Lettuce Wraps

1 head butter lettuce
1 pound ground beef
1 cup salsa
1 ounce package gluten-free taco seasoning
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

Garnish:
chopped tomatoes
shredded cheese
sour cream

In a skillet over medium heat, saute the ground beef until no longer pink and cooked through.  Season with the taco seasoning.  Stir in salsa and black beans until heated through.  Scoop mixture into pieces of butter lettuce.  Top with chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese and sour cream before serving.

Prep Time:  Approximately 15 minutes     Cook Time: Approximately 10 minutes

Jelly Bean Popcorn

Little Devil gave me the most beautiful antique lavender-colored glass jar for my birthday.  Actually she gave it to me a few weeks before my birthday.  When I asked her why she didn't wait she said, "Because I knew you would want to fill it with jelly beans and put it out with your Easter decorations."  Which is exactly what I did.  I filled it up with jelly beans and put it on display.  The next day my mom and her twin sister came over and headed straight for the jelly beans.  They were actually arguing over the colors  They ate almost all of them.  When it came time to come up with an Easter treat for the grandparents I knew it had to incorporate jelly beans since I had no idea they were so popular with my family.  In the past I've made Homemade Honey Buns and Bunny Bites Snack Mix.  I know everyone in the family loves popcorn, so I decided a popcorn snack made with colorful jelly beans would be ideal.  This is everyone's favorite marshmallow popcorn, with a sweet splash of color added.  A little extra salt and some cute bunny sprinkles finish off this sweet and salty treat.  I've even included some printable tags if you want to gift some to your favorite bunny.

  

A perfectly sweet & salty treat!

colorful too!

Sticky, gooey and ready for your Easter Bunnies...

Here it is all bagged up for gift-giving

Click on the image to enlarge.
Right click and save to your computer.

Open with the software of your choice
and print onto cardstock.These images are my exclusive artwork.
Please be courteous when using these printables
and remember they are for personal use only.

Here's the cute little jar that inspired it all.
Notice I refilled it!

Jelly Bean Popcorn

10 cups popped corn, salted
3 tablespoons salted butter
3 cups miniature marshmallows
jelly beans
Easter sprinkles

Place the popped corn in a large bowl.  Spread a jelly-roll pan or flat surface with waxed paper.  In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the marshmallows and stir until the marshmallows are melted.  Pour marshmallow mixture over the popped and salted corn.  Stir well to coat.  Spread the popcorn mixture onto the waxed paper.  Pour jelly beans and sprinkles over, lightly pressing into sticky popcorn. Allow to dry and then break into bite-sized piece.  Enjoy and sweet and salty treat!