Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Recipe: Lentil Tacos

If you love the taste of tacos but could do without all that grease that tends to drip out of the shells, try this recipe. It's naturally low fat, but with the taco seasoning, the salt content may be a little high. If you're watching your salt intake, you might want to opt for a low-sodium taco seasoning or make your own.

Lentil Tacos

Ingredients:
1 cup dry lentils
2 cups water
1 package taco seasoning (I use McCormick's Mild Taco Seasoning packets, because my daughter doesn't like the tacos too spicy)
Corn tortillas (fresh, NOT fried)
Green leaf lettuce, shredded, about 2 cups
1 large tomato, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
Fresh cilantro, to taste, chopped (I use 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro)
1 fresh jalapeno (If you like your tacos spicy), minced, to taste
Shredded Cheddar cheese (low-fat is healthier for you), 1/4 or 1/2 cups, as desired
Splash of vinegar (alternative: lime juice)

Directions:
Combine the lentils and water in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the lentils are cooked and the water almost absorbed. Keep an eye on the pan, so the lentils don't scorch. Stir from time to time and reduce heat as necessary. When the pan has just a little bit of liquid left, add the taco seasoning, stir to mix well and reduce the heat to very low. Again, make sure it doesn't scorch, and turn heat off completely, if necessary.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the lettuce, tomato, green onion, cilantro, jalapeno and stir to mix well. Add cheese and stir. Sprinkle on some vinegar (or lime juice) and stir again.

Wrap several corn tortillas in a barely-damp cloth or paper towel and place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 15 seconds at a time until the tortillas are warm.

To serve: Take one tortilla, spread about 1/4-cup (or less) of lentil mixture down the middle, top with the lettuce and tomato mixture, fold up and enjoy.

Makes about 8 to 12 tacos.

5 comments:

  1. Hi, thanks for visiting my blog. These tacos sound really good. I like the idea of tacos that don't leave a puddle of grease on the plate!
    ~Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mmmm, once I saw this recipe I thought, I just have to follow your blog. Also, we are about the same age (49) and we have about the same amount of weight to lose. Let's help each other out! Check out my blog at http://haveyougainedweight.blogspot.com/

    Looking forward to getting to know you xox

    ReplyDelete
  3. I made these last year & they were quite successful. In the future I'd mix half lentil, half meat & then I don't think the family would even notice!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read somewhere that they're also good when made with half lentils, half TVP (texturized vegetable protein). But, I've never tried them that way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. OMG, these sound SO GOOD! I'm definitely going to try them!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! I review all comments before they're posted. I'd love to post your positive and/or informative comments, but I won't post any negative comments, those selling anything or those comments submitted just to generate links to another blog or website. Thanks for understanding!