Lentil Tacos

I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to share this delicious recipe with you. Tim and I have been eating these easy lentil tacos for years, but I suppose it’s better to let you in on the recipe now than never!

I love fish tacos, and black bean tacos, and there’s plenty of other tacos, too. But, why lentils?

• They’re an excellent replacement texture-wise for ground beef, whether you’re vegetarian or a carnivore just trying to increase variety in your diet.
• Green lentils contain 20% of your daily needs for iron per 50g dry serving, a nutrient tough to get enough of if you’re an athlete or just a female.
• You’ll get about 500 mg of fluid balancing potassium per serving.
• A serving of lentils provides 15 grams of fiber, essential for proper digestive motility as well as being supportive of gut bacteria that regulate immunity, metabolism and more.
• They’re rich in many nutrients crucial during pregnancy, such as folate (60% of pregnancy needs), iron, and choline.
• I can go on forever!

What’s great about veg tacos is you don’t have to worry as much about food safety when packing for work and school, too. Here’s a picture from a while back at work. I packed the taco “meat” in a container, packed 2 sprouted grain tortillas in my reusable sandwich bags, and packed avocado in a small container, too. I heated the filling up in my office, and warmed the tortillas, too. Filled the tortillas and topped with avocado, and there you have tacos at work!

While sometimes I go for a lettuce or cabbage wrap, like with these lentil taco burgers, I’ll only do so if I’m getting a whole grain or other starch on the side such as rice, polenta or even corn on the cob. To have a complete and balanced meal that will satisfy you, go for the tortilla if you don’t have a side! Two small corn tortillas provide a few more grams of protein, too, not just energy and nutrients – athletes especially, you need this!
Add this simple recipe to next week’s food prep – your whole family will love it!

What is your favorite type of taco? And are you a hard shell or soft shell person? Answer below!

I typically go soft, but blue corn looked great at the grocery store this past weekend!

Lentil Veggie Taco Meat

Fills 10-12 taco shells

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or other vegetable oil)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles (plain is fine, too)
•  2 Cups cooked lentils
• 1/2-1 Cup frozen chopped spinach
• Taco Seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon each garlic powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon each cayenne powder, salt, turmeric, black pepper

Directions

• After prepping ingredients as indicated above, heat the oil over a medium-large skillet over low-medium heat.
• Add the onions, stir and cover 3-5 minutes.
• Add the carrots to the onions, stir and cover an additional 3 minutes.
• Pour in the tomatoes and lentils, stir and cover for at least 10 minutes (the longer you cook canned tomatoes, the less of a “metallic” taste you’ll have!).
• Add your taco seasoning, stir and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach, stir, and turn off the heat. Get out your taco shells and toppings and serve!