Caribbean Beans 'n Greens

If you're looking for something different for dinner, this is for you! I found this recipe in the Moosewood Restaurant New Classics cookbook.
Serves about 4 people.

Here is what you will need:

1 onion
1 garlic clove, minced (or more...)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups lightly packed chopped collard greens
1 tbsp. water, or as needed
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (15.5 oz. can, rinsed and drained)
3 tbsp. orange juice
4 whole-wheat tortillas (8 or 9 inches across)

In a skillet, sauté the onions and garlic in water or vegetable broth for about 10 minutes, until translucent, stirring often. Add the thyme, allspice, salt, collard greens, and water. Cover and cook on medium heat, adding more water if necessary to prevent sticking, until the greens are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Push the greens to the side of the pot, add the beans to the center, and mash them well with a potato masher. Add the orange juice, stir everything together, and remove from the heat.

Warm the tortillas in a large dry skillet on medium heat one at a time for 20 to 30 seconds on each side, until softened. Place a generous 1/2 cup of filling on the bottom half of each tortilla, roll it up, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!...Picture coming soon.

California Quinoa Salad

I found this recipe here. However, I changed it bit so it didn't have soy in it. Also, fair warning...this makes A TON of salad.

Here is what you will need:

2 cup quinoa (regular or red work just fine)

4 cups water (for cooking quinoa)

1 package frozen mango, thawed or 1-2 diced fresh mango

1/2 large red onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 small bunch cilantro, chopped

1-2 heads chopped broccoli

1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut

3/4 to 1 cup unsalted, dry-toasted slivered almonds

3/4 cup raisins (currents and cranberries will work too)

Juice of 4-5 limes

3-4 tbsp. golden balsamic vinegar

Instructions:

1. Rinse quinoa and cook as directed.

2. Fluff quinoa well when done, spread out and let cool.

3. Add all other ingredients and toss.

4. Enjoy cold.

Vegan Lasagna

I recently watched the documentary (again...) Forks Over Knives, and have been trying out new recipes. Here is one I got from the Engine 2 Diet. I changed it a bit, mostly because I don't eat soy. This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and soy-free. I know that may sound scary, but trust me, it's delicious!

Ingredients:
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove minced garlic (or more if you want!)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped (I just pick out whichever is the least expensive of the bell peppers)
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn
- 2 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, black beans, or any bean of your choice (if using dried, 3 cups cooked) OR one block of firm tofu
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. rosemary
- 3 jars vegan pasta sauce (or look below to make your own)
- 16 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and drained
- 2 large sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
- 6 roma tomatoes, sliced thin
- 1 cup raw cashews, ground
- 2 packages gluten-free lasagna noodles, uncooked

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Sauté the onion and garlic on high heat in a pan for about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes, until they give up their liquid. Then empty them into a large bowl, leaving as much liquid as you can in the pan with a slotted spoon if you have one. 

Then sauté the broccoli and carrots for 5 minutes and add to the mushroom bowl. Sauté the peppers and corn until just beginning to soften. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Drain and rinse the beans in a colander. In a separate bowl, use a potato masher to mash the beans. Add them to the vegetable bowl.

Add spices to the vegetable bowl and combine all ingredients together with a mixing spoon.

To Assemble:

Cover the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch casserole with a layer of sauce. Add a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with sauce. This way the noodles cook in the oven, saving time and energy. Spread the vegetable mixture over the sauced noodles. Cover with a layer of noodles and another dressing of sauce. Add the spinach to the second layer of sauced noodles. Cover the spinach with the mashed sweet potatoes. Add another layer of sauce, the final layer of noodles, and a last topping of sauce. Cover the lasagna with thinly sliced roma tomatoes.

Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil, sprinkle with the cashews, and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving.


Enjoy!

** If you don't want to buy jars of pasta sauce, here is how you can make your own. Recipe from My Beef with Meat.

Fast and Fresh Marinara Sauce

28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, no salt added
28 oz. can petite diced tomatoes, no salt added
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil, or 1 tbsp. dried basil
3 tbsp. fresh oregano, or 1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. fresh thyme, or 1 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tbsp. pure maple syrup

Combine all of the ingredients in a shallow saucepan over medium-high heat.

Simmer the ingredients together for 3-4 minutes.

Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes more until ingredients are warm throughout. 

*Add sliced and cooked mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, chopped bell peppers, or any other veggies you love.

BBQ Lentil Loaf and Mashed Potatoes

This dish is perfect for winter comfort food. I've been making lots of soups so it's a nice break from that. This recipe comes from the book, My Beef with Meat by Rip Esselstyn.

For the meatloaf you will need:

1 1/2 cups red lentils
2 1/2 cups water
1 large onion
8 oz package of mushrooms, chopped
4 garlic cloves
4 cups packed fresh spinach
15 oz can tomatoes, with juices
1 tsp. dried sage
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning, or something like that
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup bbq sauce or ketchup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

You will need two 9x5 inch loaf pans.
In a saucepan, bring the lentils to a boil in the water. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender and most of the water is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. In the same saucepan, mash the lentils with the back of a spoon, or I like to use a potato masher.

In a nonstick pan, cook the onions over medium heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning, until soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic and continue to cook over medium heat until soft. Add water or vegetable broth, if necessary, to keep the vegetables from sticking. Add the spinach, cover, and continue to cook over medium heat until the spinach wilts, 4 or 5 minutes.

Add the lentils to the onion-mushroom-spinach mixture and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes, sage, garlic powder, Mrs. Dash seasoning, marjoram, and cilantro and stir. Add the oats and stir it all again.

In the bottom of two 9x5-inch loaf pans, spread half the bbq sauce or ketchup. Add the lentil-oat mixture to the loaf pans, spread the remaining bbq sauce or ketchup in a generous layer on the tops.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the bbq glaze turns crispy on the edges. Let set for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting and serving.

Mashed Potatoes

6 Yukon Gold potatoes (do not peel)
1-2 cups almond milk
2 to 4 tbsp. nutritional yeast, I tend to go less on it though
salt
freshly ground pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

Cut the unpeeled potatoes into small chunks, put into a large pot, and cover with water. Boil until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and transfer to a bowl.

Using an electric beater, beat the potatoes while adding the almond milk until you reach the desired smooth consistency. Mix in nutritional yeast, if using, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

Enjoy!

Everything but the Kitchen Sink Kale Salad with Cashew Honey Mustard Dressing

This dressing is the best. The secret, once again, is cashews! Sometimes I follow a recipe for my salads, but other times I just throw whatever I have around the house on it. Original recipe can be found here.

Here is what you will need:
Local and/or organic is always best. 

Serves 1

Salad:
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
1/2 cup corn, or corn on the cob shaved off (I love this in the summer!)
a few chopped green onions
a handful of raisins 
1 oz. walnuts

Or:
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
1/4 head red cabbage, chopped
a few chopped green onions
1 oz. pumpkin seeds
a handful of raisins

Dressing:
1/2 cup cashews
3/4 cup water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. dijon mustard

Prepare salad on a plate. Take the Magic Bullet and blend up all the ingredients for the dressing for about a minute, until everything is blended together. Pour  a little dressing on the salad and you're done. Enjoy!

*This dressing usually lasts for about 3 or 4 salads. Use within 5 days. 

Vegan Enchiladas with an Avocado Cream Sauce...YUM!

If I could eat only one thing for the rest of my life...it would be enchiladas. The moment my mom reads this I'm sure she will be thinking to herself, "What? How can this be? She HATED them as a kid!" 

It's true. I can only imagine the countless hours my mom would spend making this dish, telling me it was my grandmother's recipe, only to have her 6 year old cry, and even at one point pour water on them because they were just "too spicy". Well mom, I guess there was hope for me after all!

The original recipe can be found here.

Here is what you will need:
Local and/or organic ingredients are always best.  

Serves 6

Sauce Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 28 oz. can enchilada sauce (Be careful picking one out, make sure you can read ALL the ingredients!)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
a few squirts lime juice
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder

Filler Ingredients:
1/2 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 large handfuls spinach, chopped
a few squirts lime juice

6 large whole grain tortillas (I prefer using Food For Life's Ezekiel Sprouted Whole Grain Tortillas)

Avocado Cream Sauce:
3 avocados
3 Tbsp. lime juice
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
black pepper to taste

Garnish with a few chopped green onions.

I also serve this dish with brown rice (just in my rice cooker), and refried beans. 

Sauce:
In a large frying pan, cook sweet potato for about 10-15 minutes just until tender. Add vegetable broth or water to prevent it from sticking. Then add the onions and cook until translucent. Reduce heat, add garlic, and cook for a minute or two. Add enchilada sauce and seasonings and stir together. Simmer over low heat for a couple minutes. Pour into blender and allow to cool a bit while working on filling. 

Filling:
In the same frying pan, after the sauce is poured into the blender, cook onions over medium heat until translucent. Reduce heat and add garlic, cooking for a minute or two. Add black beans, spinach, and lime juice. Turn off heat when spinach is lightly wilted. 

Enchiladas:
Carefully blend up sauce until smooth. Pour a light layer of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Spoon bean filling over tortillas, pour a couple spoonfuls of sauce over the bean mixture, roll tortilla, and gently place in pan with flap down. Continue until bean filling and tortillas are all used up (last enchilada or two might need to be squeezed in a bit). Pour all of the remaining sauce mixture over the enchiladas, then run a spoon or knife between each enchilada and along the edges to allow sauce to completely cover the enchiladas. Sprinkle a few chopped green onions on top before baking. Bake enchiladas for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. 

Avocado Cream Sauce:
While enchiladas are cooking, prepare cream sauce ingredients and add everything to blender. Blend or pulse just until thoroughly mixed. Serve immediately. 

Serve enchiladas topped with Avocado Cream Sauce, rice, and beans. Enjoy!

Spicy Peanut Pad Thai

Stir-fries are becoming my new obsession! Probably because they're so easy to throw together. And with school coming up in a few short weeks, I need all the help I can get! The original recipe can be found here. 

Local and/or organic ingredients are always best. 
Serves 4

Box of rice noodles
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger powder (or 1/2 tsp. freshly grated ginger)

Sauce
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4-1/2 cup hot water
2 Tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (to taste)

Optional: chopped peanuts and scallions, for garnish

In a large pot, cook the rice noodles according to the package and set aside for later. 

In a wok, over medium-high heat, cook broccoli florets in water or vegetable broth to prevent sticking. Let cook 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and ginger, then pour in tamari and stir until mostly evaporated. Remove broccoli from pan while still bright green and slightly crisp. Set aside. 

Sauce: 
In a small sauce pan over medium-low heat, add the peanut butter and 1/4 cup of the hot water, stirring to combine. 
Mix in the rest of the ingredients, then add the remaining 1/4 cup water to think the sauce to desired consistency. 

Finally, toss noodles and broccoli in the sauce, and garnish with chopped peanuts and scallions. Enjoy!

Mint-Watermelon Gazpacho and Quinoa Tabouli

Last week, I was at a restaurant that had watermelon gazpacho with mint, and I fell in love! I thought it would also go great with a simple tabouli dish, thus my mint addiction begins...

Mint-Watermelon Gazpacho 

Original recipe can be found here.

Local and/or organic is always best. 

6 cups cubed watermelon, large seeds removed if needed

1 large heirloom tomato, coarsely chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 large shallot, coarsely chopped

1 seedless cucumber, diced

2 medium jalapeños, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. lime juice

salt to taste

In batches, place cubed watermelon, chopped tomato, chopped onion, chopped bell pepper, chopped shallots, chopped jalapeño, and lime juice in a blender. Blend into a coarse puree and pour into a large bowl. Dice cucumber and finely chop mint leaves to put into the same bowl, stir well. Serve cold. 

Quinoa Tabouli
Original recipe can be found here.

Local and/or organic is always best.

1 1/2 cups dry quinoa

3 cups water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, diced very fine

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh cracked pepper

1 sweet white onion, chopped

1 cup sweet corn

1 green bell pepper, chopped

About 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if they are big cherry tomatoes)

About 1/2 cup fresh italian parsley, chopped (about 1/2 bunch)

About 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped

Boil quinoa in water, for about 15-20 min. In a sealed container, combine lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper Seal and shake, shake, shake it! In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, parsley, and mint. When quinoa is done, remove lid and let cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add to the bowl of vegetables and stir. Give the dressing another good shake and then pour it over the salad and stir well. Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach and Artichoke Dip and Chips

A few years ago, I figured out I was allergic to dairy. Even though my overall health improved, I still missed it. (My sister can attest to the fact that it took me a whole summer to stop sniveling every time I passed a Dairy Queen.)

BUT...there is now hope for the lactose intolerant! Surprisingly, it comes in the form of cashews.

The original recipe is found at: http://plantpoweredkitchen.com/creamy-artichoke-spinach-dip-without-the-junk/

Another bonus is that it is super simple to make and only bakes for about 20 min. in the oven.

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

3/4 cup raw cashews
3/4 cup almond milk (Homemade Almond Milk)
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic (you can add less if you're not a garlic fan)
1/2 tsp dry (ground) mustard
freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups (loosely packed) spinach leaves
2 cups artichoke hearts (I used canned because I couldn't find frozen. I used 1 1/2 cans. If using frozen, add 3/4 tsp of sea salt and let thaw for a bit.)
Package of organic corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a food processor (or blender), add the cashews, milk, lemon juice, garlic, salt (if using frozen artichoke hearts), dry mustard, and pepper. Blend until very smooth, usually takes about a minute or so. Add artichokes and spinach and just pulse through. Do not fully blend, keep some chunky texture! Transfer to an oven-proof baking dish, and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Now, this dip is normally served with bread, but I like baking chips instead. After you have taken the dip out of the oven, turn down the heat to 400 degrees. Take the corn tortillas and cut them in half, until you have 8 equal pieces from each tortilla. Put them on a baking sheet, making sure none of them are touching. Bake for about 10 minutes. **Each oven is different so you may have to keep a close eye to make sure you don't burn them.** Continue until you have baked all the tortilla chips.

Let the chips cool for a bit and then ENJOY!

My "What the heck do I make tonight?" Stir Fry

This is the type of dinner that you can just throw together with minimal chopping, or thought. You can also change up the veggies or grain that you use. 

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

1 cup quinoa (already cooked)

1 cup frozen peas

Half a bushel of kale, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Any spices you prefer, I used 1/2 tsp of turmeric and curry

1/4 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

There is probably a specific order to cook this in, but I really just threw it all in together with a little vegetable broth. **I had to add more vegetable broth as it was cooking to prevent sticking. I covered it and let it cook over medium heat until the kale wilted and the carrots were soft. 

Then I topped it off with some teriyaki sauce. You could also add some chopped peanuts. 

This usually makes enough for just me, but I also eat like a football player. :)  Enjoy!

Chocolate, Sweet Potato Muffins

This is the perfect breakfast food, and so good with a little almond butter on top. The original recipe is from My Beef with Meat, by Rip Esselystyn.

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.
Yields 12 muffins

One 14 oz. can of sweet potato (I bake the sweet potato in the winter...right now it's just too hot!) or you can use pumpkin
2 ripe bananas
2 small/medium apples (I blend them up with my magic bullet so it is the consistency of applesauce) or 1 cup apple sauce
A few dashes or cinnamon and/or pumpkin spice (I personally am very liberal with these spices)
2 tsp. honey (optional)
3 cups oat flour (I blend up oats in my magic bullet and it becomes oat flour)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1/2 cup cacao nibs (optional, but they taste like chocolate!)

In a large bowl, stir together oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, salt, and cacao nibs. In a separate bowl, stir together the sweet potato, bananas, applesauce, and honey. Combine wet into dry. Then spoon them into a non-stick muffin tin. You can use muffin cups, but they tend to stick to them more than other muffin recipes, probably because these are oil-free.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top. You now have delicious, vegan, and oil/gluten free muffins. 

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato BBQ Veggie Burgers

I found this recipe on Pinterest from: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2013/03/spin-on-sweet-potato-veggie-burgers-bbq.html

These veggie burgers are definitely my favorite. I changed them a bit to make them vegan AND oil free, but they are still delicious! It is also very simple and quick to make. 

Here is what you will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

1/2 to 1 cup cooked brown rice, depending on how thick you like your burgers
3/4 cups peanuts, unsalted (I used my Magic Bullet to make them into a fine powder)
1 cup mashed sweet potato (I usually bake mine in the oven, but it has been so hot outside so I just used canned sweet potato, and it worked great.)
1 1/2 cups cannellini white beans, drained/rinsed
1 Tbsp dry BBQ spice blend (I used Mango Chipotle Rub from Starlight Herb & Spice Co. from Whole Foods)
2 Tbsp liquid BBQ sauce, vegan
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped or you can use dried
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a couple shakes of cayenne and salt
burger buns, I used Food for Life Sprouted Wheat Burger Buns (not gluten free)


Serves 6

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine diced onion, ground up peanuts, sweet potato, rice, beans, spices, parsley, and BBQ sauce in a large mixing bowl. Then take a potato masher and mash until it is thick and creamy. 
3. Take a large cookie sheet and put a silicone baking mat on it. Form the mixture into 6 even burgers on the baking mat. No need to use any oil. 
4. Throw the burgers in the oven for 20 min. or until the edges start to brown. 
5. While the burgers are baking, you can chop up onion, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, etc. If you would like, toast the burger buns in a toaster oven until golden brown. 
6. Once the burgers are done, you can assemble your burger with all of your preferred condiments and add-ons. I just used tomato, lettuce, onion, and avocado. I also used a little ketchup so the burger fixings would stick together better. 


*When the burgers are first out of the oven they are not as strong as a typical burger is. To help keep the burger together, I take the baking mat and fold it so the burger drops onto my spatula. Then I can put it on the burger bun much easier and in one piece!



To make it even better, cut up some watermelon for the perfect summer dish.

Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Milk

I saw how to make almond milk on the Grow Food, Not Lawns Facebook page. I decided to try it and I was very impressed.

You will need:
Organic and/or local is always best.

1 cup of almonds soaked overnight (5 to 8 hours)
4 cups water
A good blender
A cheesecloth

After the almonds have soaked, drain that water (you can use it for your house plants if you don't want to waste it). Then in the blender take the drained almonds and 4 cups of fresh water. Blend on high for 2 minutes. Drain it into a large measuring bowl using the cheesecloth. It should be good for about 4 days.

I found that pouring it into the cheesecloth a little at a time worked better because then I could wrap up the cheesecloth and squeeze it into the bowl. It made it much faster. Enjoy!

**Also, you can take the almond pulp and make almond four. I used a baking sheet and put a silicone mat underneath. Bake it at your lowest oven temperature for about 2 1/2 hours. Once it's dry, you can blend it up in a magic bullet and create almond flour. I use this in my muffins when I have it. Super easy!

Lentil Tacos (Spicy)

This dish is amazing! I got the recipe from My Beef With Meat by Rip Esselstyn. If you haven't picked this book up, it is a MUST READ.
The meals I make are not only vegan, organic, and oil free, but I try really hard to always make sure I know the ingredients and can pronounce them! It is so surprising that simple food items at the grocery store are actually full of all kinds of added ingredients that are terrible for us.

Here is what you will need for this dish: 
Organic and/or local is always best. 

1 cup dry lentils (I prefer red)
1 large onion (plus the extra from the guacamole if you wish)
2 Tbsp diced garlic
1/2 jalapeño, diced (keep the seeds if you want spicy)
Taco seasoning (homemade)
2 cups vegetable broth (I prefer Pacific Organic Vegetable Broth Low Sodium)
10 organic corn tortillas (I prefer Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Corn Tortillas)
Guacamole  (homemade)
You can also add rice (2 1/4 cups water to 1 cup brown rice boiled for 45 minutes), tomatoes, etc. to your tacos

Homemade Taco Seasoning 
1 Tbsp minced onion
2 tsp chili powder
1 (or less) tsp salt
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like spicy)

Add the above ingredients to a small bowl, mix and wait to put them in the lentil tacos.

Homemade Guacamole 
2 ripe avocados
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
2 Tbsp lime juice or juice of 1 lime
1/2 onion (I usually add the other half of the onion to the tacos because I LOVE onions)
1/2 jalapeño, diced and seeded if you don't want it too spicy
Pinch of salt and pepper

I put the avocados into a bowl and use a potato masher to give them their creamy texture and add the lime juice immediately. Then I combine the rest of the ingredients in the same bowl, mix, and enjoy as a garnish for the tacos. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Lentil Tacos

In a saucepan, boil 2 1/2 cups water and then add 1 cup lentils. Mix occasionally. Let them simmer for about 20 minutes or until soft.

While the lentils are cooking, chop up the onion(s), garlic, and jalapeño and saute them in a couple tablespoons of water until the onions turn translucent. Then add the lentils and taco seasoning and mix well. Add the broth, cover, and let simmer for 5 to 7 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Sometimes I need to add a bit more corn starch to help it thicken up more. 

While the lentil tacos are simmering, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Hang the corn tortillas from an oven rack so they look like hard taco shells. Bake them for 5-7 minutes.

This dish makes 10 tacos. Enjoy!