I have once again realized that there is too much meat in my diet and not enough “5 a day”. This is thanks to my husband who is a die hard meat and potatoes man. He would make a great German. lol!
I realized, as I was planning this week’s meals, that everyone of them had beef! There is hamburgers,cheeseburger macaroni, steak, and tacos . Ugh! My body really doesn’t like it when I eat that much meat! I tend to feel heavy and irritable. Plus, my digestive system gets all screwed up.
I definitely am in need of new meal plans. If anyone has great ideas for quick and easy dinner meals, please share. 🙂
So, tonight is my family’s Mexican Tuesday dinner. Not purposely planned this way, but we usually have mexican food on this day. Good, yummy tacos. I fry my own corn tortillas in canola oil. And usually, for myself, I make black beans mixed with taco seasoning in place of ground beef. Tonight, I wanted something a little different.
Googled my way around (what would I do without Google?)… and found a fantastic recipe! This is a great match to ground beef. Try it on your friends, significant other… I bet they will like it. Lentils offer a great earthy flavor. The only thing I would change, is decreasing the amount of chili powder. Next time, I will probably use 1tsp. It was rather spicy using 2 teaspoons. But, it could have also been the type of chili powder I was using.
This recipe will definitely become a part of my personal ecclectic cookbook! Enjoy!
Prep Time: 10 MinutesCook Time: 35 Minutes
Ready In: 45 MinutesYields: 4 servings
“When my husband’s cholesterol numbers rose, I quickly lowered the fat in our family’s diet. Finding dishes that were healthy for him and yummy for our five children was a challenge,’ admits Michelle Thomas from Bangor, Maine. ‘This fun taco recipe was a huge hit with everyone.'”
INGREDIENTS:
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 garlic clove, minced
3/4 teaspoon canola oil
2/3 cup dried lentils, rinsed
2 teaspoons chili powder *spicy
1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1-2/3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2/3 cup salsa
8 taco shells
1 cup shredded lettuce
2/3 cup chopped fresh tomato
1 cup shredded reduced-fat
Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
2. Stir in salsa. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce, tomato, cheese and sour cream.
Hi there-bet this was de-licious!!
I love this idea!! I am totally loving lentils lately.
Looks great – I bet these were great!
-DTW
http://www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com
sharon rose: actually, I was very surprised how tasty they were!
esi: yes, I was very happy to find this recipe. thank U for stopping by!
darius: its hard to surpass mexican food and this was a great new twist I plan on continuing.
Ooh.. Mexican Tuesdays? Sounds like fun 🙂
Hi…you have a great food recipes blog. Yummy Tacos ! Just added and faved you. Hope you can join Our Food Recipes. Thank You
Looks yummy! I always love trying new vegetarian recipes!
Back when I was a meat and potatoes man myself, too much beef definitely made me feel sluggish and bloated. On top of that, it sapped me of so much energy that I’d spend most of the day just laying around doing nothing whatsoever. I’m gonna have to give this a try!
Another vegetarian Taco recipe you might like is this one from Farmfare Girl (Click Here). She has some great recipes!
Isn’t it amazing how much a vegetarian lifestyle really makes you feel more energetic? I am actually a flexitarian. And it works out nicely for me. This way I don’t have to substitute complete meal plans for my preferences.
Although after reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle… I may go to completely organic and vegetarianism! LOL.
Let me know how you like them.