Gluten Free Lentil Tacos

Starting off the New Year on a healthy foot?

This recipe is for you!

Lentil Tacos

The first time I made these delicious tacos we had this conversation at the dinner table:

 husband says "these tacos taste a little different, did you use hamburger?  They are good, just different".

"Haha," I said, "it's lentils!"

Lentils are a great food to add your diet.  

They are rich in iron and high in protein.  And the best part, low in calories and dirt-cheap.

They are a great meat replacement and are actually a staple in vegetarian cooking.

The issue that I was having when first experimenting with lentils is I couldn't find a good recipe that didn't taste "weird", "earthy" (not in a good way earthy, like granola, in an earthly way like dirt.), or ended up looking like someone threw-up all over dinner.

Sounds appetizing right.

Then I stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest.

It sounded pretty good.  I decided to give them another try.

And I'm so glad I did.

The original method is to not mash/puree the lentils and then cook out the liquid.  I ran the lentils through the food processor to make them appear more and have the same texture as ground beef.  

And here's a time saving tip:

Instead of cooking the tortillas one at a time over the stove I placed 6 corn tortillas on a baking sheet.  I then sprinkled shredded cheddar cheese over the top and baked at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, until the cheese was melted and the edges looked crisp.  Not only delish but super fast too.

Or you can just cook the tortillas one at a time and sprinkle the cheese on with the rest of the toppings.

Gluten Free Lentil Tacos

2/3 cup chopped onion

1 clove minced garlic

1 t. oil

2/3 cup lentils

2 t. chili powder

1 1/4 t. cumin

3/4 t. oregano

1 2/3 cup chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)

2/3 cup salsa

Corn tortillas

Shredded Lettuce

Chopped Tomato

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Cubed Avocado or guacamole

Sour Cream

Saute the onion and garlic in the oil in a pot.  When tender add the spices, lentils and chicken broth.  Boil about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender. 

Put lentil mixture in the food processor or blender.  Add the salsa and blend together.  

Place mixture back into pot and simmer until the liquid is evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Serve with tortillas and desired toppings.