Red Lentil Taco “Meat”

TacoMeat TacosTacos are the world’s best food.  That’s how we feel in my house, anyway.  Tacos are just so versatile and easy.  You can put practically anything in a tortilla and call it a taco! We use all sorts of different things like mushrooms, squash, potatoes, veggies, and all different types of beans.  This one, using red lentils, is a staple for us.  It’s super easy and is reminiscent of ground taco meat, like the kind we used to have back when we ate like crap and fried our tortillas (did I just say that?).

Of course, you can make tacos with the fake taco meat sold in stores, but that stuff is highly processed and has a ton of fat and oil.  I’d much rather use healthy, fiber-rich filling and save my fat for avocado and Sour Un-Cream.  I use my own, homemade taco seasoning but you can use store-bought if you’d like.  For me, most of them are too spicy, salty and many have MSG. See below for my recipe.  Also, see in Recipe Notes for slow cooker directions.

2 TBS chili powder, 2 TBS cumin, 1 TBS smoked paprika, 1 TBS sea salt, 1/2 TBS onion powder, 1/2 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne.  Shake everything up in a small jar and use whenever you make Taco “Meat”.

Now have at it!

Potatoes in a Taco = Super Delicious!

When I was on Maui last week, we ate at a cool restaurant called Monkey Pod.  They had an interesting menu filled with varieties of different foods, all using sustainable, local ingredients.  I was super excited when I saw Potato Tacos on the menu.  I wasn’t super excited to see, when the server brought them to the table, that they were made with french fries.  Yikes!  As you can imagine, they were very greasy (don’t worry, I didn’t finish them, and I picked out many of the potato pieces).  The wheels immediately began turning in my head as I thought about how best to recreate a healthy version of the dish.  Here’s the recipe!  It was delicious, even made without french fries.  See what you think!