Tacos are a fun treat and even better with some fresh walnuts!
Makes 4 servings.
What you need:
Green French lentil and Walnut ground “meat” mixture
- 1 cup of green French lentils*
- 1.5 cups of walnuts (toasted)
- 1/4 cup of chopped leeks
- Cooking Oil (Olive Oil)
- Turmeric
- Chili Powder
- Cayenne
- Pepper
- Water
*Soak the lentils overnight with 1/2 tsp baking soda
Want the tacos and not the gas? Pro tip: to minimize the gas when cooking with beans and lentils, soak overnight with (or if you forget, cook with) a little bit of baking soda. This makes it easier to digest. And also, a little asafetida (a spice that tastes like onion and garlic combined) is great to help digestion and reduce gas
Other taco ingredients
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Lettuce
- Paprika (optional)
- Asafetida (or onion and garlic)
- Cumin
- Sea Salt (or mineral salt)
- Corn taco shells (non-GMO)
Make it your own
I personally stay away from vegan cheese due to it's sour taste how it currently aggravates my Pitta Dosha. But please indulge!
- vegan cheese
- other veggies
- other spices
- You can totally just buy and organic taco mix seasoning pack and skip all the spice instructions. Look for one that has sea salt and not just "salt".
What to do:
Green French lentil and Walnut ground “meat” mixture
-
- Preheat the oven to 350⁰F.
- Place the walnuts on a baking sheet and place in the oven for about 15 minutes. The walnuts will start to turn a golden brown (you will start to smell them). Take out and let cool.
- Take the French green lentils you have soaked overnight and rinse them under water in a strainer. Place them in a pot with fresh water, bring to boil and let simmer for about 20 minutes, check on them, you want them to break easily with your finger nail or a fork, but not be mushy.
- Once cooked, drain water and rinse in a strainer. Set aside.
- Add oil and leeks to frying pan. I also add the "Meat" mixture spices. I cook by tasting and how I'm feeling at the time. If this is not for you, start with a 1/2 tsp turmeric, sprinkle of pepper and 1 tsp of the rest of the spices.
- CHOP or BLEND:
You can CHOP the walnuts up and add them to the leeks, then add the lentils and fry.
OR
Using a food processor or blender, BLEND the walnuts a little, then add the lentils and continue to blend. you can add some oil if needed for this process. Add to leeks and fry. - Add oil and fry, breaking apart chucks until it starts to look like ground beef fried up.
- Chop up tomatoes and peppers.
Pro tip: it takes more time but you gut will thank you! Get a tomato peeler; works great on both tomatoes and peppers. Skinning and deseeding these little ones make our digestive tract very happy. - Add tomatoes, peppers, water and other spices. Add just a sprinkle of asafetida, sea salt & cumin. Sauté all ingredients until peppers are cooked to your liking.
- Toss mixture with chopped lettuce and add to taco shells.