Crispy Vegan Lentil Tacos

Vegan Lentil tacos

Use this recipe as a guide to make your own healthier and delicious tacos. You can add other stuff (potatoes are a yummy option) or switch out some ingredients. Just play around with it. Hope you enjoy 😊.

Ingredients
Heaping ¼ cup diced onion (You can’t go wrong with more!)
About 3 tablespoons oil (I used extra virgin olive oil)
1 cup + ¼ cup drained lentils (300 g-- soaked the night before + pressure cooked)
8 cloves of minced garlic (I LOVE garlic)
1 ½ tablespoon tomato Paste
9 medium kale leaves with stalks

Spices
1/8 tsp ground clove
¼ tsp paprika*
a couple pinches of Mexican oregano
1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
1/8 tsp coriander
spicy chili powder (optional)
¼ tsp salt + 3 pinches (or less)
Black pepper to taste

Directions:
For best results, soak lentils in water over night in a closed container (the lentils will expand a bit so use a big enough container and fill with water). This step isn’t going to impact flavor, but it helps reduce some of the anti-nutrients that legumes have. If you’re anemic, make sure to do this and pressure cook your lentils.

The next morning, drain the soaked lentils and rinse. In a pot, preferably a pressure cooker, add just enough water to cover lentils. In a pressure cooker, cook over medium heat for 10-12 min (may take longer in a regular pot). I prefer for my lentils to still hold their shape but be thoroughly cooked (easy to smash between your fingers). I also prefer them to be a bit dry, however, in the video, I accidently added too much water, but they were still delicious.

The above steps can be done a day or two in advance!

Mince garlic cloves and set aside at least 10 minutes. This allows for garlic to build up an immune-boosting compound called allicin. Wash and chop your kale into small pieces and also set aside. You can use a different green if you prefer, such as spinach (which I have not tried), but I LOVE kale and love that it is packed with lots of good stuff, so it is my Go To green.

if you don't have paprika, you probably won't miss it. Feel free to omit it from the recipe.

Dice onion. Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion + a pinch of salt, until onion is translucent. Add drained lentils and ¼ tsp salt and cook for a few minutes. Add greens and a splash of oil if needed and continue to cook over medium low heat. Add garlic, tomato paste and spices. Mix well and cook over low heat for a few more minutes. Taste and add salt + pepper if desired.

Assemble tacos. In another pan, heat a bit of oil and cook corn tortillas just to soften. We made 5 OVER-stuffed tacos. Remove softened tortillas from pan, add filling and cheese if you please (we used Violife vegan cheese). Cook tacos to desired crispness and don’t forget to make guacamole!