With two full time jobs, a side jewellery business, school, daycare and cheerleading - our house is a busy one! I have a stack of easy 30-minute-or-less fall back recipes to keep my family nourished and on schedule. This is a favourite of our girls' and they sing the It's Raining Tacos song by Parry Gripp a hundred times every time I make them (listen to it here). An added bonus is using any left-over filling the next day in wraps for school lunches as it's equally delicious when served chilled.
BLACK LENTIL AND WALNUT TACOS (serves 4)
2 beef flavoured vegetable bullion cubes (McCormicks makes a vegetarian one)
1 cup dry black lentils
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp chili powder
2/3 cup walnut pieces
4tbsp hemp hearts
1 1/2 cup kale, washed and cut into ribbons
juice of 1 lime
6-8 tbsp chopped cilantro
1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 lime
4-6 tsp chopped cilantro
2 tsp minced garlic
8-10 small flour tortillas
4-5 tsp oil for frying
1/2 cup crumbled soft goats cheese OR vegan sour cream
1 habanero pepper finely diced (optional)
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil, then add veg bullion, lentils, garlic, chill powder, walnuts and hemp hearts. Reduce heat and gentle simmer until lentils are cooked (15-20 min). Add more water as needed.
While lentils are cooking, slice kale into ribbons, add cilantro and dress with lime juice.
Prepare guacamole by gently mashing an avocado with fork and adding lime juice, cilantro and garlic.
Adding 1 tsp of oil at a time (per 2 tortillas), lightly fry each small tortilla until golden and puffy. As they cool, the tortillas will harden into a crunchy taco shell.
Once lentils have cooked, prepare tacos by filling shell with lentil mixture, kale and guacamole. Top with desired topping of goats cheese or vegan sour cream; if you like some heat, add diced habanero peppers or salsa.
