HEY Hey Hey… It’s Taco TUESDAY, which means that you are obligated as consumer of food to eat some tacos today!
So ok, I am not going to lie, these tacos were not actually made on a Tuesday (GASP) but were made in lu of pizza Friday (another GASP!!)
But guess what? No one died. People were happy. Food was fantastic, and there was no mention of the pizza that was not. So sure, taco tuesday is totally a thing around here, but you know how “Nobady puts baby in a corner”.. well nobody buts tacos in a corner. We don’t let the day of the week depict when tacos are eaten cause we think tacos are for everyday!
And these tacos, well, I got down with these. Made with lentils, cause lentils are the best, and topped with a hearty scoop of super fresh, chunky veggie salsa…. Not much is better then that. Easy and fast with lots of pretty in every bite, these tacos are a great addition to any taco dinner rotation!
Now lets get taco-ing!!!
The stuff. First off, you are going to need some type of taco shell.. soft or hard or both , that is entirely up to you.( I made taco shells a little early in the day, but store bought is totally cool.) Also need lentils, water to cook the lentils, a jalapeño (optional), taco seasoning (pre blended or your own blend) and onion. Also needed is a gigantic tomato, some red cabbage, a few kale leaves, a lime, and salt and pepper.
To get this party started, chop up half the onion, the tomato, cabbage ,and kale and toss into a big bowl. Oh, and chop up the cilantro and toss that in as well.
Sprinkle with salt and add the juice of the lime. Mix oh mix and set aside to let all the flavors meld.
Now that the salsa is doing it’s thing, chop up the jalapeño and the other half of onion and toss into a big skillet and place on medium heat.
And when the bits start to brown like so…
Dump the lentils in to the pan with water.Bring it all to a boil then turn heat down to low.. Add in the taco seasoning and sprinkle of salt and pepper and place some type of lid on ithe pan.
And simmered until cooked.
Note. Check the lentils every few minutes while they are cooking. If you think they seems to dry, add in another 1/2 cup of water.
Now it’s ssembly time! Lentils in shell, topped with a generous amount of salsa. That’s it! Maybe some guacamole would be nice (I had an avocado saved for guac, but it was rotten on the inside.. I was super pissed) But with or without, these are some freak yeah yummy tacos! I served my next to a bed of some jasmine rice which was nice, but do what you want my friends.
Happy Taco Tuesday! (or any taco day!)
-C
Makes about 8 -10 tacos
For the Lentil Filling
1 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 -3 cups water
2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
1/2 of an onion
1 jalapeño
Fot the Garden Veggie Salsa
2 big tomatoes (or one gigantic tomato)
1/4 head of red(or green) cabbage (about 2 cups shredded)
1/2 of an onion
4-5 kale leaves
1 juicy lime (2 if they are not very juicy)
a bunch of cilantro
salt and pepper
And don’t forget the taco shells!
*Note. You can use any type of taco seasoning that you like, store bought or home made. I make my own with cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little coriander.
Dice the tomato and 1/2 the onion into small chunks and toss into a big bowl. Finely chop the cabbage an the kale into small shreds and toss that into the bowl. And chop up as much cilantro as you would like and that goes into the bowl as well. Spinkle with some salt and add in the juice of the lime. Mix everything all around and set aside.
Once the salsa is made and sitting, chop the jalapeño and other half of onion and toss into a large skillet. Place on medium heat for a few minutes until the pepper and onion start to brown. Now dump in dried lentils and 2 1/2 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, them back down to low. Seaosn with salt, add in the taco seasoning, and stick a lid (or cover with something), and let simmer for about 20- 25 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed all the water and are nice and soft. If you find the lentils are still hard and there is no liquid, , add in another 1/2 cup of water.
Once the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and get assemble tacos.
Scoops some lentil mixture into shells. Add on a big scoop of the fresh veggie salsa and eat with you face.
Guacamole, cheese, sour cream, or whatever are optional topping that you may consider adding but are definitely not necessary. .
Happy Cinco de Mayo! And what better day to share my version of my oh so fantastic pico de gallo, or as I call it, super freshy salsa.
I love me some freshy salsa, It makes me oh so happy.
I make this stuff all the time, especially during the warmer months and tomato season. I usually make a batch right before a meal, just enough to eat right away, but sometimes I ‘ll make a big batched of it, thinking I’ll save some for the next day. It never makes it past the second day in the fridge because it’s just one of those things that when you see it, you want to eat it. Weird but true. And it’s totally ok to do so cause it’s basically eating a big bowl of healthy goodness, so eat on!
It takes no time to prepare, tastes super refreshing, goes on everything, and it’s just so freaking tasty. You can eat it with tacos and chips (the mister) or like me, I like to add it to everything; salads, popcorn, or directly in my mouth.
Make one batch, make 4, it doesn’t matter cause you will eat it all, and need to make more.
The stuff. Chopped Roma tomatoes, chopped red onion, a diced jalapeño, lemon, a bunch of cilantro, and salt.
Stick all the chopped stuff into a jar and add in the juice of the lemon. Roughly chop the cilantro and add that on in with a sprinkle of salt.
Mix it up….And thats it. Now eat… with something or without.
A spoon out of the jar is one of my favorite ways to go at it.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Happy Tuesday!
-C
Pico de Gallo… Freshy Salsa
4-5 Roma Tomatoes
1 small red onion
1-2 jalapeños (Depending on heat preference)
1 lemon or lime
salt
1 bunch of cilantro (don’t use it if you don’t like it)
Chop tomatoes and onion and toss into a bowl or jar. Cut seeds from jalapeño(s) and dice up into little bitty pieces and add that to the tomato and onion. Roughly chop the cilantro and toss that in as well with the juice of the lemon or lime. Sprinkle with salt. Stir, let sit for a minutes, taste and then add more salt if needed.
Eat right away or make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Goes great with corn chips, tacos, toss onto salads or eat as is standing in front of the fridge. If someone is judging you, they are stupid.
I was informed yesterday that if I was going to make tortilla chips, that I better make some sweet ass dips to go with them. I kind of agree… tortilla chips need dip… or better yet, two dips. Queso and guacamole. It’s what needed to be done, and so I did it.
Guacamole is amazing… anything avocado is amazing…this guacamole is amazing. White bean guacamole is amazing. And not that we really care, but this guac is half the fat then straight up guacamole. Plus it’s packed full of protein making it a kind of super duper, must eat all of it, kind of dip. And sweet potato anything will make me happy. Making queso dip with sweet potato and cauliflower is probably one of my best food combos so far. (after eating a butt load, I felt like I was a genius and made an amazing discovery) Again, not that we need it to be, but this is also a fat-free, vegan, gluten-free, super healthy, packed full of B12, fiber and nutrients, dip for all kind of dip.…. just another reason why you cannot feel bad when you finish off half a batch before you get a chance to stick it in a serving bowl. (I might have done that)
Here is what you need for a good time:
−These tortilla chips ….Check.
−Some Chopped Veggies (I want the veggies)…..Check
−Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso.…Check.
−White Bean Guacamole…Check.
You are now ready for it. It being this party, that party, the Super Bowl, or a Wednesday afternoon.
To the left we have the makings for the cauliflower sweet potato queso.. Steamed cauliflower, a baked sweet potato, nutritional yeast, garlic, and chopped up red onion, red bell pepper and jalapeño. To make all you need to do it take the chopped peppers, onion, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes just to slightly soften and bring out flavors. While that’s going on, take the steamed cauliflower and sweet potato(skin off..but eat it, or save it for soup or feed it to the dog) and puree together with a blender or food processor. Add in nutritional yeast, about a tablespoon or two of hot water and, salt and pepper to taste. Blend for about 5 minutes until super creamy smooth. Add in sautéed stuff and pulse just enough to incorporated the veggies but not complete blend in. Stick in a bowl.
To the right we have white bean guacamole stuff. Two cups (or one can) rinsed white beans, one ripe avocado, a lime, a few cloves of garlic,(I also added a bit of garlic powered…I like my garlic) and some chopped up red onion and tomato. Place beans, garlic, avocado and lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and toss in the chopped tomato and onion. Blend for sec to mix that in…Stick in a bowl
Perfect…
To think that both of these dips took about 10 minutes total to make. (I had pre baked the cauliflower and sweet potato) And for real, I would spend much more time if I had too because both of these dips are so freaking good, I definitely will be making these on the regular.
So there , dips for those sweet ass chips or whatever you want to dip or them spread them on.
And he guys…It’s FRIDAY! Have a fantastic day!
-C
White Bean Guacamole
2 cups white beans (or 1 can) rinsed and drained
1 ripe avocado
3 cloves garlic
1 lime
1/4 small red onion
1 small tomato
1-2 teaspoons salt
Finley chop onion and tomato. Set aside. Place the beans, avocado, garlic, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and the juice from one lime into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed to help keep things moving. Taste and add more salt if needed. When smooth, add the onion and tomato and pulse a few times to mix in. Scoop into a serving dish and finish with a squeeze of lime and a bit of chopped onion and tomato.
Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso
1 1/2 cups pre cooked steamed or roasted cauliflower
1 medium pre baked sweet potato
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1-2 tablespoons hot water
1/2 a small red pepper
1/4 small red onion
1 jalapeño
3 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
Finely dice the red pepper, jalapeño, onion and garlic and sauté in a skillet for a few minutes until slightly soften and fragrant. Take the pre-cooked cauliflower, sweet potato (skin removed), and nutritional yeast and place in a blender or food processor. Blend for about 5 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add in a tablespoon of water to keep things moving. When completely smooth, add in sautéed veggies and pulse a few times to combine. Scoop into a serving dish. If your feeling it, top with scallions and cracked pepper.
Serve dips with chips, veggies or anything you want. Also make great spreads for sandwiches and crackers too!
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 8, 2015 by maximios • Blog
HEY Hey Hey… It’s Taco TUESDAY, which means that you are obligated as consumer of food to eat some tacos today!
So ok, I am not going to lie, these tacos were not actually made on a Tuesday (GASP) but were made in lu of pizza Friday (another GASP!!)
But guess what? No one died. People were happy. Food was fantastic, and there was no mention of the pizza that was not. So sure, taco tuesday is totally a thing around here, but you know how “Nobady puts baby in a corner”.. well nobody buts tacos in a corner. We don’t let the day of the week depict when tacos are eaten cause we think tacos are for everyday!
And these tacos, well, I got down with these. Made with lentils, cause lentils are the best, and topped with a hearty scoop of super fresh, chunky veggie salsa…. Not much is better then that. Easy and fast with lots of pretty in every bite, these tacos are a great addition to any taco dinner rotation!
Now lets get taco-ing!!!
The stuff. First off, you are going to need some type of taco shell.. soft or hard or both , that is entirely up to you.( I made taco shells a little early in the day, but store bought is totally cool.) Also need lentils, water to cook the lentils, a jalapeño (optional), taco seasoning (pre blended or your own blend) and onion. Also needed is a gigantic tomato, some red cabbage, a few kale leaves, a lime, and salt and pepper.
To get this party started, chop up half the onion, the tomato, cabbage ,and kale and toss into a big bowl. Oh, and chop up the cilantro and toss that in as well.
Sprinkle with salt and add the juice of the lime. Mix oh mix and set aside to let all the flavors meld.
Now that the salsa is doing it’s thing, chop up the jalapeño and the other half of onion and toss into a big skillet and place on medium heat.
And when the bits start to brown like so…
Dump the lentils in to the pan with water.Bring it all to a boil then turn heat down to low.. Add in the taco seasoning and sprinkle of salt and pepper and place some type of lid on ithe pan.
And simmered until cooked.
Note. Check the lentils every few minutes while they are cooking. If you think they seems to dry, add in another 1/2 cup of water.
Now it’s ssembly time! Lentils in shell, topped with a generous amount of salsa. That’s it! Maybe some guacamole would be nice (I had an avocado saved for guac, but it was rotten on the inside.. I was super pissed) But with or without, these are some freak yeah yummy tacos! I served my next to a bed of some jasmine rice which was nice, but do what you want my friends.
Happy Taco Tuesday! (or any taco day!)
-C
Makes about 8 -10 tacos
For the Lentil Filling
Fot the Garden Veggie Salsa
And don’t forget the taco shells!
*Note. You can use any type of taco seasoning that you like, store bought or home made. I make my own with cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little coriander.
Dice the tomato and 1/2 the onion into small chunks and toss into a big bowl. Finely chop the cabbage an the kale into small shreds and toss that into the bowl. And chop up as much cilantro as you would like and that goes into the bowl as well. Spinkle with some salt and add in the juice of the lime. Mix everything all around and set aside.
Once the salsa is made and sitting, chop the jalapeño and other half of onion and toss into a large skillet. Place on medium heat for a few minutes until the pepper and onion start to brown. Now dump in dried lentils and 2 1/2 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, them back down to low. Seaosn with salt, add in the taco seasoning, and stick a lid (or cover with something), and let simmer for about 20- 25 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed all the water and are nice and soft. If you find the lentils are still hard and there is no liquid, , add in another 1/2 cup of water.
Once the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and get assemble tacos.
Scoops some lentil mixture into shells. Add on a big scoop of the fresh veggie salsa and eat with you face.
Guacamole, cheese, sour cream, or whatever are optional topping that you may consider adding but are definitely not necessary. .
I love me some freshy salsa, It makes me oh so happy.
I make this stuff all the time, especially during the warmer months and tomato season. I usually make a batch right before a meal, just enough to eat right away, but sometimes I ‘ll make a big batched of it, thinking I’ll save some for the next day. It never makes it past the second day in the fridge because it’s just one of those things that when you see it, you want to eat it. Weird but true. And it’s totally ok to do so cause it’s basically eating a big bowl of healthy goodness, so eat on!
It takes no time to prepare, tastes super refreshing, goes on everything, and it’s just so freaking tasty. You can eat it with tacos and chips (the mister) or like me, I like to add it to everything; salads, popcorn, or directly in my mouth.
Make one batch, make 4, it doesn’t matter cause you will eat it all, and need to make more.
Stick all the chopped stuff into a jar and add in the juice of the lemon. Roughly chop the cilantro and add that on in with a sprinkle of salt.
Mix it up….
And thats it. Now eat… with something or without.
A spoon out of the jar is one of my favorite ways to go at it.
Happy Cinco de Mayo, Happy Tuesday!
-C
Pico de Gallo… Freshy Salsa
Chop tomatoes and onion and toss into a bowl or jar. Cut seeds from jalapeño(s) and dice up into little bitty pieces and add that to the tomato and onion. Roughly chop the cilantro and toss that in as well with the juice of the lemon or lime. Sprinkle with salt. Stir, let sit for a minutes, taste and then add more salt if needed.
Eat right away or make ahead and store in the fridge until ready to use.
Goes great with corn chips, tacos, toss onto salads or eat as is standing in front of the fridge. If someone is judging you, they are stupid.
Guacamole is amazing… anything avocado is amazing…this guacamole is amazing. White bean guacamole is amazing. And not that we really care, but this guac is half the fat then straight up guacamole. Plus it’s packed full of protein making it a kind of super duper, must eat all of it, kind of dip. And sweet potato anything will make me happy. Making queso dip with sweet potato and cauliflower is probably one of my best food combos so far. (after eating a butt load, I felt like I was a genius and made an amazing discovery) Again, not that we need it to be, but this is also a fat-free, vegan, gluten-free, super healthy, packed full of B12, fiber and nutrients, dip for all kind of dip.…. just another reason why you cannot feel bad when you finish off half a batch before you get a chance to stick it in a serving bowl. (I might have done that)
Here is what you need for a good time:
−These tortilla chips ….Check.
−Some Chopped Veggies (I want the veggies)…..Check
−Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso.…Check.
−White Bean Guacamole…Check.
You are now ready for it. It being this party, that party, the Super Bowl, or a Wednesday afternoon.
To the left we have the makings for the cauliflower sweet potato queso.. Steamed cauliflower, a baked sweet potato, nutritional yeast, garlic, and chopped up red onion, red bell pepper and jalapeño. To make all you need to do it take the chopped peppers, onion, and garlic and sauté for a few minutes just to slightly soften and bring out flavors. While that’s going on, take the steamed cauliflower and sweet potato(skin off..but eat it, or save it for soup or feed it to the dog) and puree together with a blender or food processor. Add in nutritional yeast, about a tablespoon or two of hot water and, salt and pepper to taste. Blend for about 5 minutes until super creamy smooth. Add in sautéed stuff and pulse just enough to incorporated the veggies but not complete blend in. Stick in a bowl.
To the right we have white bean guacamole stuff. Two cups (or one can) rinsed white beans, one ripe avocado, a lime, a few cloves of garlic,(I also added a bit of garlic powered…I like my garlic) and some chopped up red onion and tomato. Place beans, garlic, avocado and lime juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt to taste and toss in the chopped tomato and onion. Blend for sec to mix that in…Stick in a bowl
So there , dips for those sweet ass chips or whatever you want to dip or them spread them on.
And he guys…It’s FRIDAY! Have a fantastic day!
-C
White Bean Guacamole
Finley chop onion and tomato. Set aside. Place the beans, avocado, garlic, garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and the juice from one lime into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add a splash of water if needed to help keep things moving. Taste and add more salt if needed. When smooth, add the onion and tomato and pulse a few times to mix in. Scoop into a serving dish and finish with a squeeze of lime and a bit of chopped onion and tomato.
Cauliflower Sweet Potato Queso
Finely dice the red pepper, jalapeño, onion and garlic and sauté in a skillet for a few minutes until slightly soften and fragrant. Take the pre-cooked cauliflower, sweet potato (skin removed), and nutritional yeast and place in a blender or food processor. Blend for about 5 minutes until creamy and smooth. Add in a tablespoon of water to keep things moving. When completely smooth, add in sautéed veggies and pulse a few times to combine. Scoop into a serving dish. If your feeling it, top with scallions and cracked pepper.
Serve dips with chips, veggies or anything you want. Also make great spreads for sandwiches and crackers too!