Meatless Tacos (Slow Cooker Lentil Taco Filling)

Posted on November 20, 2012 by kitchenbelle

While the rest of the world is honing their recipes for whipped sweet potatoes and roasted Brussels sprouts, I am not. I am honing recipes that can be prepared with minimal effort and eaten during the busy holiday season when the fridge is full but there is nothing to eat.

I am always searching for the next best slow cooker recipe and this one, my friends, is a GEM. I love eating lentils but admit that I find the plain old lentil soup (while delicious) can get a tad boring. Enter: Meatless Taco Filling.

This recipe is at the top of my list because:

  • It uses the slow cooker = I don’t have to worry about dinner once I have tossed all of the ingredients and turned the dial to “on”
  • It is healthy! Three cheers for lentils (fiber, folate, + non-animal protein)
  • It is delicious! While you might not fool a diehard carnivore into thinking it is meat, it does feel just like meat on the palette and you might trick them for a few minutes. This is a fantastic recipe for vegetarians AND meat eaters.
  • Everyone loves taco night!

I am documenting this recipe immediately so that I don’t forget about it!

Meatless Tacos (Slow Cooker Lentil Taco Filling):

  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 14 ounces vegetable broth (beef or chicken broth can be substituted) plus an additional 5-6 oz.
  • 1 cup salsa
  •  14 ounce can of corn
  • your favorite taco fixings (tortilla shells, grated cheese, sour cream/Greek yogurt, fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes etc.)
Put everything in the crock pot (except for corn and taco fixings) and cook on low for 9 hours, stirring occasionally and adding broth or water as needed. When done, stir in canned corn. Use as you would a meat taco filling.

Adapted from recipe found here on Food.com.

P.S. I love Food.com!

Filed under: beans, Main Dish, tacos, VEGETARIAN | 3 Comments »

Taco Salad

Posted on April 15, 2009 by kitchenbelle

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Spicy salsa! Chunks of avocado! Shreds of iceberg lettuce!  Freshly grated cheese!

Last week my sister-in-law mentioned that she made a fabulous taco salad for dinner.  She described it with such enthusiasm and detail that I have not been able to get it out of my mind! 

Done right, a taco salad is a healthy week night dinner, so I decided to give it a go.  Some notes on keeping it healthy:

  • Skip the chips
  • Replace full fat sour cream with Greek yogurt (for a great source of protein) or use non-fat or low-fat sour cream
  • Replace full fat cheese with non-fat or low-fat cheese and use just a sprinkle
  • Use extra lean ground turkey or chicken in place of beef
  • Use nutrient dense lettuce, such as romaine, instead of watery iceberg (something I didn’t do this time!)

It’s funny—we never eat ice burg lettuce.  It contains mostly water and very little nutrients when compared to its darker leafy friends like romaine, arugula, spinach, Bibb, and Boston.  So having iceberg felt like a treat!  And shredded—I never shred lettuce so it made the salad especially special.  This was a really enjoyable and filling weeknight supper!

Taco Salad:  

  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound lean ground turkey (or chicken)
  • 2 large plum tomatoes, diced
  • 1 14-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 8 cups shredded iceberg (or romaine) lettuce (rinse, spin then shred using a grater)
  • 2 avocados, sliced then cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup shredded low-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

Combine salsa and sour cream in a large bowl.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add turkey and cook, stirring often and crumbling with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, beans, cumin and chili powder; cook, stirring, until the tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in cilantro and 1/4 cup of the salsa mixture.

Add lettuce to the remaining salsa mixture in the bowl and toss to coat. To serve, divide the lettuce among plates, top with the turkey mixture and avocado then sprinkle with cheese.

Recipe adapted from Eating Well.com.

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Filed under: beans, cheese, ground meat, Main Dish, salad, tacos, tomato, turkey | 2 Comments »