Spiced Lentil Tacos

When a desire to make something enters my mind it never leaves.  It brings all its baggage in, settles down, and never leaves.  Sure, I might forget about it for a while as that desire takes a nap, but as soon as that idea or desire is stirred again it won’t leave me alone until it goes back to sleep.  And I am left with a never ending cycle of constantly sleeping or waking desires to bake or cook.

These spiced lentil tacos were one of these desires.  They were on my “to cook” list for about a good five months before I finally got to making them.  And boy are these a great vegetarian substitute for tacos.  Personally I find taco seasoning so overpowering that it doesn’t really matter what you flavor it with because it ends up tasting like… well, it ends up tasting like taco filling.  The lentils hold up nicely to cooking and have good texture so they’re perfect for tacos.  Throw on some cheese, greek yogurt, and cilantro and no one will know the difference.

Spiced Lentil Tacos from Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dried brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 package (2.25 ounce) taco seasoning – used the one from Trader Joe’s and it was quite spicy.
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup fat-free sour cream – I used nonfat greek yogurt
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (use half for less heat)
• 2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 8 taco shells
• 1 1/4 cups shredded lettuce – I was too lazy and we didn’t have lettuce.
• 1 cup chopped tomato – again, lazy.
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat (2 percent) cheddar – or any kind of cheese you prefer.  I used a shredded mexican blend.

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Cook onion, garlic and salt until onion begins to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute.
3. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
4. Mix sour cream, chile and adobo sauce in a bowl.
5. Uncover lentils and cook until mixture thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Mash with a rubber spatula. Spoon 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with 2 heaping teaspoons sour cream mixture, lettuce, tomato and cheese.

Lazy but Delicious

My go to dinner.  One of the easiest meals imaginable.  10 minutes and some self control is all it takes. Quesadillas

Of course I have no self control, so inevitably, I burnt my tongue attacking that gooey delicious cheese.  Hey, I was pretty hungry too.

I’m sure most people out there are familiar with how to make quesadillas, but you never know.  I once had to talk my father through the procedure for fifteen minutes over the phone.  Fortunately, he now has quesadillas in his amazing repertoire: including making nachos and omelets, oh, and toasting bagels.  Can you see why I’m the cook in the family?

A few suggestions: beans(mashed with a pinch of cumin), bell peppers, olives, zucchini, broccoli, any squash, any cheese (goat, feta, shredded mexican blend, Monterey jack, cheddar), any thing your heart, or your stomach desires.

First take two tortillas (I used whole wheat) put them on a small baking sheet with a spritz of olive oil.  Then put the both on the sheet, sprinkle the filling onto one half of each, then fold them so the filling is covered.  Then I sprits the top with a little more olive oil and finally throw them into the oven (or toaster oven) preheated to 300 F.  Then I bake for about five minutes until crispy, take them out, flip them over and put them in for another five minutes until crisp.  Cut into wedges, let them cool a tad (which I failed to do)  and enjoy with some salsa, guacamole, or sour cream.

Isn’t being lazy delicious?

You Gotta Love those Mexicans

Yes, those mexicans.  I have to say, they have really good taste.  My mom and I especially love mexican food, and my go-to meal, when we don’t have anything in the house, is quesadillas.  We always have shredded mexican blend cheese, tortillas, cilantro (we ALWAYS have cilantro-I love it), and some random scraps of leftover veggies that I throw in.  I know it’s not authentic mexican cuisine, but it’s the principle of the thing.  And it tastes darn good too.

Although I’ve gone off on quesadillas and how delicious and amazingly easy they are to make, they are not the main reason I am praising the mexicans today.  No, today the reason is enchiladas.

Sometimes, I just come across a recipe, one that’s so good, you find yourself wolfing it down, even though you know you should slow down and enjoy it.  That’s what happened when my dad and I sat down to eat dinner.  In a matter of minutes, 8 enchilada had turned into two, and my dad was still contemplating about taking another one.  As he reached out greedily with his spoon, I reminded him about my mom, and he reluctantly put the spoon back down.  That’s how good they were.

This recipe is from Martha Stewart Food Magazine.  I made some changes though: I accidently doubled the cumin in the sauce, but reduced it in the filling and it still turned out okay.  So if for whatever reason that happens to you, don’t panic, the sauce was still good with double the cumin, maybe even better.  Also, I added cilantro to taste (which for me means a lot).  Lastly, Martha suggested freezing half the recipe for later.  I followed her directions and and they turned out perfectly from frozen-it’s perfect as an emergency dinner if you find yourself starving at 8 o’clock with no desire or ingredients to cook with.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for baking dishes
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium vegetable broth
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 cups grated pepper Jack cheese (12 ounces)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed
• 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
• 16 corn tortillas (6-inch)

DIRECTIONS

1. Make sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add 1 teaspoon cumin, flour, and tomato paste; cook, whisking, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
2. Make filling: In a large bowl, combine 2 cups cheese, beans, spinach, corn, scallion whites, and remaining 1 teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil two 8-inch square baking dishes; set aside. Stack tortillas, and wrap in damp paper towels; microwave on high for 1 minute. Or stack and wrap in aluminum foil, and heat in oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Top each tortilla with a heaping 1/3 cup of filling; roll up tightly and arrange, seam side down, in prepared baking dishes.
4. Dividing evenly, sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 1 cup cheese, and top with sauce. Bake, uncovered, until hot and bubbly, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes; serve garnished with scallion greens.

To freeze: Prepare enchiladas through step 3; top with cheese, and cover baking dishes with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Place sauce in an airtight container. Freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 2 months.

To bake from frozen: Thaw sauce in refrigerator overnight (or microwave on high 2 minutes, stirring once halfway through). Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove foil and plastic wrap from baking dishes, and pour sauce over enchiladas; cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes; remove foil, and bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Cool 5 minutes before serving.