Lentil Tacos with Cilantro Cream Sauce
In 1981, Christmas morning just could not arrive fast enough. I had worked hard all year behaving. There was no shot I was on the naughty list. And, I had written the perfect letter to Santa outlining in exquisite detail what I wanted for Christmas. So, I just sat there waiting to rush into the living room and see the only thing on my list that year. Finally at 6:00am, the time had come to see if my hard work had paid off?
And as I raced into the living room, a wave of frustration and anger crashed over me. Where was it? Had the jolly fat man forgot? I only asked for one thing, surely he could fit it in his sleigh? But alas, no, the brand new dirt bike I had been pining for all winter was not to be found. What could I do but dutifully open the gifts of sweaters, socks, books, and other non-requested garbage? Then dad asked if I would go to the garage to get him a screwdriver. Seemed my sister’s present from Santa came with some assembly required.
As I opened the garage door, there it sat poised and ready by the back door… a brand new Schwinn dirt bike complete with pads, a double goose neck, and cobra grips. The black and yellow paint denoted its potential velocity as well as its ramp jumping ability. Forgetting about my task at hand, I immediately jumped on my new bike, clad in only my Spiderman pajamas, and headed out to show all my friends.
I share this story because today I am almost as excited as I was that Christmas morning. No, I didn’t get a new bike or new Spiderman pajamas. No, over the weekend, my wife and I discovered “The Engine 2 Diet Plan” by Rip Esselstyn. This plan is a plant based diet that incorporates lots of whole grains, limited processed foods, and virtually eliminates added oils and fats. Why am I so excited? Well, aside from exploring the health benefits of this plan, it gives me a chance once again to delve into my creative culinary side. Along with eliminating animal products from dishes, I now get to find ways to remove added fat from our diet.
It is a 28 day challenge period, so for the next month I will be offering up recipes with no added fat and limited processed foods. My first recipe was inspired by Mr. Esselstyn’s book “My Beef With Meat”, and I present you with my version of LENTIL TACOS. I can’t believe I didn’t think of this one before.
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Dried Green Lentils
- 6 Cups Vegetable Broth
- 4 oz. Can of Chopped Green Chilies
- ½ Cup Tomato Sauce
- 1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp. Oregano
- 1 Tsp. Chili Powder
- 1 Tsp. Cumin
- ½ Tsp. Smoked Paprika
- Dash Liquid Smoke
- Pepper to your Taste
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Cilantro
- 12 oz. Silken Tofu
- 2 Tsp. Nutritional Yeast
- ½ Tbs. Roasted Garlic
- 2 Tbs. Lime Juice
- ½ Tsp. Cumin
- ½ Tsp. Smoked Paprika
- ¼ Cup Rice Milk
Instructions
In a large stockpot over medium heat, add your lentils and broth. Bring this to a boil, then reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated. As your lentils cook, prepare the cream sauce. Place all of the ingredients: cilantro, tofu, yeast, garlic, lime juice, cumin, paprika, and rice milk: in a high speed blender or food processor. Puree on high until you get a nice creamy sauce. I like my sauce to be the consistency of thick ranch dressing. But feel free to add more or less rice milk depending on how thick you like your sauce. Put the sauce in the frig for about an hour to give it a nice chill and to let the flavors combine.
Once your lentils are cooked, remove the lid, and add in your remaining ingredients: chilies, tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and liquid smoke. Mix well to combine and simmer the lentils for about another 15-20 minutes. You want almost all the moisture to soak into the lentils or evaporate giving you a thick almost ground beef like consistency. Serve the lentils on warmed corn tortillas, garnish with fresh chopped lettuce and tomatoes, and top with the cilantro sauce.
https://www.grassfedcarnivore.com/lentil-tacos/
Better than a new Dirt Bike
A Mexican feast awaits you without any added oils, cheese, or other animal products. And once everything is all wrapped up in a tortilla, you would swear you were eating regular tacos. Trust me on this one. This dinner is almost as good as new dirt bike with a double goose neck and cobra grips. Now please excuse me as I don my Spiderman pajamas and revel in the days of racing through my neighborhood and jumping unbelievably large ramps. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
[…] his sleigh and my new blender wasn’t under the tree Christmas morning. It sort of reminded me of the year I asked for a new bike. However, while Santa didn’t come through, my wife did. I guess I wasn’t on her naughty list, […]