For many reasons, I’ve been working on making one meatless dinner a week.  And I’ve also been painstakingly trying to incorporate more beans and legumes into our diet.  They pack such a nutritional punch and are so cheap!  This recipe has become a staple and it is a welcome substitution for a greasy bowl of ground beef taco meat.  It looks similar in color, tastes as good or better and a handful of lentils costs less than a dollar.  For toppings, they are required to have a bit of everything healthy.  That means shredded carrots, olives, avocado, fresh tomato or lettuce.  Then they can add sour cream or cheese if they like.

Lentil Tacos

1 cup finely chopped onion
1-2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp oil
1 cup dried lentils
1 T chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken broth

Toppings: salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, olives, sour cream or avocado

In a skillet, saute onion and garlic in oil until tender.  Add lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Cook and stir 1 minute.  Add broth, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 25 minutes or till lentils are tender.  Uncover, cook 5-10 minutes until mixture is thickened.  Mash lentils slightly if desired.  I stir some salsa in at this point.  Then serve in tortillas or taco shells.