Lentil and Kale Tacos with Pico de Gallo
/Do you ever come home from work and just feel like giving up on the whole cooking process? Believe me I feel you on this...sometimes cooking and doing dishes are the LAST thing you want to do after a long day. However, this recipe is simple enough to make with only a few ingredients that you can easily whip up in 30 minutes. I PROMISE!
The lentils provide a nice 'meaty' texture, the kale add a good amount of greens to the dish and the Pico de Gallo add TONS of flavor. The best part about making the pico yourself, is you can make a lot and let it marinate in the fridge, it tastes better each day...
Now, If you really want to master Mexican cooking, you can even make your own tortillas. I do this from time to time, and make a big batch to keep in the freezer. Here's a simple corn tortilla recipe you can use. The texture of freshly made tortillas is the best! Store bought ones will never do a traditional corn tortilla justice.
I cooked these tacos with a group of people at a workshop I hosted this past weekend and not only did we have a lot of fun making them, they also received raving reviews. It's all about flavor! So I hope this recipe inspires you to make a new kind of taco, because who doesn't like a good taco?! Am I right?! Also, I highly recommend snacking on some freshly made guacamole and chips while making these. Enjoy :)


Makes 8 tacos
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups cooked green lentils
- 1 1/2 cups dinasour kale, esteemed and thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion , sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- 4 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Pico de Gallo:
- 2 ripe tomatos, deseeded
- 1/2 medium red onion
- 1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 inch piece of jalapeño (optional)
- 2-3 limes, juiced
For the tacos:
- 8 soft corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions:
Pico De Gallo:
- De-seed your tomatoes by scooping out all the liquid seedy bits and discarding. Then, dice your tomatoes.
- Then dice your onion and jalepeno and roughly chop the cilantro.
- Mix together all of the ingredients in a bowl and squeeze the juice of 2-3 limes into mixture. I like my pico with a lot of lime, so you can add more lime juice according to taste.
Lentil and Kale Tacos:
- Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add in the onions and garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions have softened and are beginning to brown.
- Add the cooked lentils, kale, broth, maple syrup, lime juice and all the spices to the pot and cover. Reduce heat and let it simmer until the kale softens a bit, and about 1/2 of the liquid is absorbed. About 5 minutes.
- If your mixture is a little wet then allow to cook uncovered for a bit longer, and if it needs more liquid you can add more broth to your mixture.
To assemble the tacos:
- Warm your soft tortilla shells underneath your oven's broiler for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly crisp and brown. When warmed, add a scoop of the lentil and kale mixture, and top with your Pico de Gallo and an avocado slice, a couple red onion slices, some cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. ENJOY!