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!