Monday, April 14, 2014

Madras Lentil Tacos

My husband was out of town for business last week, so the boys and I had a couple of super casual meals while he was gone. One night we had McDonald's (gasp! I know, I know, but really, it's their favorite restaurant no matter what else I offer.) And the other night I decided to make another ingredient husband really doesn't care for - lentils.

In this case, it really wasn't "cooking" in that I used a package of Tasty Bite Madras Lentils. It's was a free sample that I tried at Costco, liked and bought, then put in the pantry and never used. I realized once I got it home that its key ingredient was something Marion really doesn't like, so I kind of forgot about it. Since he was having a fancy dinner in NYC, I figured it was time to get them out and have ourselves a little fiesta.


A smiley face on a plate!


 The filling is a mixture of lentils and red beans in a slightly spicy, tomato-y sauce. Grayson ate several spoonfuls of just the beans, sans tacos. They went well with warm corn tortillas, which I think are a bit lighter than flour tortillas and highlight the fresh vegetables.



Even though the taco filling was pre-made, we added a bunch of fresh, yummy vegetables (yellow peppers, jicama, onions, and tomatoes), cheese and sour cream to them, and they tasted great. Not exactly homemade, but not fast food either. Total prep time was less than 10 minutes, but I'm a pretty fast pepper chopper and cheese grater.



Oh, and we ate on the back lanai STANDING by our lounge chairs, which is something Gabriel has been asking to do for weeks, so that was a bonus treat. They also played with the hose and watering can while I put everything together. Can you say, "best mom ever"?



Red Bean Lentil Tacos

1 package Madras Red Bean Lentils
Fresh vegetables chopped - red or yellow peppers, tomatoes, onion, jicama, lettuce would all work well
Cheddar cheese, grated
Light sour cream
6 Corn tortillas

Heat Madras Lentils as directed - we microwaved the package on high for 90 seconds.

While the beans are heating, warm the corn totillas in a skillet over medium-high heat - 15 seconds on one side, then flip and heat for 5 seconds.

Fill the tortillas with all of the ingredients. I like to layer the beans, then cheese, veggies and sour cream on top. Enjoy!

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