Fiber-Rich Walnut Lentil Tacos

By Jamie Webber

You maybe remember Molly from The Best Vegan Faux Tuna Salad Recipe she shared with us last year. It remains one of our most popular recipes on the site, and there’s a reason why. Her recipes are top notch. We love building relationships with our community members and learning about their own transformations (see hundreds of success stories here). Molly is one of them. She was inspired to buy a juicer the first time she watched Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. She said, “I literally paused the movie and went to Target to buy one and then came home and finished it.”

Now we love staying up to speed with her and seeing what recipes she has on her own website. She has the ability to transform favorite animal-based meals into pure vegan bliss. It’s safe to say that your meat-eating friends will love what she’s whipping up in her kitchen.

Here’s what Molly says you need to know about these tacos.

Lentil haters and meat eaters will love them.
When you combine yummy flavor and a satisfying texture, it’s a win for everyone.
And that’s exactly what this recipe does.
Go ahead – try them on the lentil hating meat eater in your life!
You can easily make the taco mix and cheesy sauce a day or two in advance to save on time.
Both items freeze really well.

Ingredients

6 sprouted corn tortillas

For the Walnut Lentil Taco Mix:

 2 1/2 cups (400 g) cooked brown lentils (1 cup (175 g) of dried lentils if not using canned)
 1 cup (100 g) walnuts, toasted
 2 tbsp tomato paste
 3 garlic cloves, grated
 1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
3/4 tsp sea salt
 1/4 cup (60 ml) water

For the Tomato, Onion and Kale Mixture:

4 kale leaves, thinly chopped
1/4 tsp braggs or coconut aminos
1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion, minced

For the Cheesy Sauce:
This is totally optional. These tacos are still awesome without it, but if want to add some creaminess, add the cheesy sauce. (Nutritional information does not include this.)

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
3 large carrots, chopped
 1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp fresh turmeric, peeled and diced (or 1 tsp turmeric powder)
 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (500 ml) water, plus another 1/2 cup (125 ml), divided
1/2 cup (75 g) raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 10 minutes
1/2 cup (40 g) nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt

Directions

If cooking the lentils:

Rinse and drain the dried lentils and place them in a small pot with 2 cups of water (500 ml).
Bring the lentils to a boil and then immediately turn the heat way down until they reach just a simmer.
Leave them simmering without a lid for 30-37 minutes, until all of the water is absorbed and the lentils are soft, but not falling apart. It might take longer depending on your elevation.

Taco Mix:

Add the cooked lentils, toasted walnuts, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, tarragon, sea salt and water to your food processor and pulse just until everything is combined.
Don’t process the mixture so much that it turns into a mushy paste. If there are some lentils still intact, that’s totally fine. You want the mixture to have plenty of texture.
You might have to stop the food processor and push the mixture down from time to time with a wooden spoon.

Kale Mix:

Add the kale to a bowl, add the aminos and massage with your hands until the kale shrinks in size.
Add the tomatoes and onions and stir.

‘Cheesy’ Sauce (optional):

Place the potato, carrot, onion, turmeric and garlic in a medium sized pot, cover with 2 cups of water and simmer for 20 minutes with the lid on.
After 20 minutes, add the veggies (along with the remaining liquid in the pan) to your blender.
Drain the cashews and add them to the blender along with the nutritional yeast, sea salt and the additional 1/2 cup of water.
Blend until the sauce is very creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Place a towel over the blender lid, so no hot splats of sauce escape.

Taco Assembly:

Heat the tortillas, drizzle a little cheesy sauce on each one, add the taco mix and top with the tomato, onion, kale mixture.

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Servings: 6

Serving Size: 1 taco

Calories: 210

Fat: 10g

Trans Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 150mg

Carbohydrates: 21g

Fiber: 10g

Sugars: 4g

Protein: 10g