|lentil tacos - who knew?|

My hubby and I have long been fans of the taco. When we first got married, we ate tacos almost every week made out of ground beef. One day we decided to try turkey meat instead and discovered you couldn't really tell the difference. A few years later, when we were losing weight, we tried the "fake meat" kind (made out of the soy-based crumbles you find in the refrigerated section of the store). They were awesome, too.

This past weekend we tried another taco variation and I'm pleased to report that it's delicious. It tastes just as good as the "fake meat" kind - without that odd fake meat flavor - and I'm pretty sure it's cheaper and more nutritious than any of the other kinds. I'd say it'll be our new favorite taco.

Here it is...Lentil Tacos:

1. Sort, rise, and drain about a cup of lentils. We used brown lentils, but I'm sure any kind would be just fine. The brown ones look the most like meat, though!
2. Boil them in about 3-4 cups of water until they're done. It only takes about 20 minutes. Lentils are quick-cooking because they don't have to be soaked first.
3. As they're boiling, saute up some diced onions. Add a small can of diced green chilis and about a half a can of drained corn to the mix.
4. Once the veggies are heated up, add about 1/2 cup water and a package of taco seasoning mix. If you want to make your own taco seasoning, I recommend a mixture of cumin, chili powder, cayenne powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
5. Drain the lentils. Dump them into the veggies. Stir and heat through.
6. Serve em up on regular tacos shells.

Enjoy! Maybe I should have called this the "ode to lentils" blog.