Healthy & Delicious Vegan Tacos

his recipe is inspired by Michael Smith’s “Pulse Tacos”. You know, the notorious PEI chef who’s most well-know for his “I love cooking without a recipe” catch line? Well, I modified it a little bit. But thanks, Michael. I’d also like to thank my Uncle Bart for sending this recipe my way – via my Old Lady. I love you both so much for teaching me how to enjoy and appreciate good food

Here’s What You Need:

Taco Filling

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (I cut the oil in half and used water) 2 onions, thinly sliced 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 2 heaping Tbsp (18 mL) chili powder 1 tsp (5 mL) ground cumin 1 cup (250 mL) green lentils 1 19oz (540 mL) can of your favourite beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained (I used black beans – the 365 brand from Whole Foods) 2 cups (500 mL) water 1⁄2 tsp (2 mL) salt 2 tsp of your favourite hot sauce (I used Organic Harvest Foods Jalapeno Pepper Sauce).

Taco toppings

A head of Bibb or iceberg lettuce 12 hard taco shells (I used the organic 365 brand from Whole Foods) A few handfuls of Daiya Cheese (dairy-free, shredded) Your favourite salsa (I used Mrs. Renfro’s Mango Habanero…mmmmm) A large bunch of fresh cilantro 2 limes, cut into wedges

Here’s what you do>

Make the pulse filling: Splash the extra virgin olive oil into a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions, garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Sauté until the vegetables soften and the spice flavours brighten, 3 or 4 minutes. (Add more water if necessary). Stir in the lentils, beans, water, and salt. Bring the works to a slow, steady simmer. Cover tightly and continue slowly cooking until the lentils are tender, 35 minutes or so. Stir in the hot sauce.

Assemble the tacos: Fit a full leaf of lettuce into a hard taco shell. This will hold the fillings in when the hard shell inevitably breaks. Fill each taco with a heaping spoonful of the lentil bean filling. Pack with salsa and cilantro. Sprinkle with daiya cheese. Serve with the lime wedges and share!