There was obliviously a taco theme going through the food world last week. The New York Times Dining and Food section had a lot of recipes. Pinterest had a lot of recipes. I saw a lot of food blog with taco recipes. I do not think of tacos as something hard to make so most of the time it is okay, move on. But the smoky lentil filling I saw caught my interest. We eat a lot of beans, especially black beans, and lentils are a nice change.
Reading through the recipe, my thought was nice idea but I am going to change it to what is in my kitchen. That made life much easier. The smoky flavor was nice. We have liked our beans on salads recently instead of tortillas but this would be good in tortillas.
smoky lentils
1 cup dark green lentils, well washed and picked over
2 cups water
1 onion, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smokey sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon alder smoked salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
I am lazy, so I put the lentils and water in the slow cooker and let them cook most of the day. You may have to add more then 2 cups of water if you do not wish to have them dry out. Drain the excess water before the next step. Or you can put the lentils and water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. Cook until the lentils are soft. Most recipes will say 20 minutes. I find it is really closer to 45 minutes. Undercooked lentils are just not fun to the digestive system.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil and onion. Cook until brown. Add the rest of the spices. Cook for a few minutes and make sure well stirred. Mix in the drained lentils. Cook until hot. Make sure the spices are well mixed.
Serve in tortillas or on salad or with eggs.....