Lentil Walnut Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream & Pineapple Avocado Salsa
Want a tastier taco? The combination of lentils and toasted walnuts in place of animal-protein makes for a cleaner, more complex bite. For the filling, lentils are seasoned with a blend of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and tossed with toasted walnuts. The mixture is topped with a cool, tart cashew sour cream, and a bright pineapple salsa.
This recipe comes to us from Carly Paige, founder of FitLiving Eats, author of Simply Swapped Everyday, and one of the finalists of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show Meatless Monday Rapid Fire Challenge.
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Makes 8 tacos
Ingredients:
- 1 15-ounce can cooked lentils
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 romaine lettuce leaves
- Pineapple Avocado Salsa:
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
- 2 avocados, diced
- ½ jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cashew Sour Cream:
- ¾ cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Directions:
To make the lentil walnut taco meat, toast the walnuts in a sauté pan for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the lentils, spices and tomato paste. Stir to combine and sauté for a few more minutes to let the mixture dry out a bit and become crumbly.
Meanwhile, combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
To make the cashew sour cream, drain the soaking liquid from the cashews and add the cashews to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.
To assemble, spoon the taco meat into the romaine leaves. Top with salsa and cashew sour cream.