Dinner Tonight: Lentil Tacos
Sorry for the lateness of this post, my parents ended up paying us a (very welcome) surprise visit today, so I’m a bit behind schedule. So today is day 7 of the challenge. I’m down 4.8 lbs, 3% body fat and I’ve lost at least two inches off my waist. Pretty awesome. Final weigh in will be tomorrow morning.
Today was all about the lentils.
Lentil Taco Filling
- 1 C. dried brown/green lentils, rinsed and sorted
- 2 C. water
- 2 T. chili powder
- 1 T. ground cumin
- 2 t. dried oregano
- 1/4 C. tomato paste
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1/2 C. chopped cilantro
- 1 large diced onion
- 1 diced carrot
- 2 T. nutritional yeast
- 2 T. Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 1 diced bell pepper (red or green)
Method: Put all the above ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 45-60 minutes until all liquid is absorbed. Serve a couple spoonfuls of lentil mixture onto a lettuce leaf, top with shredded cabbage, tomato, fire roasted salsa and a drizzle of tahini cream. I had 3 tacos, you could eat as many as 6 if you like. This makes enough lentil taco filling to serve 4-6 people.
For smoothies today I had the Tropical Colada Smoothie and the Chocolate Covered Blues.
For lunch I made an adaptation of my brother Abe’s “Hearty Lentil Soup” out of our family cookbook. IT WAS AWESOME.
Abe’s Hearty Lentil Soup
If you’ve been searching for the perfect soup recipe for your brown lentils, look no further. If I wasn’t on the challenge, I would have added a couple of diced potatoes….
- 2 C. dry brown/green lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 diced onions
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 3 stalks diced celery
- 4 sliced carrots
- 4 diced roma tomatoes
- 2 T. nutritional yeast
- 1/4 C. Bragg’s liquid aminos
- 8 C. vegetable broth
- 1 t. garlic powder
- 1 t. dried dill
- 1/2 C. tomato paste (1 small can)
- 1/2 t. cumin
- 1 t. spike or other herb seasoning (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste (I added pepper, but didn’t need salt)
Method: Add everything to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot with a lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 45-60 minutes until lentils are very tender. Pulse a few times with a stick blender if desired.
Stats for the day:
|
Target:
Eaten:
|
Calories under 1,400
1186
 |
Carbohydrate under 245 g
232 g 72%
|
Protein under 53 g
44 g 14%
|
Fat under 23 g
20 g 14%
|
Water over 8 glasses
8-7/8 glasses
|
|
Target:
Eaten:
|
Dietary Fiber over 25 g
55 g
|
Saturated Fat under 16 g
3 g
|
Trans Fat under 2 g
0 g
|
Cholesterol under 300 mg
0 mg
|
Sodium over 1,500 mg
|
|
Target:
Eaten:
|
Sugars under 100 g
94 g
|
Vitamin A over 2,333 IU
2648 IU
|
Vitamin C over 75 mg
236 mg
|
Calcium over 1,000 mg
1300 mg
|
Iron over 18 mg
19 mg
|
Yum on the lentil soup!
I like it so much I’ve made it THREE times since….
I might just give my toxic hot chilli soup a miss tomorrow and make this. I am a day behind you and have lost 4lb so far effortlessly and completely happily. I am actually going to continue on with the challenge for another week. I wanted to retrain my eating habits and this challenge is really doing it for me. I haven’t ever been able to stick to “plans” before and was highly sceptical of this one at first but I love how easy it is to customise, to fit into your life and how much food there is. I have learned to love green smoothies even though I tend to only be able to fit one of them in a day and have started to eat lunch again where I used to skip it. Cheers for this wonderful plan and I will let you know how I go next week. The only thing that I have had a tiny craving for is something sweet. I don’t eat sweet things as a rule but used to eat a LOT of potatoes so am putting it down to starch withdrawal.
You did well my friend! Sorry again about the chili powder conversion! Ah yes, starch withdrawal and I are good friends as well
I baked A LOT of bread once the challenge was finished!
I haven’t finished yet. I enjoyed the challenge so much I decided to incorporate it into my day to day meal planning. I hadn’t felt so good in years and this plan continues to make me feel great
I only have 1 green smoothie and I have the soup every day but now I add a bit more fruit, hummus with some pumpkin etc. and a nice salad whenever I feel like it. I add tahini to the smoothie as well. Cheers for an amazing plan and something that has given me a new healthy lease on life 
The lentil tacos look so good. Thanks for posting!
Of course
!
Great stats, girl! Hope you had a wonderful visit with your parents.
It was so fun to have them here. I miss them all ready!
2 inches is amazing!
I love how dramatic the results are after just 7 days. Hard to get those kind of results elsewhere without starving!
excited for my husband and me to start the challenge today. looking forward to fitting back into my “skinny jeans” or just to fit back into my clothes comfortable. at this point I will settle for the latter. So excited to try all these new recipes:)
You did awesome! Proud of the both of you!
Way to go Somer! You are doing amazing and are truly an inspiration!
Thanks so much! It was tough documenting and posting everyday, but it kept me honest and accountable
LOVE lentil tacos! Especially in lettuce wraps. YUM!
It was a really good thing!! xx
This looks fabulous (both recipes). I will be making these soon. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks! They are both keepers in this kitchen! I love standby’s like this that are not only easy, but guaranteed to be good!
Congrats Somer! That is so awesome!! Those tacos look fab too! I’ve seen lentils as taco meat before but never tried it…I need to try this! I have a meatless taco lettuce wrap recipe on my blog where I use ground up almonds as taco meat…different, but we enjoy it. The lentils I bet are delicious too. I’m a fan of everything you post!
ohhh, the almond tacos sound fabulous! I tried a lentil taco meat out of a Happy Herbivore book…. I liked this one better, that one had ketchup and mustard in it…. No thanks
Looks yummy – and you know how we feel about lentils over here. Perhaps we should all put together a volume of lentilicousness. Gearing up for my second “run” today. Thanks for cheering me on.
We totally need a volume of lentiliciousness! The soup was a revelation (and I’ve made an awful lot of lentil soups in my day). So proud of you for getting your run on! Unfortunately I rolled my ankle last week whilst attempting another snow run. Slippery stuff. I’m still limping, but hoping for a swift recovery. Pilates and yoga til then.
Yum, that taco looks too good to be true! You’ve inspired me…I’m off to get creative with that kick in the pants
YUM! Congrats on the week of hard work and results Somer, what a way to start this awesome year 
Love. XO
Oh girl, creative is one thing you DO NOT lack! I’m loving the new site my dear. Super proud of you for having the gusto to make the switch. xx
That lentil soup is calling my name & my mouth too!
Good for you that you lost so many pounds etc! Yeah!! xxx Good luck with the rest!
Lentil soup is the best! Thanks for the encouragement my dear! It was a fun challenge!
You did it girl!!! Fantastic – isn’t it amazing what happens when you eat the right food?
You put a lot of work into designing this week! I remember my “plant-wild week” last summer – I was in the kitchen designing new food 24/7, even in bed at night I was designing new recipes
Thank you for doing this! You are such a great inspiration Somer!
XXX
Haha! Couldn’t sleep tonight because I’m up “designing recipes”! So silly! I adored your plant wild week. It was so incredible. It’s amazing how our bodies respond to all the wonderful nutrients. Love you Anne!
wow somer.. awesome job at the challenge.. love this taco filling. I can alreayd imagine it on a Pizza;)
Oh wow, yup, now I have to make a Mexican pizza with it. Olives, jalapenos, cashew sour cream…. You’ve got me going!
Ooooh, congrats on the results, way to go! And I’m really digging those lentil tacos… pls send me some
Oh man, the lentil tacos were good! If only the shipped well
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