Although I usually use veggie mince to make taco filling, last night I wanted to make a less processed meal, and decided to use lentils as a base for making a taco filling.

The original idea was to make tacos and not taco salad. I found half a box of taco shells in the cupboard, and although their age was unknown (and with no “best before” date to guide me), I figured they’d be fine once they were heated in the oven.

Except they weren’t. Even after heating, they had a strange chemical taste and a stale, chewy texture. Bleurgh.

Fortunately, there was a fresh package of tortilla chips in the cupboard, and lentil tacos became lentil taco salad.

The lentil filling was really scrummy, and I wouldn’t hesitate to make it again. It’s a variation of this recipe from epicurious. This will become my standard taco filling, as I like it as much as the one made from veggie mince, and it’s cheaper and healthier to boot. I think I’m even going to try it next time I make my Mexican tortilla bake.

I used Puy (French) lentils, because I like the texture better than regular brown or green lentils. Puy lentils don’t have that mealy texture that other lentils have, and they don’t fall apart when cooked (provided they’re not overcooked).

I topped the salad with lettuce (in retrospect, that probably should have gone on the bottom, underneath the tortilla chips), tomato, vegan sour cream and vegan Cheddar cheese. I didn’t have any avocado in the house, but that would be a great addition, as would tomato or tomatillo salsa, spring onions, olives, fresh coriander (cilantro) or any other Mexican-type toppings.

Lentil taco salad

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and red pepper until vegetables begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and continue to saute another minute.

2. Add lentils and taco seasoning. Cook until spices are fragrant and lentils are dry, about 1 minute. Add broth or bouillon and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, 30 minutes to 40 minutes. Stir occasionally, and add a bit of boiling water if liquid has evaporated before lentils are cooked through.

3. When lentils are tender or almost tender, uncover and simmer until extra liquid has evaporated. (If you have a lot of extra liquid, uncover before lentils are completely tender, so you don’t overcook them.) The lentils should be tender but not falling apart.

4. Arrange half the lettuce on each of two plates. Top with tortilla chips, then with lentil mixture. Add toppings of choice.

Makes 2 servings.

I wasn’t going to blog about this, because I made it partly from a pre-packaged kit, which I don’t usually buy.

But it was so delicious that I just had to share it with the blogosphere. Next time I’m going to use more homemade ingredients to make it, instead of the kit.

This dish layers tortillas with a mildly spicy tomato/veggie mince filling… kind of like a Mexican lasagne.

The kit, made by Discovery, was packaged as an Enchilada Kit, and contained eight corn/wheat tortillas, a couple of packets of enchilada sauce, and a sachet of taco seasoning mix.

When I finally pulled it out of the cupboard to use it, I realised it was eight months out of date. I thought for sure the tortillas would have gone off, but they looked and smelled fine (albeit a little dry). Must be some industrial-strength preservative in those puppies! The seasoning mix was likewise fine. However, the enchilada sauce was a write-off. It was packaged in plastic pouches, and smelled very strongly of plastic.

But I was able to use the tortillas and seasoning mix, along with a package of veggie mince and some salsa, to make a scrumptious tortilla bake that had both Mr Thrifty and I smacking our lips.

To make the filling, I first sauteed a large onion and a sweet bell pepper in a bit of vegetable oil until soft, then added a minced clove of garlic and cooked for an additional minute or two. Then I added a 300g (10 oz) package of veggie mince (I prefer Redwood veggie mince) and the sachet of seasoning and mixed well. Next I added a 400g (14 oz) tin of tomatoes and half a tin of water, then cooked the mixture for about 10-15 minutes.

I cut four of the tortillas in half, and the other four into quarters. I then put a bit of the filling into the bottom of a greased lasagne pan (mine measures 24cm (9-1/2″) square and 6cm (2-1/2″) deep). Next I put a layer of tortillas (two halves and two quarters), then a quarter of the remaining filling, and repeated three more times until all the filling was used. (When layered like this, there will be two quarter tortilla pieces extra; I used one of these extra pieces on the second last layer of tortillas, and one on the last layer.) Then I moistened both sides of the last tortilla halves and quarters with a bit of salsa and laid them on top. And lastly, I topped it with a bit of Mozzarella Cheezly. I baked it at 200C (400F) for about 40 minutes.

The tomatillo sauce was made from tomatillos that we grew at our allotment. I will definitely be growing a lot more tomatillos next year, as they are fast-growing, very hardy and don’t get blight in wet summers the way tomatoes do. Best of all, they make a delicious tangy salsa. I used a variation of this recipe, omitted the chiles and fresh coriander (cilantro), grilled the onion, reduced the salt and, after pureeing, added some chunks of ripe avocado.

Next time, I will make this dish with homemade tortillas (probably using this recipe), homemade taco seasoning mix, and possibly with homemade nacho cheeze sauce instead of Cheezly.

Enjoy!

This isn’t a very authentic Mexican recipe, as I’m pretty sure tofu isn’t used at all in traditional Mexican cuisine. However, it is exceedingly tasty.

I based my recipe on one from Matt of My Veggie Kitchen. His Cheezy tofu enchiladas looked and sounded so yummy, I knew I had to make them.

I modified Matt’s recipe a bit. I sauteed the onion in olive oil instead of just simmering it in the enchilada sauce. I also added red pepper and garlic. I didn’t have any salsa on hand, so I used fresh tomatoes instead. I omitted the olives (though next time, I would use them). To add more flavour, I scrambled the tofu instead of just crumbling it in straight from the package.

I used jarred enchilada sauce instead of a homemade one.

Matt’s Nacho cheeze sauce was great; because I couldn’t find pimentos or diced green chillies, I substituted a bit of red pepper simmered in water to replace those ingredients. I used twice the amount of nacho sauce for the enchiladas: 1 cup nacho sauce for half a recipe of enchiladas.

The package of organic flour tortillas I bought contained six tortillas, so I used all of them for half a recipe; this made enough for three servings.

The enchiladas were so delicious, I had to stop myself from having thirds (no hope for avoiding seconds).

A very successful result… thanks, Matt!

Whenever I ask Mr Thrifty what he wants for tea (that’s supper to those of you on the other side of the pond), he invariably says ‘potatoes’. I’m a big fan of the humble spud as well, and this is one of our favourite ways to eat it.

I wasn’t sure what to call this dish. Inspiration came from here, where it’s called Mexican Potato Casserole, but my version looked more like a hash than a casserole.

First, potatoes are roasted with olive oil and Mexican spices, then they’re topped with a mixture of sauteed vegetables, veggie mince (crumbles), salsa and vegan cheese, before being returned to the oven to warm through. I mix the cheese in rather than put it on top, because it melts a lot easier that way and doesn’t dry out.

I’ve made this a few times before. This time I added some diced avocado, fresh tomatoes, coriander (cilantro) and spring onions (scallions) on top before popping it in the oven. Next time I’ll add the toppings AFTER it comes out of the oven, to keep the avocado from turning a rather unappetising shade of green and to provide a raw contrast to the cooked ingredients.

We served it with vegan sour cream (Tofutti brand), and it was most excellent.

Spicy Mexican hash

1. Preheat oven to 230C (450F). Scrub potatoes, but don’t peel them. Cut into bite-sized chunks. Place in a roasting tin and toss with one tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the taco seasoning mix and toss again.

2. Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then turn potatoes and continue to roast until potatoes are cooked through and getting crispy on the outside, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and saute onion for five minutes, until softened. Add red pepper and continue to saute for an additional 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute.

4. Add veggie mince (crumbles) to the skillet, along with 60ml (1/4 cup) of water. Saute until water is absorbed and mince is softened. Add sweetcorn and cumin, and mix well. Continue to cook for another couple of minutes.

5. Finely shred vegan cheese and add to the skillet. Mix until cheese begins to melt. Then add salsa, mix well, and heat through.

6. When potatoes are finished roasting, transfer them to a shallow casserole dish. Top with mince/veggie mixture and return to oven for 15 minutes, until heated through.

7. Remove from oven and add toppings. Serve with vegan sour cream.

Makes two generous servings.

Taco seasoning mix

1. Mix all ingredients together.

Makes 1-1/2 tablespoons.