Yo Quiero Tacos ...Well...Vegan tacos with bean-eef!

BEAN-EEF...

What does this sound like to you?  Right, beef...only it's beef made from beans.

First, I am a lover of tacos.  I could eat them almost every day.  They are such a staple, I make sure I keep the taco-making ingredients handy.  Now, you can make EVERYTHING from scratch for your tacos or you can buy it.  Yes, for me, I can make the taco sauce, the avocado dressing, the flour tortillas, the bean-eef (lentils), and the cheese sauce myself, but I'm only going to share one recipe in today's blog.  I'll devote other blogs to the other taco staples. If I'm in a crunch, I also buy everything except the avocado dressing from the store (just beware of the ingredients).  Though today's blog is dedicated to bean-eef, I'll admit that sometimes I buy the tortillas, vegan beef substitute (soy/wheat), and/or even the vegan cheddar cheese from the store (such as Whole Foods or Krogers).  However, I  even at my laziest, I prefer to make my taco sauce and avocado dressing (I'll share these EASY recipes at a later date).

If you buy it, I would suggest that you stay away from harmful ingredients, such as hydrogenated oil (or partially hydrogenated oils), refined or white sugars, high fructose corn syrup or any artificial sweeteners,  enriched flour, bleached flour, MSG, and any artificial or non-vegetable or non-fruit food dyes or coloring (Some natural coloring are made from bugs...Eww).  Most taco seasonings are made with whey and sugar.  To make matters worse, most "veganized" versions are usually full of yeast extract (another name for MSG...just in a smaller amount) or MSG.  I've only found two store brands without these ingredients, Spice Appeal Taco Seasoning and Simply Organic Southwest Taco Seasoning. It is easy to make your own though  and lots more affordable than the non-whey, non-MSG, non-sugar, non-yeast extract versions, just check out Bargain Briana's site for the recipe (http://bargainbriana.com/how-to-make-your-own-taco-seasoning/).  Good news, in this recipe, you don't have to worry about taco seasoning.  You only need this if you find that your bean-eef (recipe below) does not have the desired taco punch you want it to have or to spice up the store-bought meat substitute.

So, before I begin, I want to warn you that some of these take time.  The good news is that once you make the tortillas, you can have them for a while.  Make a bunch at once and chill for a minute.  Below, I've included a YouTube video of how to make your own flour tortillas, but here again,  you have to substitute the wholesome flour and oils.  Personally, I use COLD-PRESSED oils, which includes extra virgin olive oil or any organic non-hydrogenated oil (avocado, peanut, sesame, coconut, etc.).  The reason I capitalized cold-pressed is because there are olive oils out there that claim to be extra-virgin without being cold-pressed.  Cold-pressed is the best.  You're usually going to pay top dollar for this stuff.  Next, I don't use conventional nonstick cookware because of the toxic PFIB and PFOA chemicals (Google these! This is worth knowing).  I find that a ceramic or a cast iron skillet works great if seasoned correctly (they don't work if not seasoned properly).  There are websites and videos on how to season them properly (Again, google this!).  I may even post something at a later date.  Presently, I use my ceramic skillet to make my tortillas and I never had a problem.  Again, you can simply buy vegan tortillas if you don't have the time to make them.  I've included a YouTube video example of how to make the vegan tortillas, substituting extra virgin olive oil in the place of butter.  You can also use the winter spelt (see picture below) in place of the all-purpose wheat flour.  I have no problem with King Arthur's Organic All-purpose flour, which is both unbleached and unbromated.  It's cheaper than spelt and I use it all the time.

(VIDEO LINK: How to make flour tortillas -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TcZT9M11vw)

All-purpose Winter Spelt is heavy and expensive,
but a good substitute for the gluten-intolerant.
I use it in  pie crust mostly.

Now, to the pièce de résistance... the bean-eef.  I also give you instructions on how I build my tacos.  So, if you were asking, "Where's the bean-eef!"  Hush up!  LOL! Here it is!...

Showcase of the ingredients and the finished bean-eef

BEAN-EEF (Lentils)


Ingredients:

• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2-1/2 cups no-chicken or vegetable broth

Instructions:

1. In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano; cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
2. Uncover; cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly.
3. Spoon about 1/4 cup lentil mixture into each taco shell. Top with lettuce (shredded), tomatoes (diced), fresh vidalia onions (diced), vegan cheese (shredded...I prefer vegan cheddar), drizzle with taco sauce, and finish with a dollop of avocado dressing. Yield: 6 servings.

Vegan taco dressed to impress.  Yum!!!

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I'm am about to enjoy my tacos right now, I hope you enjoy them too!!!  By the way, this is MUCH cheaper than buying any meat substitute.  I believe whole foods (unprocessed) are also better for you.

If you like this recipe, let me know!  I'm always happy to hear what you think.  If there's an ingredient that you think makes this better, feel free to post that too.