Lentil and Brown Rice Taco Salad

I don't know if you've noticed....but I seem to have a large amount of mexican inspired recipes up on this here blog. I can't decide if it's because they lend themselves so well to vegetarian dishes or because we just love them around here. I'm thinking both.

So I don't start a habit of posting very similar recipes...anyone have any recipes they'd like to see? Thanksgiving/holiday favorites? Desserts? Pastas? I aim to please!

This lentil and brown rice taco filling is so versatile. We've used it in tacos, salads (as shown above), burritos and even as a chip dip. And it's a slow cooker recipe which makes it so very easy and one of my go to recipes for a busy day. The recipe is from melaniemakes.com and she's got some great recipes. You should check it out! My only addition to this recipe is some fresh cilantro at the end.

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Lentil and Brown Rice Taco Filling
Prep Time: 10 min Cook Time: 4 hours Servings: 8
Recipe from melaniemakes.com

1 cup lentils (I use brown), rinsed
1/2 cup brown rice, rinsed
1 onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 1/2 cups water
2 Tb chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less depending on heat preferences)
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves

• Put all ingredients, except cilantro, in crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours. 
• Check the mixture at 3 hours. Stir and return the lid to finish cooking. 
• When mixture is done cooking, add cilantro, mix 
• Serve with your favorite taco/burrito/salad fixings! 

Vegetable Stew

Slowly, but surely, it's starting to cool down around here. This means more soup!!! I do have to confess though, that sometimes I really do miss my meaty soup. I mean a good beef stew with carrots and potatoes is so good and satisfying on a cold day. So I was SO excited to find this recipe taking a traditional stew and reinventing it into a vegetarian friendly option full of veggies. This did not disappoint and will definitely be returning to our table!

I know I've said before that I never use fresh parsley...but I decided to give it a try for this recipe. I really wanted that authentic stew flavor, and was hoping by following this recipe closely I would get that flavor. I'm not sure if the parsley actually added much to it. I think most of the flavor is coming from the aromatic vegetables and the rosemary. So I think in the future I will stick with the dried parsley....I'll let you know how it turns out the next time I do it, but for now the recipe below calls for fresh.

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Vegetable Stew
Prep time: 30 min Cook time: 35 min Servings: 6

Recipe from www.straightupfood.com

Note: The original recipe calls for 5 cups of water. I decided to use 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 cup water to add a deeper flavor. Feel free to stick to the water, but I would suggest using at least part vegetable broth. Also, the original recipe has you saute the vegetables in water...I opted to saute them in olive oil to brown them to add more flavor. 

1 Tb oilive oil
1 1/2 large onions, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 medium carrots, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabellas, quartered)
1/2 salt
1 Tb dried italian herb blend
1 Tb paprika
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
2 lb potatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups frozen green peas
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
pepper to taste

• Heat olive oil in large pot over high heat, saute onions, celery, and carrots until onions are cooked through and starting to brown. 
• Add the mushrooms to vegetables and saute for another 4 minutes, then add garlic, salt, italian herb blend, paprika, and fresh rosemary for another 1-2 minutes or until garlic is cooked and herbs are fragrant. 
• Add vegetable broth, water, potatoes and tomato paste to pot, stirring to incorporate tomato paste. Bring stew to a boil, then reduce heat to a rolling simmer and cook covered for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes and cooked and tender. 
• Add frozen peas, fresh parsley and pepper and simmer for another 2 minutes to warm peas through.
• Blend 2 cups of the stew until smooth and add back into the pot to thicken the stew. 
• Serve with a garnish of rosemary and warm bread. Enjoy!