Lentil Cauliflower Taco “meat”

I eat tacos at least once a week. They are in my top 5 favorite foods, particularly because tacos are incredibly diverse. I could eat tacos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and have a different flavor experience each time. However, this lentil quinoa taco “meat” is one of my absolute favorite fillings. It pairs easily with a variety of other toppings, and can also be used as a ground beef sub in other recipes like enchiladas or chickpea omelette.

It took me a while to get the flavor and texture of this stuff right. After combing through similar recipes I finally settled on blend of cauliflower, quinoa and lentils. Green lentils are preferred, but red work as well – the mix will just have a more peppery taste with the red. The “meaty” flavor is derived from the sauce, which is a combination of liquid smoke, sesame oil and liquid aminos.

The lentils and quinoa should be soaked for about 8 hours before cooking; this allows them to soften before they are ground in the food processor with the cauliflower. When you reach this step, it is important not to over processor the ingredients, they should still be coarse. The ingredients then need steamed and crisped to give that browned beef look to the mix. It is a timely but straight forward process with unfussy ingredients, which is what I love most about it.

The recipe below makes enough for 9 to 12 tacos, approximately 3 to 5 servings!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dry green lentils
• 1/3 cup dry quinoa
• 1/2 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp. water
• 1/2 tsp. Liquid smoke (I used hickory flavor)
• 2 tbsp. Liquid aminos
• 1/4 tsp. Sesame oil
• 2 tbsp. Taco seasoning (recipe here, or use your own)

Instructions

1. At least 8 hours before you plan to make your taco “meat” soak the lentils and quinoa in a mason jar or bowl with 1 1/2 cup of water
2. When you are ready to make the tacos, drain the lentils and quinoa in a sieve and rinse – place these in a food processor with the cauliflower florets and pulse until a course texture is achieved. Do not process for too long, you still want the mixture fairly textured
3. Place the mixture from the food processor into a large skillet with the 2 tbsp. of water. Set the temperature at medium and allow the components to steam and soften with the lid on – about 7 minutes.
4. Once the mixture has softened add in the remaining ingredients and stir to coat. Turn up the heat to medium high to brown the “meat”
5. Serve anyway you would like – I imagine it could be re-seasoned to mix into gravy even! I like mine on top of tacos with refried beans and roasted veggies!

Enjoy!