Lentil Walnut Tacos with Cashew Sour Cream & Pineapple Avocado Salsa

Want a tastier taco? The combination of lentils and toasted walnuts in place of animal-protein makes for a cleaner, more complex bite. For the filling, lentils are seasoned with a blend of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika and tossed with toasted walnuts. The mixture is topped with a cool, tart cashew sour cream, and a bright pineapple salsa.

This recipe comes to us from Carly Paige, founder of FitLiving Eats, author of Simply Swapped Everyday, and one of the finalists of the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Show Meatless Monday Rapid Fire Challenge.

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Makes 8 tacos

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can cooked lentils
• 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 8 romaine lettuce leaves

• Pineapple Avocado Salsa:
• 1 cup fresh pineapple, diced
• 2 avocados, diced
• ½ jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
• ¼ cup red onion, diced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 lime, juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt

• Cashew Sour Cream:
• ¾ cup cashews, soaked for 4 hours
• ¼ cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

To make the lentil walnut taco meat, toast the walnuts in a sauté pan for about 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the lentils, spices and tomato paste. Stir to combine and sauté for a few more minutes to let the mixture dry out a bit and become crumbly.

Meanwhile, combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

To make the cashew sour cream, drain the soaking liquid from the cashews and add the cashews to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.

To assemble, spoon the taco meat into the romaine leaves. Top with salsa and cashew sour cream.