Lentil Taco Salad

Double recipe post! :) (Since I've been so neglectful to the blog this month...)

I know it is hard to see the nutritional goodness of the lentils underneath all the cheese and sour cream I put on top, but trust me, it's there. I am posting an altered recipe based off of one I found in the lentil cookbook I borrowed from the library.

Lentil Taco Salad
Filling Ingredients
1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (do not soak, just rinse)
1 cup water
2 oz green chiles (1/2 a 4 oz can)
4 oz corn (1/2 a 8 oz can)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion, minced
1.5 tsp chile pepper powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 cup salsa
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped

Put lentils, water, onion, garlic, and spices in a pot. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes (or until lentils are just barely tender), stirring occasionally. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. Let sit so the flavors blend. Cool if desired.

While the salad is getting its flavor on, cook taco salad shells according to package directions. Once shells are cooked (and cooled for like 2 minutes), add the lentil goodies and top with your desired amount of cheese and sour cream.

Note: You will have leftover corn and green chiles unless you make a double recipe. I threw mine into some mac n cheese sauce with a can of unsalted diced tomatoes and poured it on top of cooked macaroni for a Tex-Mex mac n cheese.