My desire for vegetables has been fleeting over the course of the first and second trimesters. Some days I don’t want to touch them with a ten foot pole (except in smoothies, maybe), but when I do get a craving for veggies I have to eat all the vegetables, as soon as possible. There’s no middle ground. I either make a salad the size of my head or no salad at all.
These lettuce-wrapped tacos are the result of one of my undeniable, all-consuming veggie cravings last week. All I could think about was something super fresh and crunchy. Before I knew it I was pulling every single vegetable out of my fridge and piling it onto the counter. Eric could see that crazy look in my eyes and he knew I would stop at nothing to get my fix. I whipped up the lentil-walnut taco meat from my cookbook, sautéed some red pepper and onion, blended up some cashew sour cream, and got to chopping. I knew this was going to be the veggie-packed meal of my dreams. I almost shed a tear of joy when I took my first bite. Heck yes. I hit the flavour, texture, freshness jackpot! Somehow I managed to share with Eric and we stuffed ourselves silly. Surprisingly, we even had leftovers for lunch the next day. I’m telling you, these tacos prove that leftovers can be a great thing. It was such a fun treat to open the fridge the next day and have this great lunch waiting to be gobbled up a second time around.
Here’s how I constructed the wraps:
1) Romaine/Iceburg/Butter lettuce “wrap” + Lentil-Walnut Taco Meat (creates an amazing base for a taco!)
2) Sautéed onion and bell pepper:
3) Chopped tomatoes or salsa:
4) Lots of Cashew Sour Cream:
5) Chopped green onion + a squeeze of lime juice
Other topping ideas = sliced avocado, cilantro, hot sauce, _________ ?
6) Stuff into face. Make a HUGE mess. Repeat as necessary (until you can’t fit one more bite).
Veggie craving conquered.
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Ultimate Green Taco Wraps
Yield
8 large tacos
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Get ready to pack a ton of veggies into one irresistible, healthy meal! If you haven't tried my lentil-walnut taco meat, this is a great recipe to do so. It's high in protein, and the taco seasonings and chewy texture create a realistic-tasting taco base. Feel free to use tortilla wraps or corn shells instead of lettuce wraps to change it up, or you can make this recipe into a big salad, too. You can save time by cooking the lentils and prepping the taco meat in advance (or simply use canned lentils). This recipe is inspired by Simple Vegan Blog taco wraps. The lentil-walnut meat is adapted from the from the The Oh She Glows Cookbook (page 186).
Ingredients
For the lentil-walnut taco meat (makes 2 1/2 cups):
- 1 cup uncooked French green lentils (you will use 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils)*
- 1 cup walnut pieces, toasted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (22 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons (30 mL) water
For the toppings and wraps:
- 1 to 2 large bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/2 to 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- Cashew Sour Cream
- Diced tomatoes or salsa
- Green onion
- Fresh lime juice
- Lettuce wraps (large romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce leaves)
Other topping options:
- Sliced avocado
- Hot sauce
- Cilantro
Directions
- Cook the lentils: Rinse lentils in a fine mesh sieve. Add to a medium pot along with a few cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until tender (cook time will vary depending on the type of lentils you use—see package). Drain off excess water.
- Toast the walnuts: Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Add walnuts onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10 to 13 minutes, watching closely, until lightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Sauté the pepper and onion filling: Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of oil into a large skillet or wok. Cook the onion and peppers over medium heat for about 15 to 20 minutes, reducing heat if necessary and stirring frequently, until translucent.
- Prepare the taco meat: Add 1 3/4 cups cooked lentils (you'll have some leftover) and all the toasted walnuts into a food processor and pulse until chopped (make sure to leave texture). Stir or pulse in the oregano, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Stir in the oil and the water until combined.
- Prepare the rest of your vegetable toppings and wash and dry the lettuce wraps.
- Assemble: Add a large lettuce leaf onto a plate, top with taco meat, sautéed peppers and onion, and the rest of your desired toppings.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in sealed containers to be enjoyed the next couple days. The cashew cream will keep for at least a week in the fridge. Use sour cream leftovers on sandwiches, wraps, stirred into salad dressings, on vegan nachos, or with chili or soup.
Tip:
- * To save time, you can use one (15-ounce) can of lentils (drained and rinsed) instead of cooking the lentils from scratch. When I have time, I love to cook French green lentils due to their chewy texture, but regular green and brown lentils will work too. Do not use red lentils as they are much too mushy and don't have the required chewy texture for this recipe.
- Make it nut-free: I haven't tried this yet, but you could try subbing the walnuts for 1/2-3/4 cup toasted pepita seeds (shelled pumpkin seeds) and swapping the Cashew Sour Cream with vegan mayo (such as Vegenaise).
Nutrition Information
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I made the lentil-walnut taco meat and it really was amazing. The taste and texture remind me of store-bought crumbles, but I feel good knowing that it’s homemade with whole foods. I used the taco meat as the base for a burrito bowl with black beans, sweet potato, avocado, cilantro, and lime.
THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. As a father of 2 (14yr old prince & 9 yr old princess) rather picky eaters- watching them dive in and say was really good.
This recipe is definitely a “favorites” addition.
looking forward to exploring all recipes! thank you so much for sharing.
Hi Ohsheglows,
I just started a 3 week vegan cleanse, which you inspired, I have always been a meat lover and thought that not eating meat would be hard but once I started following your blog and saw the food you have made I decided to take a leap of faith and made these delicious taco wraps for the first time and made them for my family too and they loved them just as much as I do”
My daughter sent a text to me recommending this recipe. Everyone in the family gave it a minimum rating of 9/10 (my husband would prefer a tortilla) and it has become a family favorite. We were eating it so happily that we all were making our second tacos before we finished swallowing the first….it was a crazy dinner! After we cleaned up, I immediately ordered Ms. Liddon’s cookbook for my daughter and myself.
Since its arrival, we have eaten every dinner out of it with leftovers serving as lunch. Delicious….every recipe, every bite. We cooked appetizers out of it for our Super Bowl party and everyone loved them. Nothing left over.
Exceptional, exceptional recipe book with every recipe as easy and delicious as this one.
trying to avoid adding oil, so can I leave it out without changing the flavor?
Diane,
I made it and left the oil out, I thought it tasted fine. It was a bit crumbly (whether or not it would still be crumbly with oil I have no idea) but I thought it still tasted great.
For someone who loves meat I really love this recipe. I am enjoying following your blog as it is really opening my mind to alternative recipes and meals to compliment my existing meal plans.
These were amazing! The perfect Valentine’s Day supper! Yum!
Thank you Angela! This is a very delicious recipe, I ate it today and it is absolutly healthy and yummy!!!
I made these last night and they were AMAZE! I didn’t have walnuts so I used pistachios instead. I also used low-sodium veggie stock to cook the lentils which provided some additional flavor. I topped these puppies with fresh guacamole and salsa and chowed down. Great recipe! Will definitely make this again.
Angela,
I want to thank you so much for all the hard work you put into your blog. I have tried a number of your recipes and have not once been disappointed. I am not a vegan nor have I ever been pregnant.
A year ago I had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Since going through 5 months of chemo, three surgeries, 6 weeks of radiation, I have decided to try and live a cleaner healthier life. In doing so I came across your blog and couldn’t be happier.
I love the things you do with nuts. I made these tacos along with the cashew sour cream and I am astounded as to how fabulous they are. I feel so much better eating less sugar and trying new things. I know how important it is to keep my weight in check and your site has helped me do that and also gives me tasty dinner ideas.
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate what you do.
Love,
Amy
Hi Amy, Thank you so much for your kind words! I am so grateful for your support. I wish you all the best with your lifestyle changes and health! xo
This recipe is great! I love wraps, but always have had trouble figuring out what vegan ingredients to put in them.
I especially love this recipe because it is so customizable. I can’t usually afford walnuts, so the first time I tried this recipe I used crumbled extra firm organic tofu instead, and it turned out great. Tonight I just made it replacing the walnuts with mashed chickpeas, and it was excellent! I usually stir-fry whatever veggies I currently have and use them as toppings. It has been delicious every time!
Yum! Put zucchini instead of peppers because that’s what I had. So delicious and filling! Plan to add brown rice to extra “meat” tomorrow and bake up veggie burgers
I just made these for Dinner and they are AMAZING. The flavour and texture is spot on! Going to share this with my family no doubt!
I was so happy to find a vegan/veg recipe for tacos that delivers the great seasoning flavor from the meat versions I remember as a kid and isn’t so ‘beany’ like you get with black/pinto beans. This recipe has ended up in our standard rotation and is always a hit! The ‘sour cream’ is excellent as well and we use it on a variety of other dishes. Thank you!
Just finished gobbling up these tacos, and I must say that they are absolutely scrumptious! Which isn’t surprising to me at all, I don’t think that I have ever found an Ohsheglows recipe that I did not like :) And I substituted sunflower seeds for walnuts, and it turned out perfectly!
Ultimate green taco
Wow, this is yummy. Just had the Lentil-Walnut mix on its own with a little salsa to sample it. Then, had a second bowl to confirm my evaluation. :-) Easy to make and so versatile too!
We LOVE this! Do you think it could be made and frozen?
I tried splitting the walnut portion w half sesame seeds and it was awesome. I roasted them together and the flavor was great! This has become a regular for us. Such great combinations of flavor.
Perfect dinner for tonight !
I have replaced the sour cream with a tahini sauce (tahini+garlic+lemon+water) and it was delicious. My kids loved it, and we have left overs for tomorrow as well :)