Simple Lentil Chilaquiles

When I said our meals have become more simple, this is probably not what you had in mind.  I had not planned on sharing this either, but the meal was delicious and I scooped together the little bits left unclaimed and snapped photos to share. I loved the meal, I loved these photos, and had to share.

In an honesty, Rob is a great cook. I merely helped to assemble the ingredients. Rob was making an off-the-cuff version of our tofu migas but as we ate it, we thought it reminded us of the chilaquiles we would devour from Radical Eats in Houston. Minus the deep-fried tortillas. Eerily enough, Erica shared her baked version of chilaquiles (recipe here with black beans and kale), which I read afterwards. Great minds think alike! We opted not to make it sopping in a tomato-broth, as we used sun-dried tomatoes to help keep the chips crispy.

In any case, while these were simple to make, it brought together a few components we already had. Namely, we made JL’s Lentil TVP Taco Filling earlier in the week (I changed the spices slightly) as our ground meat substitute. My cousin also gifted us some homemade tomatillo salsa. It was quite spicy but worked well when mixed directly with the other ingredients.

In short, we started by using almost stale corn tortilla chips by baking them in the oven. Rob sauteed some sweet onions (reserving some for the topping) and sprinkled them with garlic granules (too lazy to pull the real garlic from the fridge). Next, he added the Lentil-TVP taco filling, heating it up. Because we were out of plain tofu, he added 4 eggs along with some soy milk and the tomatillo salsa, scrambling all the ingredients together. Once fully cooked, he stirred in the baked tortilla chips, heating all the way through. A sprinkle of fresh lime juice and a side of tomato salsa solidified this as a perfect New Year’s Day brunch.

I am not sure if quasi-recipes like this help you. What do you think?

PS. I am sharing this with Credit Crunch Munch.

Simple Lentil Chilaquiles

3-4 small corn tortillas
1 tbsp coconut oil, or oil of choice
1 small sweet onion, chopped (reserve 1-2 tbsp for garnish)
1 tsp garlic granules
4-5 sun-dried tomatoes, reconstituted, and chopped
1 cup of Lentil-TVP Taco filling (see below)
4 eggs (crumbled tofu could be substituted)
2-3 tbsp tomatillo salsa
1/4-1/3 cup soy milk, or non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbsp lime juice (half a lime)

1. Begin by making the lentil-TVP taco filling (see below). Preferably a day in advance so it is all ready to go.

2. Next, make your corn tortilla chips. Preheat oven to 350F. Rip the tortillas into 6 slices, place on a baking tray and bake until crispy. We lost track of time. They were super crispy. Perhaps 15 minutes? Check to make sure they do not burn. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

3. Meanwhile, in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Once hot, add onions. Sprinkle with salt and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Sprinkle with garlic granules and mix. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and Lentil-TVP filling. Heat for 3 minutes until warm.

4. Add eggs and scramble directly in the pan. Stir in the tomatillo salsa and add the soy milk until you achieve your desired consistency. Cook until the eggs are done, approximately 5 minutes. Halfway through, stir in the cooled chips. Remove from heat and drizzle with lime juice. Season to taste. Serve with a side of salsa.

Serves 2-3.

Lentil-TVP Taco Filling
Adapted from JL Goes Vegan

1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed and drained
1 cup TVP
2.5 cups water
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped small
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion granules
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp Bragg’s, to taste

1. Place all ingredients in an electric pressure cooker. I used the low pressure setting for 15 minutes with a natural release. (JL recommends high pressure for 10 minutes). Season to taste and/or use as directed.

Note: To be used on its own, I think the recipe would be fabulous if it were a bit more saucy. Next time, we will experiment with adding tomato paste or sauce instead of the sun-dried tomatoes.

Serves 6-8.