Canned lentils have never been a huge part of my cooking repertoire. I didn’t grow up with them and when I make lentils now, it’s pretty much always from dried. TJ’s used to have steamed lentils in the refrigerated section, but they were always a little overcooked for me. So when I saw Trader Joe’s canned lentils, I thought, well, let’s give ’em a go. Interestingly they’re product of Australia, packed in Egypt. And at 99c they’re a relatively cheap way to get some fiber into your diet.
I just cooked some brown lentils from dried for a salad from Pretty Delicious by Alia Elkaffas and Radwa Elkaffas (thanks Clarkson Potter for the free copy), so I thought I’d show you the comparison. The one advantage to cooking them from dried is you can control how firm or soft you like them. The home cooked ones are on top, the canned are on the bottom. And while the canned version is cooked a little more soft, for what we have coming, it won’t make much of a difference.
So, I decided to make a lentil and cauliflower taco filling that I make everyone once in awhile. But this time with all Trader Joe’s ingredients. I initially thought I’d make tacos, so the tortillas are shown below. But I ended up making a taco salad/burrito bowl.
You’re gonna heat 1-2 T. olive oil over medium heat in a nonstick pan. Add the riced cauliflower and cook it for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to brown. Add about half the taco seasoning packet (I started with 18g, that’s half. Then added a sprinkle more. Stir to coat the lentils and cauliflower completely. If the TJ’s Taco Seasoning is too spicy for you, you can always use whichever one you prefer. Alton Brown’s Taco Potion #19 is good, too. Add 2/3 c. water, bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook for 5-7 minutes until pretty much all the water has been absorbed.
The rest is up to you. I topped a bowl of salad mix with roasted bell peppers and zucchini along with cherry tomatoes. No cheese today because I wanted you to be able to see the taco filling. But I have become a fan of Trader Joe’s Lite 3 Cheese Mix.