Lentil Taquitos with Avocado Crema
BUDGET FRIENDLY HEALTHY-ISH VEGETARIAN MEALS
Committing to starting and owning a new business that operates successfully under New Age principles has to be the hardest thing we’ve ever tried to do. (The two philosophies often conflict!) While I haven’t had the emotional strength or mental capacity to blog about it in real-time during the chaos of making my way through it, I have learned so much about myself in this past year alone. Happy to say, the fog is finally clearing so I can truly begin to appreciate all the hardships and lessons and take a new perspective on the current challenges I’m facing too!
One thing’s for sure: This year we are getting even more serious when it comes to energy conservation and sustainability within our lives and business, and money is 100% energy! We understand that we can only set solid foundations for ourselves and any business we believe in if we are consciously focusing on sustainably nourishing ourselves (and our business) with habits that make sure we continue to keep on doing just that.
We’ve already cleared our cabinets before the new year, Marie Kondo style, by getting rid of excess things that don’t bring us joy. Now that we have a little more clarity, we are turning our attention to finding value in and appreciation for the things we do have in our cabinets by creating more intentionality around them! Inspired by this, I thought it would be fun to share a week of budget-friendly, resourceful meals that we’re eating this week. Don’t worry, they won’t dare lose the spirit of excitement and edginess we keep around mealtime.
First off, here’s some simple TIPS FOR VALUE SHOPPING we try to keep in mind:
Utilize the Bulk Bins: The bulk bins at supermarkets usually price their items much lower than pre-bagged, branded items. It also allows you to get the exact amount you need for your recipes, which eliminates waste, but also unnecessary plastic bags! Plus it’s my favorite way to save on buying expensive or specialty spices!
Buy Dried Beans and Legumes: Not only are them much cheaper per lb. than canned, they are more nutritious and even taste better too! Fight me!
Make A Couple Extra Servings: It’s always best to make enough so there are leftovers for your next day’s lunch. But making extra also saves time, which saves energy, and again, energy is money. :)
Don’t Overlook Those Weekly Ads: See what weekly specials are happening in your area. Use these ads as a guide, and get creative by building your weekly meal prep off of the specials! Bonus tip: sometimes they even update the ads online so you don’t have to make the trek out to the store first.
Grocery Shop on Off Days- Our work-around when buying expensive but indispensable produce like avocados is to hit up our local Latin Supermarket (El Rancho or Fiesta for us) on Wednesdays when they are having their weekly sales. While it may feel like a hassle to plan a mid-week shopping haul, we’ve decided that it’s not nearly as hard as wrangling through Saturday morning lines when we’d rather be in bed. Plus we have a history of hitting harvest gold-mines with deals like 20 limes/ $1 or $3 /5 avocados when we’ve planned it out well, which makes it doubly worth it.
Buy Frozen Vegetables: To avoid waste due to veggie spoilage, buy vegetables frozen that still hold up once they’re defrosted. My favorites: Spinach, peas, corn, riced cauliflower, green beans, and carrots!
Get Creative: Plan your weekly shopping keeping in mind how you can use a particular ingredient across multiple meals. For me, this time I went heavy on the scallions!
I like stocking up on scallions, not just regular onions. ($0.49/ bag at ALDI!!) Scallions are essentially two onions in one--so in my mind, I’m getting more for my money! Since they are split between green leaves and white bulbs, and both have a different flavor--the whites of the scallions are a little stronger, like regular onions or garlic--I like to separate them from the greens and cook them to round them out and bring out their sweetness. Because their green stems are still packed with flavor but are mild enough to eat raw, they make the absolute perfect garnish to bring a little color and flavor to the dish right at the end.
For a fun snapshot, here is what we bought with our grocery budget this week and what we will be pulling from.
OUR GROCERY HALL:
A loaf of Sourdough Bread ( you can make it yourself if you want to save even more money because all it ultimately requires is flour)~ 2.97
2 Bananas~ .70
1 carton vegetable broth (you can make this yourself too, if you have lots of scrap veggies or produce teetering on the edge)
1 dozen Eggs ~ .99
Scallions ~.49
Garlic ~ .99
3 White onions~ .89
Bag of Red or orange bell peppers~ 2.29
Sriracha~ 1.76
8 Limes~ 1.00
Lemons~ 1.59
Egg Noodles ~.99
Dried Seaweed ~ 1.19
½ lb Dried Lentils ~ .46
Corn Tortillas~ 2.19
Frozen Peas~ 1.58
1 Avocado~ .89
3 bushels of cilantro 3/ $0.99
16-ounce bag raw Almonds ~ $4.50 (to make a vegan cheese sauce, almond butter, and 1 pint of almond milk for the week)
Notes:
We already have a few staples like certain spices, oils, soy sauce, (of course, s+ p) and rice on hand and hopefully, you have these too.
Usually, we buy and eat cheese, but it was cheaper for us to cut it out this week, so all of the recipes will be vegan.
I use virgin coconut oil in some of the recipes because I have a huge vat of it in the cabinet and I like the additional flavor it adds, but it is definitely not necessary--you can use any mild to neutral oil you have on hand.
My major takeaway after a few weeks of extreme budgeting:
It is SO satisfying and nourishing (and even FUN!) challenging ourselves to be this resourceful and creative with what we already have!
🎶Ain’t No Stopping Us Now 🎶
TUESDAY- Air-fried Lentil (+ Rice) Taquitos with Avocado Crema
It didn’t take us long to learn that buying and soaking dried beans and legumes is one of the best ways to get the most monetary value from our meatless meals. Not only are they way cheaper by the pound than cooked and canned beans, buying them uncooked allows me the opportunity to soak them myself, making them a lot easier to digest in the end.
Of course, you can replace your lentils with any other bean or legume that’s on sale that day. We scored big this time because we got ½ lb of lentils for $0.46. We’ve also made this recipe with red beans, black beans, and chickpeas and all were equally great! I preferred to share the lentil version here because I appreciate how the texture has a nubbiness similar to ground beef. An added benefit is that lentils have the least amount of gas-producing sugars compared to other choices--something money can’t buy for anyone suffering from gastrointestinal issues (like me!)
Air-frying: Since the filling is already cooked, these taquitos only need a short time under high temperature to crisp their shells. We opted for our air fryer instead of frying them the traditional way. It eliminates the set up of dangerous pots of hot oil that turn the air thick for days, but they will definitely still work if you want to bake them at a high temp or fry them in a skillet of shallow oil. Wherever you’re cooking them though, be sure to start them out seam-side down, only turning once their seam has officially sealed shut!
Here is how we make this hearty and satisfying Tuesday meal:
Taquitos:
1 cup/½ lb/ 220 grams of dried green lentils
Oil for sautéing
⅓ cup chopped white onion (optional)
¼ cup chopped bell pepper (optional)
4 cloves minced garlic (optional)
3 tablespoons of Taco Seasoning or Mexican Spice Blend (or 1 tablespoon unsalted chili powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional), 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, cracked black pepper to taste)
1 cup water for cooking
½ cup leftover cooked Rice (for binding)
3 tbsp Cilantro leaves
12 warmed corn tortillas*
Avocado Crema:
1 large Avocado
Juice of 2 limes
½ cup cilantro leaves
2 Garlic cloves
½ cup Water for thinning, plus more if needed
Salt to taste
Notes: The best way to heat your tortillas quickly is in a microwave wrapped in paper towels. Just throw them in for around 45 seconds for the perfect steamy flexible outcome.
Taquitos:
Soak the lentils in 3 cups of lightly salted water for 4 hours. If you don’t have time to soak them this long, it’s not completely necessary but take note that they may be a little harder to digest and will require longer cook time and a little more cooking liquid to soften.
Drain and rinse the lentils and add them to a large saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to boil over medium high heat. Turn down heat to low and allow it to simmer for 10-15 minutes or until lentils are tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the lentil to a bowl and set aside.
Back in the large skillet heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic if using and sauté until onions become translucent. Add the spices and cook for a few seconds to toast in the oil. Add in lentils and continue cooking until the spices coat the lentils and begin to set it.
Transfer the lentils to a food processor and add the rice and cilantro. Pulse on high until the mixture crumbly.
Lay the warm tortillas out on a clean surface and begin to fill each with 2-3 tbsp of filling , depending on the size of your tortillas. Starting from one end gather filling to one side of the tortilla and begin to roll firmly and pushing to the other end until rolled. Place seam side down in the airfryer basket*
Neatly place taquitos in the Air Fryer leaving a little space in between each so they don’t stick together, do not over crowd. Fry on 400F for 7-9 minutes until the taquitos turn dark golden and crunchy.
Avocado Crema:
Add avocado, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, and water to a high speed blender. Blend until smooth, adding more water if necessary. Season to taste with salt, and drizzle over a crispy pile of taquitos or transfer to a small bowl for dipping.
