Are there certain foods your other half prefers not to eat, or even downright dislikes? For my husband, that would be most beans and legumes. Recently he had “accidentally, on purpose” eaten black beans in a dish out at a restaurant, which gave me hope that more beans would come into our rotation. Yet, I know it’s not something to push with him- all in good time! So, when I have a night making dinner for myself, I usually go for some kind of plant based protein.

With no cans of beans in the house, and no patience for soaking and boiling my dried pinto beans, I pulled out some red lentils from the cupboard and set to coming up with a quick, tasty dinner for one. Based on the other ingredients I already had at home, a Mexican dish with a plant focused twist came to mind- grab the shopping list and recipe steps below!

Lentil Fajitas with Charred Peppers– Serves 1

Ingredients

• Lentil- 1 cup cooked

• Red bell pepper- cut 1/2 of pepper into thin strips

• Shaved brussels sprouts- 1 cup total, buy pre-shredded or cut your own

• Tortillas- 2 small corn or Siete Foods cassava coconut

• Small tomato- 1/2 chopped

• Leftover tomato sauce or tomato paste- 1 tbsp or 1 tsp respectively, use only one depending on what you have on hand

• Avocado- a quarter cubed

• Limes- 1/2 juice

• Oil- olive or avocado

• Spices: cumin, chipotle, garlic powder- 1 tsp of each

Directions

1. Cook lentils until soft. Strain excess water and return lentils back to small pot on stovetop. To lentils, add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce or paste, and spices. Cook over low heat for 3-5 minutes until ingredients are well mixed and tomato has broken down and softened. Turn off heat and set aside.

2. In a saute pan, heat a small amount of oil and add sliced peppers. Cook peppers on high to medium heat until starting to char. The trick to getting them caramelized and browned is to not move them too much, so stir infrequently.

3. While peppers cook, in a small bowl mix shaved brussels sprouts and juice of a half of one lime. I like to use my hands to massage the brussels and help soften them up. Taste and add a pinch of salt if desired.

4. To assemble the fajitas, lay two warmed tortillas on a plate, add a base layer of the brussels, top with charred peppers and cooked lentils evenly, and finish with chunks of avocado.