Lentil Tacos

Originally, the recipe came from http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/, but I've made several changes to the original.

It is a really inexpensive meal to make, very easy... and healthy too! My husband, a very picky eater, loves it. We actually prefer it to its meat alternative. Enjoy!

Easy, Inexpensive Lentil Tacos
3/4 cup dry lentils (the brown ones)
3/4 cup brown rice
4 cups water
4 boullion cubes (I use chicken or beef, but you can certainly use veggie... or just salt!)
4 t chili powder
1 t cumin
2 t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder

Rinse the lentils and remove any debris. Put all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Give it a good stir, then turn down the heat to medium and put the top on. This will smell wonderful as it cooks! I usually take a peek and give it a stir every ten minutes, and it will take 20 to 30 minutes for the water to be absorbed.

Add your favorite taco fixings to complete the meal. We usually do small flour tortillas with cheese, tomato, and onion, but it tastes great on a crunchy taco or just by itself!

Favorite Family Recipes: Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps

These are the best! They're very easy and sound impressive :). The Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is the only thing that's "specialty," but it's pretty inexpensive. You'll get 3-4 meals out of a bottle, and we have ended up making this recipe fairly often. It's GREAT when you feel like takeout, but don't want to dish out the cash. The original recipe is from the Sun Maid Web Site.

1 pound ground chicken
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 to 2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (even my rural Food Lion has this)
Cilantro, if you have it on hand, to taste
Bibb or iceberg lettuce

1. Brown the chicken and onion together with desired salt and pepper.

2. Reduce heat to medium/medium low. Add the peanuts and raisins, and cook for @5 minutes, until they've softened up a bit.

3. Add the chili sauce and lemon juice, and cook a few more minutes.

4. Peel off washed lettuce leaves and serve like a lettuce burrito! Yum!

*** Note: The original recipe called for Bibb lettuce, but that stuff is pricey. We've tried different types (romaine, green leaf), but iceberg actually works the best!