the tacos

if you squint, this is a pretty conventional egg and potato breakfast taco. but the yellow eggy thing is actually leftover red lentils, and the potatoes are both sweet and grilled, which kind of throws things off. I had intended to add the mushrooms and peppers as a topping, but absentmindedly mixed them into the lentils instead, which ended up being the right move. it was a pretty fascinating interplay, with the sweet potato, lentil, bell pepper, mushroom, and spinach doing this five tastes megazord unification of flavors and textures that seemed totally sufficient, at least until the avocado came in like the green ranger with some cool creamy richness that took the whole thing to the next level. anyway I described the ingredients to a friend who said the tacos were way to gentrified, so there you go

next time?

I should want to change more things than I do, but these really were shockingly good. I seared the sweet potatoes to reheat them, but they ended up being mushier than I would have liked, and less caramelized? probably too much avocado, which I never thought I would say but tbqh idk if I needed the third slice. 100% worth doing again though, and doing better

the recipe!

ingredients

cooked red lentils (I just boiled em with turmeric and cumin and salt. easy)
sweet potatoes, halved longways and then grilled (they could realistically be baked or boiled, too)
diced red bell pepper
mushrooms, cut into quarters or thirds
spinach
sliced avocado
olive oil
butter
salt

instructions

1. heat a mix of butter and olive oil in a pan, and add the mushrooms when butter melts
2. cook for a couple minutes, then add bell pepper and a large pinch of salt
3. when your peppers look soft-ish and the mushrooms are satisfyingly buttery, put em in a bowl with the lentils and mix to combine. I microwaved the lentils first so everything would be warm but that’s between you and your god really
4. in the same pan, heat a dash more oil on a high heat, then add the sweet potatoes and cook for a minute or two on each side. you’re just looking for things to get a little crispy/sizzly/caramelized on the outside, so don’t overthink it. if the pan starts smoking, they’re definitely ready
5. chunk the sweet potatoes into like 1.5in by .5in pieces, then use along with previously mentioned ingredients to make tacos. I went lentil mixture -> potatoes -> spinach -> avocado, but honestly this is purely your personal aesthetic choice.