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My daughter told me I was overcomplicating my cheap dinners
She pointed out that I was spending 20 minutes trying to stretch one pound of ground beef into three meals when I could just buy a bag of lentils for $1.50 and mix them half and half. Now I cook rice and lentils together as a base for everything from tacos to casseroles. Has anyone else found a simple swap that just clicked after someone said it out loud?
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sean482d ago
That 20 minutes thing is what gets me... you were spending real time trying to make cheap food stretch when the fix was right there in the bulk aisle. I started doing the same thing with oats instead of breadcrumbs in meatballs, it's a game changer. But here's what I'm wondering: does the lentil and rice mix actually hold together for tacos or does it fall out the back? I keep picturing a pile of beige stuff sliding off the shell.
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joseph482d ago
Ha! Yeah I had the same worry when I first tried it. What worked for me was adding a spoonful of flour to the mash before stuffing the shells, it binds everything together way better. Does the salsa help enough to keep it from turning into a pile by your third taco?
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thomas.river2d ago
Yeah exactly. The trick with the lentils and rice is you gotta mash them a little before you stuff the shell. Like take a fork and just press down on the mix a few times. It gives it some sticky texture so it holds together better. I usually do a half mash with like a cup of cooked lentils and a cup of cooked rice. Then I add a little salsa and some cumin. It stays in the taco just fine. But you still get some crumbles falling out, that's just part of it.
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