Healthy Dinner Ideas Lentil and Parsley Salad Tacos
I love lentils, not only because they are so versatile and so easy to combine with other ingredients in healthy, delicious meals, but also because of their incredible nourishing power. Lentils are often consumed as a replacement for meat, but there are so many health benefits with lentils that you should add them into your diet as often as possible.
Lentils are very easy to prepare, they’re filling, and they quickly absorb the flavors from the ingredients you add to them. They are a great choice for a delicious meal to keep you sustained for a long time, and also provide the body with the nutrients it needs to support its natural detoxification function.
Lentils are fiber-fabulous, even more so than other legumes. They’re loaded with both soluble and insoluble dietary fiber, great news for your digestive system and excellent support for your detox diet. Insoluble fiber reduces the intestinal transit time of the food you eat, and also feeds the healthy bacteria in the colon.
Soluble fiber creates a gelatinous mass in the intestines, which absorbs toxins and cholesterol metabolized in the liver, preventing them from leaking back in the bloodstream and burdening the liver’s detox function. Your liver is your most important detox organ, treat it right and everything else falls into place.
Also, soluble fiber helps stabilize the blood sugar levels by providing slow-burning energy, a great help for everyone doing a detox and especially for patients diagnosed with diabetes or insulin resistance.
Lentils also keep your heart happy, they contain folate and magnesium, both of which help in maintaining a healthy heart. Proper magnesium levels relax the circulatory system and improve blood flow, while the nutrients and oxygen are easily transported to the body cells. Folate (also known as vitamin B6) lowers the level of homocysteine, a non-protein amino acid which leads to inflammation in blood vessels, increasing the risk of coronary artery disease.
This delicious recipe combines lentils with fresh parsley and avocado, all wrapped in a whole wheat taco. Avocado fortifies these tacos with healthy monounsaturated fat and minerals, while parsley is loaded with vitamin C and chlorophyll that nourishes and oxygenates the body’s cells. This is a complete detox meal that will keep you full for a long time and help your body detox naturally.
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Lentil and Parsley Salad Tacos
- Yield: 2 1x
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 1&1/2 cups cooked lentils
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 big bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and cut in small cubes
- 1 lime, juice only
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp chia seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 whole wheat taco wraps
Instructions
- In a bowl place lentils, onion, garlic and one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Set aside for five minutes for the lentils to absorb the flavors.
- In another bowl place avocado cubes, parsley, lime juice and one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil, and mix well.
- Assemble the tacos and distribute evenly the lentils, top with parsley salad, sprinkle with chia seeds and serve.
just wondering if cilantro could replace the parsley? Do they have the same bennefits? Or perhaps it could’ve added in addition to everything else in the recipe?