Lentil Sloppy Joes

I loved this dish the first time I prepared it and decided I needed to share it with everyone. This has the classic flavor of a wonderful Sloppy Joe but the meat is replaced with brown lentils. It is so flavorful you don't even realize the meat isn't there. I cooked the lentils earlier in the day so they would be ready for me as I pulled together the sauce at dinner time.

My menu for the day:
Breakfast - Oatmeal cooked in Vanilla Soy milk with chopped apples and raisins
Lunch - Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds, freshly baked Sourdough Bread
Dinner - Lentil Sloppy Joes, Kale Chips

All I had to do at dinner time is saute some onions and add garlic near the end of the saute time. Then I added some ketchup, maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, ginger, Tabasco, salt and pepper and allowed the sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes. The cooked lentils were added and simmered to warm through for a couple of minutes. I served these on hamburger buns.

I served my Kale Chips as our side dish.



Lentil Sloppy Joes (Serves 4)

1/2 cup brown lentils
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared yellow mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
pinch ground ginger
Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat buns, toasted
dill pickles
green leaf lettuce
red onion slices

Sort through the lentils, picking out stones or debris, then rinse lentils thoroughly. Add lentils and water to a saucepan, cover and cook over medium heat until lentils are tender but not mushy, 30-40 minutes. Drain and set lentils aside.

Saute onion in oil in a saute pan over medium heat until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute.

Add ketchup, syrup, mustard, vinegar, ginger, Tabasco, salt and pepper. Simmer until sauce is thickened and darker in color, 8-10 minutes. Stir in lentils and simmer to warm through, 2-3 minutes.

Serve lentil mixture on buns with pickles, lettuce, and onions.


Adapted from Cuisine at Home for Two

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