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Monday, February 1, 2010

Snobby Joes (aka Lentil Sloppy Joes)


Happy February! Can you believe we've entered the 2nd month of 2010? If you're still looking for healthy meals to accompany the new year, this is a great option. These snobby joes are the vegetarian version of sloppy joes. While our household is definitely not going vegetarian, I love lentils and was excited to try this recipe after my friend Paige made it and raved about it.

If you make these expecting them to taste like sloppy joes, you will be disappointed. However, while they lacked that Manwich taste, I was still a fan of this sauce. Ryan, an avid mustard-hater, didn't like the tang that the mustard added, so next time I'll probably omit that to keep him happy. We ate these in pita pockets, but they could also be eaten on hamburger buns, sandwich bread, or atop a salad.

Snobby Joes

Ingredients:
-1 cup uncooked lentils
-4 cups water
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1 medium yellow onion, diced small
-1 green pepper, diced small
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-3 tbsp chili powder (this seemed like a ton, so I scaled back to 1 tbsp)
-2 tsp oregano
-1 tsp salt
-8 oz can tomato sauce
-1/4 cup tomato paste
-3 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tbsp yellow mustard (wet)
-4-6 rolls or pita pockets

Directions:
1. Put the lentils in a small sauce pot and pour in 4 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
2. 10 minutes before the lentils are done simmering, preheat a medium pot over medium heat. Saute the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and saute a minute more.
3. Add the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano, and salt and mix. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup and mustard and heat through.
4. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes so that the flavors meld. Scoop into pita pockets or onto buns to serve.