Thursday night, I made vegan sloppy joes for the first time, using beautiful Puy lentils. I didn't find them to be at all a replacement for regular sloppy joes, but for sloppy lennys, they were mighty tasty! I've been wanting to try my hand at them for awhile now and I will absolutely make them again, but probably for lunch on a day when I'm the only one I'm cooking for, as my wife eschews everythibg lentil and my son wasn't keen on this particular application of them. I served them with mini tater tots and a delicious grapefruit & olive salad from the Williams-Sonoma Salads cookbook. My cookbook club, Wild Mangoes in the Kitchen, is having a free pick this month and that's the one I have chosen.
Sloppy Lennys
Cooking spray or 1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chile powder
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. cumin
Dash turmeric
2 c. cooked lentils (Any kind is fine, but I like the way the Puy lentils retain their shape for this recipe.)
8 oz. tomato sauce
A drizzle of molasses, to taste
A healthy splash of apple cider vinegar
Salt & pepper, to taste (a hearty pinch & a good grinding)
In a large skillet, coated with cooking spray or oil, cook the onion and green pepper on medium until softened. Add garlic and spices and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add the rest and cook 15-20 minutes. Serve on buns. Actually, this would probably make really tasty lettuce wraps or be good in a bowl, simply spooned up like a stew. Serves 4.
Because I can't seem to follow a recipe without tinkering with it, this is my take on the Williams-Sonoma recipe:
Grapefruit & Olive Salad
A handful of red-leaf lettuce (or your favorite salad greens), torn into bite-sized pieces
1/2 ruby red grapefruit, peeled & sectioned (with membranes removed)
A handful of your favorite pitted olives (I used kalamatas this week, but will try Castelvetranos or Frescatranos next.)
1 tbsp. Dijon vinegar
A splash of apple cider vinegar
A splash of grapefruit juice
A pinch of sugar
A scant pinch of salt
A good grinding of pepper
A splash of good quality, extra-virgin olive oil
Place lettuce on a salad plate. Scatter grapefruit sections and olives on top. Whisk together the rest and drizzle over salad. Serves 1.
