Sloppy Lennys

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.