Sloppy Lentils

Good old sloppy joes with a lentil twist.  (This recipe makes 8 sandwiches.)

1.  Cook 1 1/4 cup lentils in 4 cups vegetable broth.

2.  In a separate pan saute in some olive oil:

• 1 grated onion (grated onions are much juicier than chopped, so cook until all the excess water has evaporated away leaving the pan dry)

then add:

• 2 stalks celery small dice
• 1 red pepper small dice
• 3 cloves garlic minced

When veggies are crisp tender add the spice mix, stir to coat and toast spices for a minute or so.

Spice mix:

• 1/2  tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp dry ground mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• dash of ground all spice
• dash of cinnamon
• dash of nutmeg

3.  Mix it up!
Add to fully cooked lentils:

• spiced-cooked veggies
• A 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• Tbl brown sugar
• Tbl cider vinegar
• 5 dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Bring to a boil and let simmer 10 minutes to combine flavors.

4.  Lightly toast some buns and using a slotted spoon to drain the mix a bit, pile the lentils atop.  We used Wegmans seeded Kaiser rolls.

5.  Enjoy (with a napkin ready).  I enjoyed my sloppy lentil sandwich with a side of macaroni salad.