My first attempt at making vegetarian food was sloppy joes using lentils instead of beef. It turned out pretty well. The most amazing thing about it is that Hubby actually likes it. I was shocked. Here is a picture of it on a healthy whole wheat bun. It tastes better than it looks.
And here’s the recipe in case you want to try it. I got it off of http://www.allrecipes.com somewhere.
In a large pan combine:
- 1 c. lentils
- 4 c. water (this was a bit much, next time I make it I’ll try using 3 cups so I don’t have to drain it)
- 1 onion, diced (the original recipe called for red but I used a white one that I already had)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1/2 red pepper, diced
- 1 bay leaf
Simmer 20 min. till tender, drain, remove bay leaf. Stir in:
- 6 oz. can tomato paste
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 2 1/2 T. chili powder
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1 T. prepared mustard (I used yellow mustard and just squeezed some in without measuring)
- 1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar (I probably put in about a Tablespoon, I just added without really measuring)
Heat through and serve on whole wheat rolls.