Seriously Sloppy Lennys

As I had a couple of pounds of (ugh) ground beef yesterday, I decided to make sloppy joes for the omnis. In the past, I  have made a vegan version using lightlife crumbles, boca, or tempeh, but I didn’t have enough of any of those to make it work, so I decided to give lentils a try. I fakes a lot of the amounts below, because I cook very randomly most of the time, but for whatever it’s worth, here it is.

1 onion, diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup tomato puree (can or make your own)
2 T molasses
2 t soy sauce
1 t hot sauce
2 cups lentils

Mix all ingredients but lentils and simmer. Your goal is that the onions become soft and that all of the flavors really meld together. It will also thicken somewhat as it cooks. You have a couple of choices with the lentils. You can add a bit of water to the above and cook them in the sauce or you can precook and then add. It’s not a lot of liquid to cook the lentils in, so if you pick this method, you’ll need to keep a close eye and stir often and gently. If you precook, make them al dente and be sure to drain really well. If (as I did yesterday), you don’t drain well enough, you can add a bit of grain (couscous or quinoa work fine) to absorb some of the liquid without changing the taste.

I’m sure there is a better recipe for these on the net, so…
Good luck!