Kristi Whitley

Healthy Living

Black Lentil Sloppy Joe's
From My New Roots

• 1 cup / 230g black lentils
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 135g brown button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• ¼ tsp. smoked paprika (hot or sweet, your choice)
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. Sriracha
• 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
• 1 14oz. / 400ml can crushed organic tomatoes
• ½ cup / 60g walnuts, roughly chopped

Preparation Steps
1. Soak lentils overnight if possible. Drain, rinse, and place in a medium saucepan. Cover with about 3 cups / 750ml water, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until tender, about 15-20 minutes (cook time will depend on whether or not you’ve soaked them).
2. While the lentils are cooking, melt the coconut oil in a large skillet. Add the onions and salt, stir to coat, and cook for about 15 minutes until starting to caramelize. Add the garlic, mushrooms and red pepper and cook for about 5 minutes or so until fragrant. Next add the cumin, paprika, black pepper and stir to coat. Stir in the Sriracha, balsamic, and can of tomatoes.
3. Drain and rinse the lentils, add them to the pan with the veggies and spices. Give it all a stir and let simmer for a few minutes for the flavours to meld.
4. In a separate skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the walnuts until golden in places and fragrant. Give them a rough chop and add them to the lentil mixture.
5. Have a taste and adjust the seasoning to suit you. Add more salt if necessary, more balsamic for sweet-tartness, or Sriracha for heat.
6. Toast your buns and ladle and a generous amount of the sloppy joe filling over the top of one half. Top with the red cabbage slaw, red onion and some sprouts, if desired. Top with the other half of the bun, and tuck in!