New Foods

Yesterday consisted of a few new food items.  Last Thursday we had a tailgate pot luck at our office.  My department was in charge of the "mains" so we decided to make Sloppy Joe's.  One of my team members made turkey ones and I said I'd make the vegetarian ones.  I found a recipe online and got everything together.  I got to work early so the crockpot could work it's magic.  At lunch time the lentils were still raw!!  I quadrupled the recipe so I have a feeling that was the issue.  I ended up ordering pizzas to cover my "main".  By the time I went home, I had a crockpot full of vegetarian Sloppy Joe's.  They actually turned out pretty good, I would make them again, but not so much at once.  Below is the recipe.  I've been eating it without the bun, so it's more like a chili.

Also last night I made the second pasta that we got at the Farmer's Market a few weeks back.  It was an onion/leek flavored pasta.  It didn't have nearly as much flavor as the Italian spice one did.  While the pasta was cooking I sauteed some zucchini in a pan with garlic and Italian seasoning.  I also cut up some chicken sausage and put it in there to warm up.  I put the pasta sauce in the same pan to warm it up as well.  Good reviews all around :)

Vegetarian Sloppy Joe's:

1 cup dried lentils, picked over (not red lentils; they would get too mushy)

1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

15 ounce canned tomatoes

1/4 cup + 1 table spoon tomato paste

3/4 cups onion, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cups)

1T apple cider vinegar

1T garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1T chili powder

2 teaspoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne (or more depending on your tastes)

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker; stir until well combined and cook on high, covered, for 3 to 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low, depending how fast your device cooks.

Taste test to ensure lentils are cooked through. If not, cover and cook in 30 minute increments until soft.

If too much liquid remains, cook on high without the lid for 30 to 60 minutes, keeping in mind these thicken as it sits.

I found this recipe on this blog.