Vegan Sloppy Joes (or poor man's sloppy joes)

Vegan Sloppy Joes
Serves 4 to 6
Time 60 minutes

What you need

1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups water
1 tbls olive oil (I used olive oil non-stick spray)
1 medium sized yellow onion, cut into small dice (I used a sweet onion)
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbls chili powder (I used 1 but use more if you want more of a bite)
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 oz of tomato paste
2 tbls maple syrup
1 tbls prepares yellow mustard
4 to 6 buns of your choice


Pour the lentils and water into a med sauceoan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.

About 10 min before lentils are done, preheat a medium sized sauce pan over med heat. Sautee the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and sautee for a minute more.

Stir in the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano and salt. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup to taste and the mustard, and heat through.

Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 minutes, so the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediatly if you can't wait. Good served open faced, with a scoop of sloppy joe on each half of bun.

Enjoy!