Snobby Joes

To say that it rained on Thursday night would be a gross understatement. Instead of normal rain, we got torrential spring downpour, tornadoes, and flash foods. So when the power went out in the middle of eating dinner, we just shrugged and lit some candles so we could see our food, which didn't make these Snobby Joes any less sloppy to eat.

I actually can't recall ever eating Sloppy Joes outside of a school cafeteria, but these are way better and obviously healthier. The lentils are packed with protein, leaving us full but not stuffed. I had pre-cooked the lentils earlier in the day since Thursdays are one of my late days, and the most time-intensive part of putting the meal together was chopping the onion.


I highly recommend these for people on a budget who are trying to make more meatless meals but are wary of tofu. It would be great for kids (lessen the chili powder to taste), and the leftovers are just as good the next day. This is delicious, hearty comfort food that's vegetarian!

Snobby Joes
source: Branny Boils Over
Yields at least 3 sandwiches

Ingredients

1/2 cup lentils boiled in 3 cups water, with a bay leaf
8 oz tomato sauce
1 T maple syrup
2 t spicy mustard
1 t oregano
1.5 T chili powder (or more if you're like me and accidentally dumped in a bunch much to Joe's delight)
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 t salt

Saute onion and garlic and add to drained boiled lentils. Add spices and tomato sauce and simmer 10 minutes. Then cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Simmer a little more to reduce to the liquid if too soupy. Serve on buns or as desired with your favorite sandwich sides.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

I swear I have perfectly good reasons for neglecting my blog, namely midterms and a trip to San Diego, which I promise to blog about once I catch up.

I had been eyeing various Shepherd's Pie recipes for a little while when I found this vegetarian one. Fortunately, the weather cooperated with my stomach, and I made this on the day that a front blew through, bringing with it a sharp temperature drop and rain. My one aversion to vegetarian dishes is that they often don't seem to stick to your ribs quite as much as meals with meat do, but this is a major exception. This had a great earthy flavor from the eggplant, and the cumin and curry flavors were a hit with Joe. It also made delicious leftovers.


Also, I have now been convinced of the wonder of the eggplant. I usually avoided it due to too many bad experiences with greasy, floppy eggplant parmesan, but now I think I'll use it more often as a substitute for meat in meals like this. Next time, depending on what I have in the refrigerator, I may add mushrooms to this. They would go perfectly.


Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
source: Cheap Healthy Good

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 small red or green bell peppers, chopped
3 cups cubed eggplant, with peel (This turned out to be about 3/4 of an eggplant for me.)
1 (15 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water (I used some chicken broth I had on hand, making this not vegetarian.)
1 1/4 pounds small red potatoes, halved
1/2 cup fat-free half and half (or skim milk)
1 cup frozen or fresh peas
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used some various assorted cheeses.)
1 pinch Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 Tb. oil; add onions, garlic, curry and cumin. Saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl.

2) Heat remaining oil in skillet; add peppers, eggplant, tomatoes and 1/2 cup water. Saute until soft, about 20 minutes. (It's a good idea to let a lot of the extra moisture evaporate - Kris.) Stir in onions. Place in a shallow 8-by-8- inch baking dish.

3) In a saucepan, boil potatoes until done. Drain and smash. Stir in half and half, peas, salt and pepper. Spread over vegetables and top with Parmesan.

4) Bake 15 minutes. Brown in broiler. Serve.