Red Lentil Sauce

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All this month we will be participating in Vegan MoFo.  What is Vegan MoFo you ask?  Well, Vegan MoFo (Month of Food) is where bloggers from all over feature delicious and tasty vegan based recipes, insights or adventures for the month of October.  Now, we already share our tasty plant based creations with you each week so not much will change but we wanted  to join in the celebration with others and celebrate just how wonderful a plant based diet really is.  So now, our first Vegan MoFo recipe!  A perfect alternative to an ordinary meat sauce.

With tomatoes and peppers being abundant at the market or in your own garden at this time of year, now is the perfect time for Red Lentil Sauce. Red lentils, red onion, red pepper, red tomatoes and red wine all blend together to make a hearty, nutritious, delicious and economical sauce for pasta, rice or sautéed greens.

Kristy

Ingredients:

• 3-4 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
• 2 red bell peppers, halved with stems and seeds removed
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss the tomatoes and peppers in 1 tbsp olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven 30-40- minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Place in a food processor and process 45 seconds or so. Process longer if you want a smoother consistency.
3. Heat the remaining oil in a soup pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute a few minutes. Add the salt and pepper and continue to cook until the onions are tender.
4. Carefully add the red wine and simmer 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the lentils, water, tomato mixture and bay leaves. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook 25 minutes or until the lentils are soft and tender.
6. Remove the bay leaves and serve over pasta, rice, barley or sautéed greens. Top evenly with the chopped parsley.

Nutritional Info:

Makes approximately 4-5 cups of sauce.

Serving size 1 cup.

Nutrients per serving:  Calories: 234, Cal. from Fat: 58, Total Fat: 6g, Sat. Fat: 1g, Carbs: 32g, Fiber: 7g, Sugars: 5g, Protein: 11g, Sodium: 386mg, Chol: 0mg

Notes:

Store leftover sauce in an airtight container for up to 5 days.