Spiced Lentils with Tomatoes

I have been on a lentil kick for the past two weeks. I am in love with a legume and I am ok with that. Every time I made it though, I would turn it into a kitchen sink sort of meal by dumping whatever was handy into the bowl. This time, I wanted to make an old time favorite with a twist.

So this recipe is based off a lentil sloppy joe recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie. Her blog is awesome, check it out. I used dry lentils instead of pre-cooked, diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce and I added more spice and no sweetener.

It turned out pretty superb. And the kitchen smells beautiful which I am not complaining about.

Another great thing about lentils is that when bought dry, they're ridiculously cheap. I got a bag at Kroger for a dollar and after this recipe I still have more left. They are a great source of fiber, protein and other healthy nonsense.

Spiced Lentils with Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups dry lentils

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp red pepper

14 oz. Diced Tomatoes, No Salt Added

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

1 onion, thinly sliced

Directions

1. In a large pot dump the dry lentils along with 3 3/4 cup of water.
2. Bring to boil, partially cover with a lid, bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for 18-20 minutes.
3. In a sprayed pan, sauté the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
4. Once the lentils are cooked throughly, add in the onion and garlic, spices and canned diced tomatoes. 
5. Bring back to a slow boil and cook until a thick consistency is reached.
6. Allow to sit for a bit before serving in order for it to condense a little more.

Nutritional Information (based off of 5 servings, 1 serving is about 1 cup)

Calories 247, Fat 1.2g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 521mg, Carbohydrates 43.5g, Dietary Fiber 20.2g, Sugars 5.0g, Protein 16.7g