Roasted Red Pepper lentils with Sun Dried tomatoes

I don't eat meat so a great source of protein that often pops up in my meals is wonderful lentils. I love lentils and I love that the food critic likes them enough to not notice that there is no meat in our meals. I also love roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes so I made up this little meal in hopes to satisfy my craving of both. It ended up being great and the green beans were a great compliment so I highly recommend you pair the two together.

Roasted Red Pepper lentils with Sun dried tomatoes
2 red peppers, roasted
1 cup grated carrots
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
3 T red wine
1 T pure maple syrup
1 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp dried basil
sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
1 c cooked lentils
1/2 c sun dried tomatoes, sliced (not the ones in oil)
steamed green beans

Directions:

Roast your peppers and while they are roasting cook your lentils. Just follow the directions on the lentil package. When lentils are done, set aside.

How to Roast Peppers
1. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.
2. Cut both peppers into 4 parts
3. lay them down on the tin foil cut side down
4. Broil on High for 10-20 min. You want them to be black because it is easier to peel the skins off.
5. After you broil them, take them out of the oven and cover them with another piece of tinfoil for about 5 min. This makes them sweat and easier to peel.


Sauce directions:
1. Grate carrots and mince garlic
2. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in pan, add carrots then cook for 3 min. Add minced garlic to carrots and cook for 1 min stirring throughout.
3. Add red wine and cook for 2-3 min. You want all the alcohol in the wine to evaporate.
4. Place your roasted red peppers into a blender along with maple syrup, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, and basil.
5. Blend together until well mixed.
6. Add half of the carrot mixture to the blender and pulse a few times.
7. Return all of the contents in the blender back to your pan.
8. Add your lentils and sun dried tomatoes to the roasted red pepper mixture.

9. Simmer 5 min

10. Pour over some steamed grean beans

Lentils are magicians in the nutritional world – they pack in staggering amounts of nutrition into relatively few calories, including 198%DV molybdenum, 89% folates, 62% dietary fiber, 50% manganese, 35% Iron, 35% protein, cooper, B vitamins, and potassium, to boot. Whoa! All this is in a one-cup serving of lentils, or 230 calories. This stuff is the meat in the vegetarian diet.