SWEET AND SOUR LENTILS
 
 2 cups lentils, picked over and rinsed well
 4 cups cold water
 1 bay leaf
 ½ teaspoons onion powder
 
 Sweet and sour sauce:
 ¼ cup canola oil
 1½–2 tablespoons each dark brown sugar, molasses and honey
 ¼ cup cider vinegar
 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
 ½ teaspoon salt
 ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
 ¼ teaspoon cumin
 1½–2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
 
Bring lentils to boil in water with bay leaf and onion powder. When fully cooked—after about 25 to 35 minutes—add remaining ingredients. Really Important Note: If lentils are not completely cooked before the sweet and sour mixture is added, they will not finish cooking and will remain hard and inedible. Taste them before adding the sauce to avoid that sad state of affairs.
 
Bake, covered, at 350° for approximately one hour, or until sweet and sour mixture is partially absorbed. The consistency of the lentils should be similar to moist baked beans—neither dry nor soupy.

Serve with cottage cheese, crusty bread, and salad.
 
 Serves 6-8

Vermont Zen Center Recipes

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