Just when I thought I was so prepared for this week’s meals… I ran out of most of what I needed for the sloppy Joe’s I was going to make tonight. I was out of chili powder, down a can of diced tomatoes, and then I was missing the main ingredient, BROWN LENTILS! Uhhh I hate when this throws me for a loop, but at least I was just feeding myself tonight so I came up with something with what I had. I was already sautéing onions and peppers so I grabbed the split red lentils I had in the pantry then looked at my spices. Curry, creole, or Italian flair? I decided to go with the creole since it’s a seasoning I haven’t used in a long time so I added some vegetarian chicken flavor bouillon to the water and cooked the lentils in that then added creole seasoning and a diced tomato. I already had the potatoes sliced and roasting in the oven, so I wrapped up some asparagus in tin foil and garlic powder and roasted those too.

It turned out to be a flavorful and unique meal, and a nice change of pace. Sometimes it’s nice to use your creativity when you’re in a pinch and be surprised with the results! The potatoes were crispy and perfect to dip into the lentils and the asparagus added a freshness to the meal. Lentils are packed with protein and this is a meal very low in fat, but has lots of nutrients.

Creole Spiced Lentils and Roasted Potato Chips

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 tsp Vegetarian Better than Bouillon, chicken flavor

3 cups water

2 tbsp creole seasoning

1/4 tsp pepper

2 sweet potatoes, sliced thin (I used my mandolin)

2 gold potatoes, sliced thin

Bunch of asparagus

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 400* and lay potatoes in an even layer on two sheets with parchment, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast 30-40 minutes.

2. While they’re in, start sautéing onion and pepper on medium heat for 5-7 minutes.

3. Add water and bouillon and bring to a boil.

4. Add diced tomato, creole seasoning, and pepper and cook down until water has evaporated and lentils are soft, about 20 minutes.

5. Wrap asparagus in tin foil with garlic powder, salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes.

6. You can plate all together, or separate, but all flavors worked great together.