Sloppy Lentils and Homemade Buns (GF, DF, SF)

I had seen a lot of recipes for homemade whole food Sloppy Joes and Sloppy Lentils since we started eating more naturally. I have been wanting to make them, but, alas, we cannot eat buns, so I pushed those recipes to the side and kept looking for things we could eat. Last week, as I was looking through one of my favorite blogs, I noticed she had a recipe for SANDWICH ROLLS! And let me tell you, these rolls are TO DIE FOR! They are bursting with flavor and so moist!

Wednesday is vegetarian day in our home, so last night I made Sloppy Lentils and they were amazing! This recipe is packed with flavor and is super frugal, as lentils are very cheap!

Sloppy Lentils (from Passionate Homemaking)

3 cups water
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons coconut oil
15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 tablespoon chili powder
3-5 tablespoons molasses or honey
1 Tbsp white vinegar
salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns (recipe below)

Allow lentils to soak over night in warm filtered water with 2 Tbsp acid medium. Rinse and cook as described below.

Combine water and lentils in a saucepan; season to taste with salt if desired. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook onions with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 4 minutes.

Add tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, molasses/sweetener, vinegar, salt and pepper; simmer 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.

Drain lentils and reserve cooking liquid. Stir lentils into sauce mixture, adding cooking liquid or water as needed to obtain the desired “sloppy joe” consistency. Serve on buns.

Delicious Sandwich Rolls: (adapted from Spunky Coconut)

Add to mixing bowl:

1.5 tbsp Chia Seed meal
3 tbsp applesauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3/4 tsp guar gum
1/4 cup nondairy milk

Beat with electric mixer.

Add, in this order:

1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquified
1 tsp fresh chopped rosemary (I used dried)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

Beat again until a mass begins to form.

Note: I had to add a bit more milk for it to form a ball

Form the dough into a ball with your hands. (I put some oil on my hands so the dough doesn't stick to them.)
Divide the ball into 8 smaller balls.

Roll each ball in your hands, and shape it into the form of a roll. (It will not change shape very much in the oven, so make it really big and flat, like a pancake.)

Bake on unbleached parchment paper at 350 degrees for about 24 minutes.

I baked them the night before and stored them in a sandwich baggie until the next night.