Poison Ivy via ONLY THE YOUNG DIE YOUNG

This is a yummy, low-hassle deal that should really be called ‘Smokey BBQ Lentils on Whatever’, because these babies go so well with everything, and they also make a great base that can be tweaked with your own flair and flavour.

What else can you pile ’em on or in? Here a few ideas to get you started with your stash of lentils: sandwiches and filled rolls, mashed or baked potatoes, lasagna, burgers, quesadillas, jazz up some plain ‘ol rice, steamed vegetables. Whatever takes your fancy, really!

This was my first time ever cooking with molasses – blackstrap molasses may just be the stickiest substance known to man! You might wanna keep a paper towel nearby when you’re working with it, to avoid any sticky strings of goo getting all over the place. Trust me, I learned that one the hard way.

Molasses will last for months and months in the pantry, so there is no need to go on a frantic molasses-cooking spree after the jar has been opened. If you have no idea how on earth you’ll ever use up an entire jar, have no fear, there are a bunch of vegan baking options that use molasses instead of standard sugar, as well as old school bean recipes, marinades and, if you swing that way, a heap of traditional home remedies.

Smokey BBQ Lentils on Toast

What you need:

Smokey BBQ Sauce:

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 small brown onion, chopped very finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 of a 400g can of chopped tomatoes (eyeball it, you’ll be fiiiiine)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
2 tsp tomato paste
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp liquid smoke*

Note: This recipe makes around 3/4 cup of sauce. You only need 1 tbsp of sauce per person for the BBQ Lentils, so you will likely have some leftover to dollop on top of potatoes, or spread alongside hummus and sliced veges in a toasted sandwich, or dip roast vegetables into, or use to marinade tofu etc **

Throwing everything together:
For each person, you will need –

One piece of wholegrain bread
1/4 cup brown lentils (cooked, or canned ones drained and rinsed)
1 tbsp Smokey BBQ Sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 of a tomato, sliced
sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste

What to do:

Add oil to a small, medium-hot saucepan, heat for 10 seconds then add garlic and onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until onion begins to soften. Add all other sauce ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened to desired consistency. Remove from heat and set aside, covered.

Heat a small frying pan with a splash of vege oil until medium hot. Add lentils, sauce and vinegar. Mix well, stirring frequently for a few minutes, until heated through.

Toast the bread and place a couple of slices of tomato on each piece. Divide the lentil mixture evenly between each piece, spread to cover well, and top with the rest of the sliced tomato. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 1 – 10.

* I use Adventure Kitchen’s Hickory Liquid Smoke from Nelson Naturally and it is potent as hell – if the liquid smoke you can get hold of in your neck of the woods isn’t quite such a punch in the face, you might need to use a little more than 1/4 teaspoon to get a rich, smokey flavour.
** Pour leftover Smokey BBQ Sauce into a lil container, cover and store in your fridge until needed (up to 7 days).