Saucy Hot COOOL

By Natalie Eve Garrett April 4, 2012

Saucy Hot Carrots, Olive Oil, Onions, and Lentils

This saucy hot savory-sweet quick easy crunchy inexpensive vegan dish is my interpretation of a traditional Turkish recipe. It’s got a lot of sauce and as much heat as you can handle. Serve it up as a main dish or as a side, warm or room-temperature, as-is, or gussied up. Pour on as much Sriracha as you like. I recommend more, and then more, and then, oh my gosh, SO MUCH MORE. (Also, don’t serve this one to babies. Trust me on this.)

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
7–8 cloves of garlic, minced
~10 medium-sized carrots, thinly sliced
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup lentils (brown, green or black)
3 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
Sriracha hot sauce and lots of it!

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion slices, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until browned.

2. Add garlic and half of the carrots. Cook for one minute, then add the tomato sauce and lentils.

3. Add 3 cups of water. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

4. Toss in the rest of the carrots, and simmer for 15 more minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add a shake or two of salt and pepper.

5. Add lots of Sriracha, taste. Add some more! I like to serve this room temperature, with crusty bread, cheese, and a simple salad. Or over polenta, with a fried egg on top. Ooh it’s really good with bulgur, too, and some sweet Italian sausage and garlicky sautéed spinach on the side. Or with a handful of almonds and some flat bread, or … oh, it’s just great, no matter what. I hope you love it.