#279 Sloppy Lentil Joe Turnovers/Pies

While I'm graciously waiting for Summer and patiently bearing the cold weather, I've shed any desire for having salads or ice cream. I thoroughly enjoy a plethora of fresh salads this time last year, I want to change the pattern and take an adventurous route.  Instead of plain straightforward recipes or meals, I'm about to turn the vegetarian dinner table into a garden of earthly delights mixing and matching dishes, cuisines and getting ready to make something different in the next few posts. Don't be alarmed! I am not going to go wild and cook something totally weird!! I'm merely looking for some excitement with vegetarian food--  dishes that may include eggs and seafood. Possibly ideas to use leftovers or a combination of two everyday meals put together. I will start the series today by making Sloppy Joes and then turn it into a savory turnover or pie.  The idea was born from something I read from this one
http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/grands-unsloppy-joes/3203cf0c-74bb-4e68-a038-2a43eae76087

Sloppy Joes with ground beef were a favorite with my children so when I read this recipe I was motivated to re-make it in my kitchen after all these years. Many years ago,  my little girls loved to bite into the buns and have the meaty sauce ooze out onto the plate. Then they cleaned the sauce off the plates with tidbits of bread. Another top-rated dish that they loved is the Pot Pie so why not combine their two favorites into an adult version. The saucey lentil and veggie mixture inside a crispy biscuit shell was quick enough to bake and the family was thrilled with the results.  The zip in the zesty sauce,  the creaminess of the lentils  and the goey cheese make even those with a carnivorous tooth unable to resist the tempation to reach out for a second pie.  If you have leftover pastry dough, phyllo or puff pastry that is ideal for the crust. I've used Buttermilk biscuit dough from a can!!


Sloppy Joe sauce

1/8th of a tspn of horseradish
1 Tblspn mustard
1 Tblspn sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tblspn vinegar
1/2 tspn Worcestershire sauce

Blend sauce together


1/4 cup whole brown lentils
1/2 cup each of chopped onions, carrots, celery and green pepper
1/8 tspn garlic
salt and pepper to taste.
grated mozarella cheese
Biscuit dough (preferably frozen in a can)

1. Cook 1/4 cup whole brown lentils. drain and keep aside.
2. Saute 1/2 cup of chopped onions, carrots, celery and green pepper in 2 Tblspn butter.
3. Turn off the fire, add salt and black pepper to taste and 1/2 tspn garlic paste.
4. Remove the biscuit dough from the can and taking each round of biscuit, using a
rolling pin spread the dough into a larger circle.
5. Place 1 Tablespoon of Sloppy mixture onto half of the circle.

6. Sprinkle cheese over the mixture. Gently fold the second half of the dough over the stuffing
7.Crimp the edges to make sure a crescent shaped pie is formed using a fork pressing down to bind the dough.
8. Make crescents in this way until all the biscuit dough and sloppy joe mixture is used up.
9. Place the crescents on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
10. Brush the top of each pie with melted butter. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees to about 10-15 mins or until the top is lightly browned.