Lentil Lettuce Wraps

I had some left over veggies this week and was trying to think of something I could put together for dinner without having to go to the store. Luckily, I keep my dry beans and grains stocked in my mason jars, so I came up with this recipe! Lentils are a great substitute for ground beef because they're easy to use to make the "meat" of a meal, like a veggie burger or lettuce wrap. These are the ingredients I used, but lentils are really versatile so you can mix them with any vegetables and spices that you desire. I always like to add tomato sauce or paste because it adds some "mushiness." Here's another lentil "meat" recipe to check out.

Ingredients

3/4 cup dry lentils

1.5 cups water

1 stalk celery

1 large carrot

1/2 cup of tomato sauce (I used marinara)

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes (optional)

2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce

1 tsp. Worchestire sauce (optional)

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

large lettuce or swiss chard leaves.

Directions
In a medium-sized pot, combine the lentils and water and bring to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until all of the water is absorbed by the lentils, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the carrot and celery in to small pieces (it's easier to use a food processor). Once the lentils are cooked, take about half of them and place in the food processor and puree until smushed. Then, take all of your ingredients and add them back into the pot. Stir the mixture and cook for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how soft you want your veggies (I like them crunchy).

Serve the lentil "meat" inside of the large lettuce leaves. I used a huge swiss chard leaf and wrapped it up like a burrito (below), but I think it would be better in a few smaller lettuce leaves because it got messy.