One thing that I really dislike is wasting food. As a result, I keep my bread in the freezer so that it never gets moldy and has to be thrown away, I roast leftover veggies that have been hanging out in my fridge to eat as snacks, I add fresh fruit to my cereal and yogurt, and I throw together meals like my Buddha Bowl when I am not sure what to do with leftover produce. Even still, one problem that I tend to run into is buying a condiment to use for one dish and then having 90% of the bottle leftover. After I made my Seitan Tacos with Buffalo Coleslaw, I had tons of buffalo sauce leftover. Due to my nature to avoid wasting food if at all possible, I knew that I had to come up with a way to utilize the bottle of sauce. And since I do not make buffalo chicken wings ;), I knew that I would have to be a bit more creative. The result of my “creativity?” This:
Buffalo Lentil and Vegetable Casserole
Servings: Makes 2 large servings
Ingredients
3/4 cup lentils, dry
water for cooking lentils
2 carrots, peeled and cut into half-moons
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into half-moons
olive oil cooking spray
fine sea salt
black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
water for cooking
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 yellow onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 cups green cabbage or coleslaw mix
4 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
1/4 to 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (depending on how spicy you want the casserole to be)
1 TB Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 TB barbecue sauce
Directions
1. Cook lentils according to package directions.
2. While the lentils are cooking, roast the carrots and parsnips. Place the carrots and parsnips on a sprayed, foil-lined baking sheet. Spray the vegetables with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Roast at 400 degrees F for approximately 25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, or until golden brown.
3. Meanwhile, line a large skillet with a thin layer of water. Heat the water over medium-high heat until very hot. Once hot, lower the heat to medium and add garlic, onions, celery, and cabbage. Cook for approximately 15 minutes, or until softened. Add additional water, as necessary.
4. Stir in mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.
5. Add the cooked lentils, roasted vegetables, buffalo sauce, Liquid Aminos, barbecue sauce and additional black pepper (to taste). Stir until well-combined.
6. Pour the mixture into a small sprayed casserole dish and bake in a 350 degree F oven for approximately 10 minutes. Let sit an additional 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
Serve your Buffalo Lentil and Vegetable Casserole with a nice large ice cold beverage (beer anyone?). Trust me, you will be needing it as this is a little on the spicy side ;). It is a good thing that I like spicy! For those of you who are not as much of a fan of the heat, I definitely recommend cutting down on the amount of buffalo sauce that you use and replacing it with additional barbecue sauce.
I have a feeling that some of you may be thinking…”hmm, that really doesn’t look very good.” And, I would have to agree! This is most definitely not one of the prettiest dishes that I have posted about. But in this case, looks are deceiving. This casserole tastes far better than it looks…I promise! 🙂 If you are a buffalo fan and a fan of the “traditional” veggies that often accompany wings (carrots, celery, etc.), then you are sure to enjoy this!
Eat (and drink) up!
