A Gluten Free Vegan Dinner!

Hello friends! Had to share this recipe that I made the other night! It was a new twist on an old favorite of my family's. Not sure how many of you have tried lentils or know about the many health benefits of lentils? Even if you're brand new to the lentil game or an avid fan of lentils, let me know what you think!

Here's the original recipe:
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 lb. (16 ounce bag) of lentils
1 ham bone or hock
10-12 cups of water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 lb. of pasta
Parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Saute all the vegetables until partially softened.  Add lentils, water, and ham, bring to boil and then lower so it simmers.  Simmer for approximately 30 mins until the lentils are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Cook pasta in another pot until desired texture.  Strain pasta.  Serve pasta and lentils in a bowl, garnish with parmesan cheese.

Now here's MY GF Vegan version:
2 tbsp. of olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 lb. (16 ounce bag) of lentils
1 tbsp. of soy sauce
1 tbsp. red wine (I used marsala since that's what I had in the house)
8- 10 cups of water
Adobo with pepper
1 lb. of Tinkyada pasta

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Saute all the vegetables until partially softened.  Add can of crushed tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Add lentils and cook with mixture.  Then add water and heat to a boil again.  Lower and simmer for approximately 30 mins until the lentils are tender.  Add Adobo to taste.  Cook pasta in another pot until desired texture.  Strain pasta.  Serve pasta and lentils in a bowl.

This dish really is complete in itself, but if you want to have a vegetable along with it I suggest a fresh salad! Maybe I'll add a salad recipe on here too later...hmmm...