Spicy Red Lentil Spread

Ingredients

• 1 cup red lentils
• ¼ cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• ½ cup marinara sauce ((I use Rao's))
• 3 tablespoons sriracha, or to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 green onions, finely sliced
• 4 hearty stems of parsley, leaves finely sliced
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the lentils. Place them in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are soft and liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently (you may have to add more water as it's cooking).

2. 2

   Scrape the hot lentils into a medium mixing bowl and mash together with the cornmeal until a smooth, uniform texture is achieved. Add the cumin and cayenne and mix. Set aside.

3. 3

   In a small sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until soft/on the verge of turning brown, about 6-7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and sriracha and let simmer for a couple minutes to merge the flavours. Scrape into the lentil mixture and stir to combine everything.

4. 4

   Allow the spread to cool before folding in the herbs. Season the entire mixture to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.