First off, I hope that everyone had a great Labor Day weekend filled with great food and even better company. I saw a lot of family this weekend, some that I haven’t seen since my Grandmother’s passing in May; so that was really nice. But, whenever family is over for a holiday that is centered around food, I’m always in the kitchen trying to make some space to make food that is suitable for me. Sometimes this is a little hard when you are surrounded by racks of ribs, chili dips, hamburgers and hot dogs. :/ What is funny, is that everyone is always interested in what I’m making for myself; asking me what kind of dish I’ll be making this time, what’s in it, etc.

I love it when I get others (non-vegans, mostly) interested in trying new things, or at least learning more about them. The recipe I made this past weekend was inspired by an accident of sorts. I have a guest post in the works for Vegan Miam, and had some extra ingredients left over from the end result. It turns out that if you mix lentils and tomato sauce together, it ends up being a delicious combo. But, it didn’t stop there; I knew that I’d want to elaborate on the mixture and make it into an awesome Sloppy Joe recipe.

Last year, I tried my hand at making homemade burger buns, and although they turned out okay I thought I’d change them up a bit and use them to cradle my sloppy joe mix. Well, it turns out that I forgot to add salt and I may have not let them rise enough because they ended up pretty dense. So, unfortunately, I will not be posting up my modified recipe; but, this sloppy joe mix… Is so damn good. After I was done seasoning it, my cousin tried some and then proceeded to force almost everyone else at my house to try it as well. One of my older cousins who just had heart surgery even said, “Wait, you’re sure there’s no meat in here? This is good!” I’ll take it! 😉

One Year Ago: Strawberry and Coconut Oatmeal

Print

A delicious and healthy sloppy joe recipe that is easy to prepare and reminds you of your childhood!

Servings 4

Author Jackie of Vegan Yack Attack

Ingredients

• 1 tsp . Coconut Oil
• 2 Cups White Onion Chopped
• 1/4 tsp . Organic Sugar
• 1 Cup Portobello Mushroom Diced
• 1 1/2 Cup Cooked Lentils
• 1 Cup TVP Granules Textured Vegetable Protein
• 1/4 Cup Smoky Sun-Dried Tomato Pieces Diced
• 1 Cup Water
• 1-14 oz . Can No-Salt Added Organic Tomato Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Liquid Aminos
• 1/4 tsp . Black Pepper
• Salt to taste if necessary

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized pan, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Once the pan reaches temperature start sauteing the onions in it.
2. Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the onions and stir occasionally until the onions start to become clear.
3. Place the mushrooms in the pan and saute for 3-5 minutes.
4. In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, stir together the rest of the ingredients.
5. Then add the onion/mushroom mixture into the pot, incorporating it evenly. Turn the heat down to low and let the sloppy joe mixture simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Season with additional salt if you need to and serve warm over toasted buns or in a lettuce wrap (which works great, I tried it!).

While Sloppy Joes might not bring up memories of incredible flavor, I assure you, this mixture is tasty and convincing to almost an omnivore that you may end up feeding it to. Plus, you’ll know exactly what’s in it! That is a huge perk in my mind, and I know that I’ll definitely be making this recipe again in the near future.