vegetarian sloppy joes

i have this fond memory of eating sloppy joe's as a child. of course, this was before my vow to vegetarianism. but nevertheless, i loved them. we would always eat them at the beach for some reason. playing in the sand and water all day with my cousins, and then sloppy joe's for dinner. what more could a kid ask for? i'd always ask for seconds, which was super unusual for me [my parents couldn't get me to eat anything]. so now, here i am, 20 years later, taking another spin at these sloppy joe's...vegetarian style.

vegetarian sloppy joe's

serves 2 [double the recipe for larger families]

ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 block extra firm tofu, chopped
• 1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cups mushrooms, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 14 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes (from a can)
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• hamburger buns (i used udi's gluten free)

heat the olive oil on medium heat on the stove top. add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent and the garlic has a slight brown tint. add the mushrooms, tofu, kidney beans, and pepper and continue to cook. next, add the wet ingredients - ketchup, crushed tomatoes, vinegar, and soy sauce. stir to mix evenly, and continue to cook. finally, add the spices and the sugar. cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes with a wooden spoon. spoon directly on a hamburger bun and top with oregano [dried or fresh], if desired. 

serve with sweet potato fries or your favorite vegetable [broccoli for me!] for a full, balanced meal. and trust me, the meat eaters in your house won't even know the difference.

enjoy!