Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes

Hey everyone, I hope your (long!!) weekends are getting off to a fabulous start. The boyfriend and I packed up yesterday and headed to Vermont for a quick weekend trip. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel guilty for enjoying the beauty of an area that manage to survive Hurricane Irene, while much of the rest of the state is in a state of disaster, but we went ahead with it anyway. Please keep the people of Vermont in your thoughts as they work through this disaster, and if I hear word of anything we can do to help them I’ll be sure to pass the word along.

While I’m enjoying the newly crisp September weather, I wanted to share a recipe that will warm you up on those chilly fall evenings!

 Remember those huge cans of Manwich, and the cheesy commercials that answered every “which meal?” question the writers could fit into 60 seconds? Well they always made seven year old me crave the unidentifiable blob on a bun that was a sloppy joe.

My mom was a bit of a neat freak. She hated when we miraculously found our dirty socks in our beds after complaining for a week that none of the socks in the laundry belonged to us. I have no idea why. I swear she vacuumed the stairs every other day. The stairs. And not with a Dustbuster either. None of that wimpy stuff for her. Our dishes were spotless before they even hit the dishwasher.

As you can imagine, any meal with “sloppy” in the name was a no-go. My mom cringed and stood poised with a paper towel every time we served ourselves up tacos on Mexican night, so Manwich was a definite no. Sometimes the hairnetted lady in the lunch line served up sloppy joe with an ice cream scoop, but for some reason it was less appealing in that setting. I think it was the prospect of going back to school with red stains down my shirt. Or, you know, the ice cream scoop.

Finally, in my 23^rd year, I am free to eat all the Manwich my heart desires. So when I crave that hot, sloppy mess what do I do? I don’t use Manwich. Don’t worry, these are better. I promise.

 Vegan Lentil Sloppy Joes

• 1 c brown lentils
• pinch stevia (or ¼ c brown sugar)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 T vegan Worcestershire sauce (I made my own from a recipe in Garden of Vegan)
• 1 T hot sauce (I used Frank’s, obviously)
• 1 can organic tomato sauce
• 2 T organic tomato paste
• ½ T cayenne pepper
• ½ t salt

1. Rinse lentils, put in a pot and cover with about an inch or two of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook until water is about 90% absorbed.
2. In the meantime, heat a pan over medium-high heat with a spritz of oil or cooking spray.
3. Sauté onions with garlic until translucent.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce is heated through.
5. Add the sauce and veggies to the nearly-cooked lentils and simmer until the sloppy mess reaches the desired consistency.
6. Toast up some buns (because we all know toasted buns are better than non), slap on some joe, and enjoy!

 Once the veggies are cut this is really simple, and the most difficult part is waiting for the lentils to simmer while the aroma fills your kitchen! The onions provide a satisfying crunch while the cayenne and hot sauce lend the perfect amount of spice. Plus, at 23 who doesn’t want to make a mess with their food? Just don’t wear a white shirt while eating. I swear I didn’t learn this the hard way.

Did you ever crave meals you couldn’t have as a kid? 

What commercials to you remember from your childhood?

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Tagged as: fall, lentils, Manwich, September, sloppy joe, vegan