In my family, I’m the sloppy joe guru. I stand there for a ridiculously long time adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that, getting the taste just right. Needless to say, I was skeptical about a veggie version. What are sloppy joes without the beef? Well, I can tell you with confidence that they are amazing. In fact, no one even realizes that they don’t have meat in them.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 12
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Peel the onion and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Trim and discard the ends of the celery and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and membranes, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces.
Step 2
Place the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and green pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Stir in the tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar and cook for 5 minutes. Add the textured vegetable protein and water and stir well. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Spoon the sloppy joes onto the buns and serve immediately.
cooking 101
Step 4
The substances that give onions their flavor are also the culprits that make you cry when you are cutting them. Onions contain sulfuric compounds that are released when the onion is cut. The chemical is then dissolved in the water in your eyes, creating a mild sulfuric acid. That’s right: sulfuric acid. In your eyes. So how can you stop it? Chilling onions before cutting them seems to help some, but sadly, the perfect onion-cutting protectant has not yet been discovered.
