Lenten Friday: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

For as long as I've known her, one of my co-workers -- who's a vegetarian -- has told me how much she misses Sloppy Joes. Burgers she doesn't care about; Thanksgiving turkey she has no use for. But she misses Sloppy Joes.

So I have considered the options in trying to see if I could create an edible version for her using ground beef-like substances. Dehydrated texturized vegetable protein ... bleah. Crumbled tofu ... retch. Nothing seemed even remotely edible.

That is, until the day that I found the soy chorizo at Trader Joe's. I've used it in chili, and I've sprinkled it on nachos; it's got the meaty consistency, good flavor and color ... it was the perfect choice for my attempt at Sloppy Joes.

But I wanted to stretch it out a bit, not use only the chorizo; so I combined that with a package of the Morningstar Farms vegetarian "crumbles" and then set to cooking.

I couldn't find my usual recipe for Sloppy Joes, but knew it involved chili sauce and mustard ... I kinda winged it from there, relying upon some of the flavor from the chorizo, too, and not wanting too many ingredients competing and perhaps not playing well with each other.

I cooked everything up one evening, and the house smelled amazing!!! I wanted all of those soy products to absorb as much flavor from the sauce as possible, so I packed it all up and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Then I served the Sloppy Joes for dinner the next day.

And I must say -- with or without mustard, with or without pickles, with or without onions, with or without the chips and cole slaw on the side -- this was an excellent meal! A little bit barbecue-y, a hint of spice, lots of flavor. If anyone who ate them hadn't already known these were meatless, I'm pretty sure no one would have guessed from either the taste or the consistency.

So, the ultimate test: does my friend like the Sloppy Joes??? I don't know -- they've been so popular around here with Tom, Jeremy and me that I'm going to have to make another batch for her to try!

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

12 ounces Trader Joe's soy chorizo
1 12-ounce package Morningstar Farms vegetable crumbles
1 small red onion, chopped
1 12-ounce bottle chili sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
buns, for serving

Place the chorizo and the vegetable crumbles into a large skillet; cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent.


Combine the chili sauce, mustard, soy sauce, salt and pepper; pour over the chorizo mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Refrigerate overnight for the flavors to blend, then reheat and serve on toasted buns.

Serves 8.

Lenten Friday: Chili for a Chilly Day

Chili is something I usually make with beef, though recently I made a batch with chicken for a cook-off. But I wanted to see if I could make a good -- no, a really good -- vegetarian version, one I would actually want to make again.

This was rather a daunting task, I have to admit; vegetarian chili doesn't have a particularly stellar reputation. Lots of beans, some lentils ... these are the standard ingredients. But I wanted something to replicate the heartiness of the meat ... hmmmm. Good thing I live very close to Trader Joe's, which not only has the infamous Two-Buck Chuck wine, but also a two-buck soy chorizo, too!


Now since this was an experiment, I was only hoping to find the pseudo-soy stuff to be edible; anything more would have vastly exceeded my expectations. And yet, it looked meat-like! It smelled good! It had some, if not quite enough, zing! I cooked it up, and then proceeded to add the rest of my ingredients.

And ya know what??? It was a great chili! I've gotta say, it really was. Jeremy -- my consummate carnivore -- actually liked it and asked for more ... wow. I've eaten it straight, with sour cream, used it as a dip for corn chips, plopped some guacamole on top ... no matter what, it's good. I'm quite pleased with myself!

So my hope -- not a promise, but I'll at least make a good effort at it -- is that this chili is the first in a series of vegetarian posts for Fridays during Lent, when Catholics are forbidden to eat meat.

Because so many people resort to fish as a meat substitute, a lot of folks think that eating fish is required -- uh uh. Meat is forbidden, but you can eat anything else. And I'm here to try to liven up the menu a bit, and steer everyone clear of the ubiquitous fish sticks served with macaroni and cheese.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Chili

1 12-ounce package soy chorizo (from Trader Joe's)
4 scallions, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
generous splashes of Tabasco
1 16-ounce container fresh salsa
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups pre-soaked or canned beans
1 cup corn
1 cup vegetable stock

In a large saucepan, cook the crumbled chorizo over medium heat. Add the scallions and onion and red pepper flakes; saute until the onion is translucent.

Add the tomato sauce, Tabasco, salsa, chili powder and salt; bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat back to medium. Add the beans, corn, and vegetable stock; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

Chili, of course, is best if left for a day or so for the flavors to develop.

Serve with sour cream, cheese, corn chips, guacamole ... whatever strikes your fancy!