Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Here's another quick, healthy sandwich favorite my whole family loves (I'm on a sandwich kick lately). These bold and yummy sandwiches are filled with fresh vegetables, kidney beans, and seasonings, and pack such a giant flavor that they don't miss the meat at all.

Most of the ingredients in this recipe are fresh staple ingredients many of us always have on hand, and if you cook your own beans from their dried state (and store in the freezer or can them), these sandwiches are incredibly economical, too.  Need I mention the obvious lack of high fructose corn syrup, fillers, and preservatives?

In this post, I list the Vegetarian Sloppy Joe recipe, but it's very easy to turn it into traditional ground beef Sloppy Joes because the sauce is the same.  All you need to do is add 1 lb ground beef to the pan with the vegetables through the garlic (you can eliminate the carrots if you'd like).  When the beef is browned and the vegetables are tender, add everything else (skip the beans), and follow the same instructions.

A few suggestions:  I like mine a little spicy.  If you don't, go ahead and skip the hot sauce.  If you don't have a good Worcestershire sauce, don't sweat it, just skip it; it adds a little extra depth, but not enough to skip making the Joes if you don't have any (and again, read the label - most are just junk, but there are a few decent ones available).  The tomatoes called for can be fresh chopped tomatoes, or purchased chopped tomatoes; just simmer the fresh tomatoes about another five minutes or until the mixture thickens.  And lastly, I love dill pickles on my Sloppy Joes.  If you've never tried it, now's your chance - Yum!

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Serves 8

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c diced carrots
• 1/2 c chopped green bell pepper
• 1/2 c diced celery
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 c diced tomatoes (and their juice)
• 2 Tbs good quality organic ketchup
• 1 tsp vegetarian Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie's Naturals Organic Worcestershire Sauce)
• 1 Tbs white or cider vinegar
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4-5 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
• 1 1/2 c cooked dark red kidney beans
• 8 whole grain burger buns
• shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
• sliced dill pickles (optional)

Heat oil in 12" skillet over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, carrots, bell pepper, celery, and garlic clove for about 5-7 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, chili powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce.  Bring to a simmer, cover and reduce heat to low.  Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the kidney beans.  Heat through.

Arrange the cheddar cheese and sliced pickles (if using) on the bottom half of the bun. Remove some of the bread from the inside of the top half of the bun. Spoon mixture into hollow. Slap it together, and enjoy.