Sloppy Joes - a summer comfort food

 Do you ever get a craving for a childhood favorite?  Jane recently recalled her sister-in-law's crockpot full of sloppy joes that appeared for summer celebrations and went in search of a plant-based alternative.  Be sure to choose the buns of your childhood, whether pillow-soft or crusty-dense.  Can be made gluten-free if you choose a GF bun and GF condiments.

Jane followed the recipe from The Chunky Chef, using 1 lb. of "crumbled un-burger."  Jane used Gardein's "ground be'f" which also happens to be gluten-free.  Each bag is 12 oz, so get more than one bag to serve 3 people.

Serves 3 people (two sandwiches each) + 1 sandwich for lunch the next day.

Jane didn't time this, but her recollection is 30 minutes from chopping to serving.

Ingredients

1 T olive oil

1/2 LARGE yellow onion, diced (not minced)

1/3 bell pepper (any color), diced (not minced)

3 gloves garlic, minced

1 lb. crumbled un-burger (see above)

3/4 t chili powder

1 T tomato paste

2/3 cup ketchup (Heinz is gluten-free)

1/3 cup water + more later to make the filling "sloppy" so it would soak into the buns

1 T brown sugar

1 t yellow mustard (Heinz organic is gluten-free)

1/2 t Worcestershire sauce (be sure to get the kind with no anchovies and no-gluten)

1/4 t red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Saute the onion until translucent.  Stir in the bell pepper and garlic for 1 minute.  Add the un-burger and chili powder; stir until thawed (un-burger does not brown and is quicker to prepare than browning burger).

Meanwhile, stir together the tomato paste, ketchup, 1/3 cup water, brown sugar, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.   Pour over the sauted mixture and stir.  Cover and warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Add more water to get the sauciness your remember from childhood.  Before serving, stir in the red pepper flakes.

ALWAYS ask your guests if they want their sloppy joe open faced ("burger" on both surfaces) or closed for eating like a sandwich.