Saturday, October 24, 2009

Black Bean Sloppy Joes

Violins, please...I never had Sloppy Joes as a kid. It just wasn't one of the five dishes in my mother's repertoire. (Poor me.) So it wasn't until after I graduated high school and was living away from home that I discovered this saucy sandwich. It was love at first bite!

Now I realize that I've kind of been living under a rock for the last ten years—that's when The McDougall Quick & Easy Cookbook was first published. But what a wonderful surprise for me to find within its pages a naturally low-fat vegan recipe that closely mimics the sassy flavors I remember so fondly. It made me fall in love with Sloppy Joes all over again.


(Notice the cute jungle motif plate? I couldn't resist buying it when I found it at one a local thrift shop!)

While I don't usually reprint recipes from other people's cookbooks unless I either have the author's permission or have found the recipe online elsewhere, this recipe is already posted on at least a dozen other websites. So I hope you'll try it (if you haven't already, because unlike me, you don't live under a rock!) It's a very tasty quick-and-easy-to-prepare dish that both kids and adults will have fun eating.

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, diced
1/3 cup water
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 T yellow mustard
1 teaspoon agave nectar (original recipe called for honey)
1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:

Place onion and pepper in a saucepan with water. Cook, stirring frequently until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes.

Mash beans with a bean or potato masher (do not use a food processor). Add the beans and remaining ingredients to the saucepan, and cook over low heat until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve on toasted whole wheat buns.

6 comments:

Karen said...

I've had this cookbook for years, and only recently discovered this recipe :-) My 18 year old son loves it, so I always double the recipe so he can get as much to eat as he wants. His non-vegan friends have enjoyed it too. It's a winner.

Janice said...

Wow! This looks great and sounds so healthy. My kids are gonna love this, and never even suspect that it's good for them. Thank you!

VeganMarr said...

They look yummy! Ate them as a kid but not since! Like that you toasted the bun. Sounds just tangy enough, without being spicy. Were u able to pick it up & eat it or did u have to cut it & eat w/a fork? The plate is very cute! ;-)

Vegiegail said...

Hi Karen! Thanks for letting me know you recently discovered this recipe for yourself and that your son and his friends enjoy it. Janice, please let me know how your kids like it. And Marr, while I can eat it like a sandwich, as with most other Sloppy Joes, much of the filling just falls out anyway, so I usually end up eating part, if not all of it with a fork.

Tracy said...

Hi Gail! I made these tonight - and they were yummy! I spiced them up with some hot mexican chili powder and used spicy brown mustard - they were delish! Thanks for sharing. :)

LAMommies.com said...

This looks so delicious and healthy, can't wait to try it. :) I'm getting hungry just looking at it.
Thx for sharing.