Green Lentil Sloppy Joe's

Last weekend I threw together a Green Lentil Sloppy Joe.  I have to say the texture was more firm than the Red Lentil Sloppy Joe I did last year but this recipe's taste was YUMMY regardless!  Here's what I used...

1 C Green Lentils

1-2 T Grapeseed Oil

1-2 T Wildtree Absolutely Onion 

4 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 can of Tomato Sauce

3 T Coconut Sugar

2 T Vegan Worcestershire Sauce

1 t Chili Powder

1 t Cumin

Black Sea Salt to taste

Smoked Paprika to taste

I do have a lot of back logging to do and I hope to be caught up soon!  (yeah right!)

I will say that I do have another Vegan Mac & Cheese to post as well as a Mayan Pumpkin Seed Dip to share!  

This past week I also attended a local Post Card Writing Campaign to write to elected officials and I will share photos of that soon, too!

What have you been up to this past week?  TGIF!

Buffalo Wings & Sloppy Joe's...VEGAN, of Course!

Happy Monday Folks!  Hope everyone had a great weekend!  Today I have just a quick post of 2 food items I did this past weekend.  It was my brother in law's birthday yesterday and they were having Sloppy Joe's so I did my own version of them which I will get to in a moment. 

First up are these Vegan Buffalo Wings - also known as - Buffalo Cauliflower Wings!  I did another version of these a while back and you can see that recipe HERE.  I can't believe it's been over 2 years since I made these wonderful munchies!  I do LOVE them but they do take a while to bake!  The recipe I used for this past weekend differs from the one I linked to and here's how...

2 not-so-large heads of Cauliflower

1 C Flour

1 C Water

1 t Wildtree Garlic Galore (or Garlic Powder)

1/2 t Smoked Paprika

1 C Frank's Hot Sauce

Sea Salt to taste

I also did a Vegan Onion Ranch Dip and that consisted of:

1 C Just Mayo (+ 2 T)

1/4 to 1/2 C Almond Milk

1 t Lemon Juice

1 t Apple Cider Vinegar

1 t Wildtree Garlic Galore (or Garlic Powder)

1 t Wildtree Dip Dip Blend (or dill)

1 T Wildtree Absolutely Onion (*see note)

1 t Coconut Aminos (or Bragg's)

Wildtree Lemon Pepper - to taste

* (make sure the Absolutely Onion has the Organic Label because it is now Vegan!!!  The non-Organic had dairy in it)

Now...as for the Sloppy Joe's - I have used TVP in the past but didn't have any on hand so I decided to try a version with Chickpeas and Lentils instead.  Here's that recipe...

1/2 Dry Split Red Lentils (then cooked)

1 Can of Organic Chickpeas

1 T Grapeseed Oil

1 T (or more) of Wildtree Garlic Galore (or 2 T Minced Garlic)

1 C Tomato Sauce

2 T Ketchup

2 T Maple Syrup

1 t Coconut Aminos (or Bragg's)

1 to 2 T Apple Cider Vinegar

1 t Smoked Paprika

1 t Yellow Mustard

1 t Mexican Chili Powder

Wildtree Lemon Pepper - to taste

I very much enjoyed both dishes!  But the BEST part was EVERYONE enjoyed the Vegan Buffalo Wings!  My MIL is still talking about them today!  And my BIL actually used my Vegan Onion Ranch instead of regular ranch!

Vamping up Convenience Foods & A Homemade Dressing!

I cheated.  I have been gnawing on some store bought vegan Sloppy Joe's from Fantastic Foods.  I had them on hand and my non-veg husband made some of his for himself so I thought I would make some of the vegan version, too.

As far as store bought goes - these are pretty good.  It's not something I eat a lot of.  Plus, I usually am not a fan of fake meats, anyways.  But these were pretty good.  I topped them with Vegan Rice Cheese Shreds from Galaxy Foods.  The shreds were pretty good, too.  The shreds melt MUCH better than their slices.  I'm not really a fan of their slices to be honest.  But in smaller quantities they are a good substitution.

Yesterday I left the house in a hurry - I was running a bit behind - so I grabbed some Tomato Soup - yes - in a can!  Eeeek!  But I found my secret stash of Nutritional Yeast and Hemp Hearts/Seeds in my desk and doctored it up a bit!  That is what you see here!  Tomato Soup with Nutritional Yeast and Hemp Hearts/Seeds.  It actually tasted MUCH BETTER with these additions than stand alone.  This certainly wasn't my first choice but it was what I had to work with because I didn't pre-plan my meal...at least I made an effort to pump up the nutritional value a little, I suppose!

After feeling a little guilty about these two processed (yet still vegan) meals - I decided to go in the kitchen last night and make a new-to-me dressing to use over the next several days.  I like to call this Tangy Avocado Dressing.  Here is what it has in it:
2 Avocadoes
1/2 Onion
1 T Minced Garlic
1 C Soy Milk
1/2 C Water
1/2 C Coconut Vinegar

It was pretty good but I might use less Vinegar next time...that was really why I added the water and more Soy Milk because it was too vinegar-E.  But I love the texture and color and hope to use some of it tonight and more tomorrow.

So here are just a few foods I have been messing around with.  In other Food Related News I think I am going to try an increase my intake of Magnesium and Potassium (en)rich(ed) foods to try and help me with my leg discomfort.  A few of you know the only fruit I cannot stomach is Bananas.  I have always hated them but I am going to try and force myself to eat them somehow.

Have you ever overcome certain food dislikes?  How did you do it?  Do tell!