Thanks to these cow-free Sloppy Joes you can relive your youth without getting blood on your hands. Hooray for not killing things! 

My mother’s well-documented lack of cooking skills were maxed out when she would make these and all she did was open up a can of Manwich. I’m a firm believer in making things from scratch (except phyllo dough, only insane people make that from scratch) and this homemade Sloppy Joe is super easy and really cheap to make. It’s also gluten free (just make sure you buy some gluten free buns).

Makes 12 Sloppy Joes

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced green pepper

2 cloves garlic diced

1 Tbsp oil

2 cups water

6 oz tomato paste

1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbs salt

1 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp liquid smoke

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp chili powder (or more if you want it spicy)

2 cups TVP crumbles

*make sure your Worcestershire sauce doesn't have any dead fish in it and use a gluten free brand if you have gluten concerns. You can find several options at a Whole Foods or online.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, green pepper and garlic. Sauté the veggies until soft over medium heat. 

While the veggies are cooking combine the water, tomato paste, ketchup, salt, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, liquid smoke, cumin and chili powder in a large mixing bowl. With a whisk, blend these ingredients until the tomato paste has dissolved and everything is combined.

Add the tomato sauce mixture to the cooked veggies and then add the TVP.

The TVP will quickly absorb the sauce as you stir everything together. Continue to cook over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes until everything is heated through. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add in a bit more water a tablespoon at a time until it is nice and moist. (If this dried out, you most likely just had your heat a bit too high.)

To serve, place about 1/3 - 1/2 cup of the Sloppy Joe mix onto a bun. The more filling the better and sloppier your sandwich will be!

Nutritional information: Per Sloppy Joe (not including bun) 93.5 cal., 9 g protein, 1 g fat