I took some time away from the “prepping to move” crazy that’s going on to write up a recipe for y’all! The house here still hasn’t sold (bummer), but I hope it will this week! We’re taking next week for the movers to pack and move everything, and then we’ll take the cats and drive down to California! There’s a lot we still have to do, so I’m doing the neurotic writing of a bajillion lists and to-do’s so I have things to check off as I do them, and hopefully keep us from forgetting anything.

Plus, I got a cold last week, and am still a bit congested, so I’ve been moving a bit slower. Though I have to say, I’m taking being sick a lot better than I used to! My throat, surprisingly, didn’t get sore, and I was still able to function at a near-normal level. I give credit to this new way of eating – less crap to slow me down, and beneficial plantifulness to speed me up! Losing an hour, however, has taken its toll on me today… It’s a sloggy Monday, for sure. Perfect for taking a break and writing about eats.

Anyway, now on to the food!!

There is this company, Beyond Meat, that is doing amazing things. They are working to make veganism easy and affordable. Their chick-un strips have been available for a while, and though not exactly chicken, it’s close enough in certain cases. We buy it to add in salads and soups and such, and it adds that bit of chicken-y-ness that we miss. Love it!

They’ve now come out with beef-free beefy crumbles – their take on ground beef. It’s vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, and pretty low in fat (with 0g saturated fat). I had read about it for a while, but it was only just recently that we found it at our Whole Foods – YAY! Check their freezer section for it. We bought some, and decided to try out making sloppy joes. HOLY. SHIT. Y’ALL. They turned out AH-MAZE-ING. They nailed the texture and flavor of ground beef in this one!! We could tell it wasn’t the real thing only a teensy tiny bit, and after the first bite, we forgot any difference and just devoured the rest.

In the Bay Area, there’s a gluten-free bakery called Mariposa. They make, by far, the best gf breads we’ve had to date! We got a pack of their gf/vegan hamburger buns on our last trip down there, and had them in the freezer for just this occasion. We piled on the sloppy joe mixture, a spread of vegan mayo, and a heaping pile of lettuce, and gobbled it up. Now if only Beyond Meat could perfect vegan cheddar cheese and bacon…. 🙂

For the joes, you’ll need:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 bag Beyond Meat Beef-Free Beefy Crumbles (11oz, I think)
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 T ketchup
• 1 T yellow mustard
• 1 T vegan Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 T red wine or apple cider vinegar
• 3 T brown sugar
• 1 t cumin
• 2 t marjoram
• 1 t oregano
• 1 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 T sweet paprika (or 1/2 and 1/2 sweet and smoked paprika)
• salt, pepper to taste
• 1 14.5oz can crushed tomatoes (I like the fire-roasted)

In a large skillet, brown the onions. Add the garlic and jalapeno, cook another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the beefy crumbles, and all the seasonings (so everything except the tomatoes). Heat through. Add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer-ish, and cook about 5 minutes until the flavors combine. Serve!

We had a touch of leftovers, and we made baked potatoes the next day. Topped with this and a dollop of vegan sour cream, jalapenos, and chives == perfection!

Next we’re going to try these crumbles in tacos, a bolognese, and some Czech goulash. Stay tuned!