Vegan Sloppy Joes Satisfy Meat Eater Cravings

I'm one week into my Vegan Challenge, and things are looking good. As someone who loves going out to eat, cooking at home has been a challenge; add the vegan requirement into the mix, and things have been a little crazy around here.

But I've managed to stick to the challenge with no hiccups. And while not every meal I've cooked this week has been delicious--Vegan black bean burgers? Excellent! Vegan corn and potato stew? Not so excellent--it's certainly been fun getting to know my way around the kitchen.

One of the best things I made this week was the thing I was most concerned about: vegan sloppy joes. I found the recipe in the Student's Go Vegan Cookbook that I picked up from last week.

I'm going to be honest. I enjoy some pretty weird stuff when it comes to food. The truth is, I'll eat just about anything, no matter how strange it sounds. But vegan sloppy joes? Sloppy joes are one of those childhood staples that you just don't mess around with. I wasn't excited about replacing my beloved ground beef with tofu. And neither was my meat-and-potatoes-loving boyfriend.

But it was good. Mind-blowingly good. I made a few adaptations to the recipe based on what was stocked in my kitchen. Even if you think you hate tofu, give this one a try. It's worth it. Here's what you'll need for success.

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3/4 cup chopped bell pepper (I used yellow, but green or red will work)
• 1 cup chopped tomato (I used a can of Rotel instead)
• 1/2 can tomato paste
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I omitted this)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Ground black pepper
• Whole grain hamburger rolls

You can find all of these ingredients at , , or .

First, press your tofu using a tofu press (I'm a huge fan of the TofuXpress) or simply sandwich the tofu between two plates and place a heavy weight on the top plate to press the water out. Press for at least 15 minutes. After the water has been pressed out, crumble the tofu and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Next, sauté your onion and garlic over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the bell pepper, and cook an additional five minutes.

Finally, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for ten minutes. Add black pepper to taste.

Spoon the mixture onto your hamburger rolls, and you're done.

My first week as a vegan has definitely been a success. I've been focusing on cooking more at home, which has been an experience in and of itself. And it's saved me a ton of money so far! Here's to another four weeks.