Sloppy Jane

  For a few years, I cut meat and fish out of my diet.  I had just been diagnosed with hypothyroidism and was developing high blood pressure and needed to change my diet.  I was lucky to make the change while I was working at Palmer Station in Antarctica.  We had a chef who was happy to cook both meat and vegetarian main dishes and through her, I learned a lot about diversifying my diet. 
  Although I've gone back to eating meat, I still enjoy cooking with other protein sources.  The best ones are beans and leafy greens like spinach but I also use protein replacements, like tofu and TVP (textured vegetable protein).  I use TVP in place of ground beef and while there is a flavor difference, I don't think there's a big texture difference.  The recipe below is one of our favorite uses for it: Sloppy Jane.  You can purchase TVP at most grocery stores these days in the health food or flour section.  We buy Bob's Red Mill but I believe Arrowhead Mills also makes TVP.


Please ignore the messy counter surrounding those yummy sandwiches!
 
 
 
Sloppy Jane
 
TVP
Sloppy Joe sauce (you can use Manwhich, or make your own by doctoring your favorite barbecue sauce)
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
Buns, cheese, and green pepper rings for serving
 
Prepare TVP according to instructions but substitute vegetable broth for water.  Saute onions and peppers until soft, then add prepared TVP and prepared sauce.  Heat until all ingredients are warmed through, then serve as you like.
 
D's Sloppy Jane: sandwich style with the filling held in with a ring (cross section) of green pepper, topped with cheese.
A's Sloppy Jane: open-faced with the cheese below the filling.


Comments

  1. We used to do a LOT of tvp back when we were more hippy trippy. Sloppy joes, spaghetti, chili... Have you ever tried the larger pieces? We used to call it 'chicken chunk' tvp. It was great for stir fries, fajitas, pasta dishes, etc. you are taking me on a walk down memory lane!

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    Replies
    1. We call that veet (vegetarian meat). We've bought it at the store- they sell some Morningstar farms products here- but David feels that it's just too processed and kind of cheating. We use seitan if we want a protein replacement that a little chunkier.

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    2. I knew we were meant to be buds! There are not a lot of people who can intelligently discuss seitan, tofu, tempeh, tvp, etc... :)

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    3. :) Tempeh, not a fan. Tofu, yes please. Even Teshie eats tofu. We buy a box every week- but only the water-packed kind. The shelf-stable stuff doesn't press out as well and falls apart easier.
      On a funny note, David insists that we say seitan "Satan!", really ,with the exclamation point. He hated it the first time he had it and saying that way has stuck in our family.

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