Am I ever in love with the vegetarian sloppy joes I made for dinner a few nights ago. “These don’t even need meat!” Court happily proclaimed. He is a meat lover through and through and when it comes to meal planning, I try to find a balance that will please both of our taste buds. The thing is, I’m more into flavors, and ‘meat’ just doesn’t really do it for me, whereas texture plays a huge part in Courts preferences. He  enjoys American cuisine – burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches, so any meal that I can serve in a bun is usually a husband-pleaser.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Serves 3-4

Gluten free option: Udi’s Hamburger Buns. I didn’t want to spend $8 on buns, so I served mine over brown rice.

Ingredients/Directions

1 cup dry red lentils, cooked according to directions. While the lentils are simmering, prepare:

1 medium onion, diced (reserve approximately 1/4 of the diced onion)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 red jalapeno, seeded and diced
In a large frying pan on medium heat, sautee the above ingredients for 4-5 minutes.

While onion mixture is cooking, prepare the sauce:

1 can tomato paste
1.5 cups crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp chili spice
4 tbsp BBQ sauce (I hate BBQ sauce, but I don’t mind Amazing Dads BBQ Sauce – it’s gluten free and made by Honey Bunny)
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
salt & pepper, to taste

After onion mixture is done, reduce heat to low and stir in the sauce. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly. Once lentils are done, add them to the sauce, and continue to simmer for another 5 minutes. Prior to serving, stir in the remainder of the onion.

Serve sloppy joe mixture on a toasted bun or over rice.

His:

Hers:

Meat and veggie lovers, rejoice.

Do you and your partner share the same tastes? How do you compromise in the kitchen?