Vegan Sloppy Joes

One of many foods I haven't been able to give up after childhood, Sloppy Joes have been a favorite comfort foods of mine for decades. The main difference now is that I typically enjoy it with a couple cold, crisp PBRs instead of chocolate milk. Progress. 

This recipe calls for textured vegetable protein, or TVP. You can find TVP in the bulk aisle of any natural food store. TVP is a fairly processed ingredient, so if you’re looking for something a little more natural, you can certainly substitute a couple cups cooked lentils, crumbled tempeh, or raw crumbled silken tofu for the prepared TVP, though the consistency won’t be quite as Sloppy-Joe-like.

Prep time: 2 cocktails

1 cup ketchup (homemade or store bought will do)
1 TBSP white vinegar
3 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP molasses
¾ tsp mustard powder
Lots of freshly ground pepper
1 TBSP soy sauce
20 drops of liquid smoke
¾ cup TVP
2 cups boiling water
3 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 jalapenos, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Whole wheat buns
Sliced avocado (optional)
Soft-fried eggs (optional)

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk well. Set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the TVP and boiling water. Then stir, cover, and set aside for TVP to fully hydrate.

In a large skillet or wok, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, jalapenos, and bell peppers and sauté until onion turns transparent and peppers soften a bit, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Strain out excess water from the TVP with a mesh strainer.

Now add the sauce mixture from the first mixing bowl and stir well. Once it reaches a boil, add TVP. Reduce heat a bit and continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until you have reached proper Sloppy Joe consistency—usually about 5 minutes. Serve hot on buns with optional avocado slices and/or egg. Beer or chocolate milk are both great accompaniments. 

Make Your Summer Radical With Salmorejo

It may be winter for you Northerners, but here in Mexico, tomatoes are at peak ripeness and in our town of San Miguel de Allende, great local olive oil and fantastic fresh sourdough are in strong supply. That means one thing: salmorejo! Salmorejo is a chilled tomato puree that originates from the south of Spain that is similar to gazpacho, but is thicker and more rustic so it can be eaten either as a dip or as a soup. It's amazing on a hot summer (or Mexican winter) afternoon!

I know it's obnoxious when food bloggers or TV chefs pine on about how important it is for you to use highest-quality ingredients. I know it sounds obnoxious--if not downright impractical--for you, dear reader, to blow half a paycheck at Whole Foods springing for all the top-shelf dinner ingredients. But because salmorejo is such a simple dish, if you skimp, it'll be very noticeable in the final product. So for this reason, I have to be obnoxious and implore you to use only use top-quality tomatoes (ideally from your garden or the farmers’ market), olive oil (extra virgin, cold-pressed), and bread (good European-style bread, no shitty sandwich bread!). Using top-quality ingredients will make all the difference for this puree.

Typically, this soup is served with slivered Prosciutto or Serrano ham, minced hard-boiled eggs, and crostini. You could also serve it with any high-quality baguette bread and even some good hard cheese—such as Parmesan Reggiano—on the side. Since the consistency is almost more like a dip, you can dunk your bread or other accompaniments in it as you eat.

1 Kg (2.2 pounds) fresh tomatoes, tops removed and quartered

1 cup olive oil, divided

½ cup red wine vinegar

2 slices bread, chopped up a bit

3 cloves garlic, halved

1 tsp salt

For dipping: hard cheese, crostini, hard-boiled eggs, Proscuiutto or Serrano ham, etc. 

Soak the tomatoes, ½ cup of olive oil, garlic, vinegar and bread overnight in a big bowl.

The next day, blend the bread/tomato mixture and salt in blender or food processor, adding the remaining ½ cup olive oil very slowly as it mixes.

Depending on the consistency you like, you can blend in some water too at this point, but I like to keep it fairly thick, so I don’t add any.

Serve cold with any of the garnishes listed above, or anything else that you think would go well.

Puttanesca: A Perfect Pasta for the Whore in All of Us

In Italian, puttanesca translates to “whore-style.” Nobody’s sure where the name comes from, but one story is that this is a quick, inexpensive dish that enabled the prostitutes of Naples to prepare it between clients. But fear not: you needn't be a culinary whiz nor a lady of the night to enjoy this zippy, umami-rich delight. Really all you need are a few readily-accessible pantry staples and a few minutes. Plus enormous volumes of red wine, of course. 

Prep time: 1 cocktail

3 TBSP olive oil

5 cloves garlic, minced

8 anchovy filets

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (or a few chopped ripened tomatoes)

3 TBSP capers, drained

½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped up a bit

¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley or fresh basil, finely chopped

Splash or two of white wine (optional)

Prepared spaghetti or polenta

Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Heat oil in large pan over medium high heat and add garlic, anchovies, and pepper flakes. Stirring frequently, sauté until anchovies break down and garlic turns golden (but not brown), about 2-3 minutes. Add tomato and continue stirring frequently until tomato begins to break down a bit, about 8-10 minutes.

Stir in capers, olives, parsley or basil, and wine, if using. Simmer another 5 minutes. Salt to taste, top with Parmesan.

Greek-Style Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a great food to serve at cocktail party or any other event that calls for finger food. I make this every year for Super Bowl parties. Absolutely kills it! This recipe calls for walnut oil, but if you don’t have it around and don’t want to purchase it, using olive oil instead is perfectly fine. 

Prep time: 1/2 cocktail (but requires a few hours to marinate) 

2 pounds white mushrooms, (medium-to-large in size)

1 cup full-bodied, highly-oaked red wine (California Cabernet is a great choice)

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2/3 cup olive oil

Several large pinches salt and pepper

8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

3 TBSP dried bread crumbs

¼ cup minced parsley, minced

¼ cup fresh basil, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 TBSP walnut oil

A handful of raisins (the secret ingredient!)

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and discard. Combine mushroom caps, wine, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in large air-tight Tupperware container or freezer bag. Shake gently and allow to marinate for at least 3 hours, gently shaking or stirring periodically.

Once mushrooms have been marinating for almost the full amount of time, preheat oven to 300. Line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil and place the caps open-side-up so that they’re not touching.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine feta, bread crumbs, parsley, basil, and garlic stir well with your hands or wooden spoon. When well mixed, stir in the walnut oil. Mis well. Spoon mixture into mushroom caps. Finish each cap by gently pushing in 4 or so raisins into each mushroom with your fingers.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through, but not dried out. Serve warm.