So Sloppy, Sloppy Joe!

Holy mackerel it's been a long time since I've blogged! So much has happened! I swear I'm not just slacking, I swear! 

I had a bakesale for the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale, which was AWESOME! R&R Cafe was super super amazing and let me take over for a day and between the cafe sales and home sales I was able to donate $900 to Cedar Row Farm Sanctuary. ❤️️👍

Then it was time to gear up for Niagara Veg Fest! I baked my little heart out and made about 350 Macaroons! Good grief!! Once they were all stuffed into a bin they looked so sad and cramped! Poor BB's. Eventually most were eaten, which is a strangely better fate. 

Now, let's get to the sloppy joes! You'll have to forgive me and use some of your own judgement because I'm not 100% sure how these happened but hot darn they were good! 

So Sloppy, Sloppy Joes!

Ingredients:

Onions, diced

Peppers, diced

Fire roasted tomatoes

Green lentils, rinsed, boiled and "ready"

Garlic salt

Smoked paprika 

Powdered Habanero (aka THE FOOD OF THE GODS!!! I add it into everything!)

Vegetable oil 

BBQ sauce (I used a no name plain)

Black Strap molasses 

Sauté the onions and peppers in the olive oil and add the spices. Use as much as you like. I used Swedish chef amounts. (Mutter "horgy porgy" and toss in indiscriminately until you feel you've added enough) Reserve the habanero!

Then add in the fire roasted tomato and lentils and stir well. Douce with BBQ sauce and molasses. I did a ratio of about 4:1, respectively. 

Shake the habanero on top and let cook down on medium heat for 10-15 minutes. The sauce will thicken, but if it doesn't you can always add a tablespoon of tomato paste. 

I had previously made the cole slaw. It was in a basic vinaigrette which was a mix of:

Apple cider vinegar

Raw cane sugar

Bold mustard

Vegetable oil

Garlic powder... And I think that's it. Haha

The final product? Once the Joe mix was spooned over a whole wheat toasted bun... TA DA!!

Heirloom Tomato Chow-Chow!

Holy. Mackerel.

So, we all remember the BEAUTIFUL heirloom tomatoes my friend Nancy bestowed upon me. Let me refresh your memory...

Well, THANK YOU NANCY!

I made a brine of:

• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon dry mustard
• 2 tablespoon turmeric
• 4 tablespoon pickling spice
• 2 tablespoon habanero pepper powder
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 4 pounds firm green and red heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 5 medium onions, diced
• Once you start boiling the brine, wow. Delicious! 
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You can find the full recipe online at Food Network, but I changed theirs a bit.

I have never canned before, so I made a few novice mistakes. I didn't wipe the rims before putting the lids on. Who knew my messy ways could actually hinder the process? Oh well. Once I re-did that step (ahem, following instructions) they sealed within 10 minutes. Hooray!

They're now sitting on the counter cooling and I am SO EXCITED!

I had a bit that didnt fit in the jars, so naturally I taste tested. WHOA MAMA. The tart taste of tomato hits you first, followed by a kick in the ass from the habanero and then it finished with the sweet sugar taste.

I WILL PUT THIS ON ALL THE THINGS!!

You should too :)

And now, Mango Pickle... 

'Tis The Season...

For soup! There is nothing like a hearty bowl of soup to ease the woes of the day, especially as we head into drizzly dreary weather. 

Also, soup is so easy to make! I mean you can throw just about any leftover into a cup of broth, immersion blend the hell out of it and call it soup. 

That's basically what I did for tonight's dinner. Creamy red pepper and tomato soup with garlic, shallots, oregano and basil. (Unsweetened almond milk for the creaminess...)

Topped with some rye crackers. Perfect dinner for an otherwise gong-show kind of day. 

And when I'm done, tonight's adventure is vegan mango cupcakes with mango cream cheese icing. 

Stay tuned! 

Recipe (More/Less)

1tbsp of olive oil

3 shallots sliced

1 red pepper chopped

3 large tomatoes diced

1 tsp each dried basil & oregano

1 cup vegetable stock

1/2 cup almond milk (unsweetened)

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Basically in the oil sautee the red pepper and shallots. Add in the vinegar, garlic and spices. Then add tomato and stock and bring to a boil. Immersion blend it then add the almond milk and boil again. Simmer and enjoy!