Tuesday, January 29 Sloppy Joes (The Vegan Table) with Broccoli and Tater Tots Rating: 4.25

OK, I’m not letting bad veggies drag down my rating again. Today it was the broccoli. ARGH! Really?! Did I find every bad vegetable in that place? Once again, I cooked it as I always do, and it tasted fine, but it was just tough. Not crisp like it was lightly steamed, but tough, like tire tread. Never again with the veg from that place. Never. Again. OK – deep breath. The Sloppy Joes were delicious. As always. The Vegan Table was the very first vegan cookbook I ever bought and it has a special place in my heart. If you’re not familiar with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, please take some time to visit her website, read her books and listen to her podcasts. I had the privilege to meet her in San Francisco a couple of years ago. She was the picture of patience and graciousness when I burst into tears telling her how she was such a huge influence on me when I was transitioning from vegetarian to vegan. Anyway… we’ve made these Sloppy Joes so many times I should have the recipe memorized by now (I mostly do) and they’ve been one of Seth’s favorite meals since the first time we tried them. (They’re one of two meals he requests frequently when I ask what he wants for dinner.) The recipe uses tempeh, which is pretty common for vegan joes. It’s really simple to put together and it makes a ton. We make a half batch and always have enough for 3 sandwiches, even though a full batch should make 4. Bonus! Lunch! We usually make fries or potato wedges with these, but as I’m trying to eat healthier, I made the aforementioned accursed broccoli. But, I also had a few tater tots and onion rings in the freezer, and well, no sense letting them go to waste…