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I just finished reading The Starch Solution by John A. McDougal. He is another advocate of eating a Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet. His different approach talks about how people have been eating starch based diets that include rice and potatoes for thousands of years. He is the defender of the potato! I enjoyed reading his book and have been working through the recipes printed in the last half of the book. Many plant based recipes require a lot of prep. However, with a few tweaks, I have cut down on prep time a ton. I try to keep the perspective that prepping meat also takes a ton of time. I do not miss cleaning chicken and then disinfecting the kitchen afterward. No more of that for me!
The recipe below I have copied and altered from The Starch Solution. I have taken a few short cuts thanks to Trader Joe's! These are seriously good. Reminds me of eating sloppy joe's as a kid!
Sloppy Joe's
Ingredients:1 red onion chopped
1 bell pepper (I used orange but any color will do)
1 TBS chili powder
3 TBS itialian seasoning
1 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS brown sugar
1 TBS rice wine vinegar (I didn't measure just use a couple of glugs!)
3 TBS Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red wine (optional)
1 Can Trader Joe's Marinara Sauce
1 box Trader Joe's Pre-cooked Brown Lentils
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Put 1/3 cup of water of veggie stock into a large, non stick skillet or saucepan. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion and bell pepper soften and start to brown around the edges. The pan will begin to get dry. Add the red wine (if using), the Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar to the pan. Cook until it reduces down and gets a little thick. Add the chili powder and Italian seasoning. Cook to incorporate. Add the tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the can of Marinara Sauce from Trader Joe's and the lentils. Simmer together and let the flavors combine for at least 20 minutes. The longer it simmers, the better it is!
Pile on top of some whole wheat buns and enjoy!
Avocado Vinaigrette:
Ingredients:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 TBS Agave
1 small avocado
Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend together. Toss with your favorite salad.
In the picture, I have mixed baby greens, blueberries, honey almonds, and a sprinkle of blue cheese (remember, I said I was vegan-ish! I love my blue cheese!!)
