Game Day Snacks: Vegan Sloppy Joe's

Good Morning,
Well it's game day in Chicago, and I'm going to my aunt and uncle's for the Packer/ Bears game.  My aunt is making Sloppy Joe's so I was looking up vegan options to bring.  My favorite is always good old pasta salad.  So I am going to include that recipe, but I also wanted to do a feature maybe on vegan Sloppy Joe's.  The main protein for these is usually tofu, but if you prefer the store bought imitation meats, go for it.  Crumbled vegan burgers (such as Boca) work great too. 

Ingredients: 
2 packages firm tofu
2 cup tomato sauce
Half cup olive oil
Half green pepper (feel free to choose any color pepper, more colors the better)
1 large onion
Half cup chopped mushrooms
3 teaspoons chili powder
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tlbsp brown sugar
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

First sautee the peppers, onion, and mushrooms.  Meanwhile, boil tomato sauce and olive oil.  Sautee onions until they are translucent, add to boiling sauce, let simmer.  Add chili powder, mustard, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and sugar to sauce.  Once stirred throughly, cut tofu into small cubes at add to sauce.  Let simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve this creations on whole wheat buns for a sandwich even the biggest meat eater will love. 

 (For better tasting tofu, make sure to press before cutting.  To do this, lay a couple layers of paper towel on a plate.  Place tofu on paper towel and cover with more paper towel.  Place another plate on top.  The more weight on top the better.  Maybe through a cookbook on top too.  Let sit for 15-20 minutes.  This rids the tofu of excess water, and let's it soak up sauces better.) 

By adding more vegetables, you're burgers get healthier by the minute.  It is important to eat a variety of colors in each meal to make sure you are getting all the nutrients that you need for the day.  Other veggie options may be: celery, yellow tomatoes, cabbage.  Also, by adding even just a little bit of olive oil, any tomato sauce gets better.  Olive oil is one of the best cooking oils because of its level of mono-unsaturated fatty acids.  These are the best fats.  Olive oil also contributes a lot of Omega 3's which are important in any diet.  And vegans don't get these essential nutrients from other sources such as fish, so olive oil is an easy way to add it to most meals.