Vegan Sloppy Joes

Vegan Sloppy Joes

November 3, 2024

Plant-based Comfort Food: Sloppy Joes, Perfect for Students on a Budget!

The sloppy joe is one of America’s most delicious comfort foods. The trendiness of the vegan sloppy joe stems from newer generations becoming more aware of who they’re eating and it actually represents a movement. College students love the low cost, nutritional value and the planet-friendly aspect of it. The article “Impact of Veganism on Society” helps students make other choices also [1]. This impact of this lifestyle might also interest students studying health, animal welfare, environmental sustainability, culture, economics, policy legislation, social justice, global hunger and food security, and many more.

Sloppy Joe’s Complicated Past

Some may attribute the sloppy joe sandwich to a Sioux City, Iowa café in the 1930s. Others say that the original sandwich was born at the iconic restaurant in Key West, Florida, Sloppy Joe’s Bar. There’s also a restaurant named Sloppy Joe’s (Ernest Hemingway’s old haunts) that re-opened a half century later in Havana, Cuba. No matter its history, the sloppy joe has become an American favorite because of its simplicity, nutritional value, and its economic stretch ability. It’s also a popular comfort food. “The Sloppy Joe, if prepared properly, can be the perfect combination of economics, nutrition, heartiness, and student acceptance – it’s a perfect fit for a school menu [2].”

Nutritional Value and Global Impact

College students who study global food systems might agree that the manufacturing process of vegan products, like the vegan ground beef used in my recipe, is better than traditional animal-based options. Raising animals for food from birth to death takes a substantial amount of energy, makes huge carbon emissions, and depletes the soil, leaving deserts in its wake. The industrial perspective is explained in the article, “Transforming plant proteins into plant-based meat alternatives: challenges and future scope” [3].

Easy Recipe

Vegan Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:                                                                                      

  • 2 Cans of tomato soup
  • 1 lb. Impossible Ground Beef
  • 1 Green pepper
  • 1 Medium onion
  • Hamburger buns
  • Vegan butter (optional)

Utensils Needed:

  • Skillet
  • Knife
  • Plate
  • Spoon

Steps:

1) Chop up the green pepper and onion into small or large pieces (whatever your preference).

2) Blanch or sauté the vegetables in vegan butter. Blanching saves nutrients. Put off to side.

3) Cut open package with knife, put in skillet, chop into chunks and brown the meat.

4) Add tomato soup and vegetables and simmer for 15 minutes

5) Scoop meat on to hamburger bun with spoon.

6) Refrigerate any unused portions.

YouTube has a tutorial for using Impossible Ground Beef. Brown Heart has a different take on it, but mine is simpler with less ingredients. Here is her version for reference [4]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_puNzljkXs

References

[1] Z. Jeannette. “Impact of Veganism on Society,” Living the Vegan Lifestyle. [Online]. Available: https://livingtheveganlifestyle.org/impact-of-veganism-on-society/. [Accessed: 19-Oct-2024].

[2] “A History of the Sloppy Joe.” Blue Apron, https://blog.blueapron.com/a-history-of-the-sloppy-jo/.https://blog.blueapron.com/a-history-of-the-sloppy-jo/

[3] P. Prajapati., M. Garg, , N. Singh. et al. “Transforming plant proteins into plant-based meat alternatives: challenges and future scope,” Springer. [Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10068-024-01683-0[Accessed: 19-Oct-2024].

[4] IMPOSSIBLE BURGER Sloppy Joe, Brown Heart https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_puNzljkXs