Normally you wouldn’t have EVER caught me at a women’s retreat.  I know what they do at those things: They intentionally make you cry which makes my brain hurt and I am a big, big fan of staying away from all sorts of pain.

But my friend, Jeri, invited me and then she put me in charge of food and exercise so there was absolutely no getting out of it. After the weekend ended there was a recipe that all of these meat eaters could not live without. Here it is! The smell alone will bring the neighbors running and convert half of them away from dangerous-to-your-health animal protein. It’s definitely a great recipe for anyone not used to eating plants.

‘Sloppy Jose’ from Millenium Restaurant’s Cookbook: The Artful Vegan

Tomato Sauce:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 shallots, minced
2 tsp capers
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp ground fennel seed
1/4 cup Chianti
1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP minced fresh basil leaves
Freshly ground pepper

Sloppy Jose
2 tsp canola oil
1 red onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T turbinado (raw brown sugar)
1 T chile powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 (15 oz) cans kidney beans (no salt added)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 T tamari (high grade soy sauce)

To make the tomato sauce:
Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. Add the garlic and shallots and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the capers, pepper flakes, oregano, and fennel. Saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the wine and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and salt. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the Sloppy Jose mix:
Place a heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Add the onions, garlic, Turbinado, chile powder, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes until the onions are soft.  Add the kidney beans and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, the balsamic and tamari. Stir to combine and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until thick.  If the mix is too thick add vegetable stock or water.

You can serve this in sandwiches or I like to serve this mix on top of sweet potatoes!  Your choice!  Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!