Chickpea Sloppy Joes

I love vegan sloppy joes! I've had all kinds, including other sloppy joes I have made with lentils. This recipe here from the incredible cookbook "But I could never go vegan!" by Kristy Turner is delicious and similar, but with a different texture and with chick peas as a protein instead. Easy to make, this meal makes an excellent lunch or dinner for 3-4 people as is, on open faced toast or in a roll. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 cups of cooked chickpeas or 2 cans of chickpeas rinsed and drained
slices of sprouted toast, or vegan hamburger buns or rolls
1 teaspoon of olive oil
½ medium onion
1-3 garlic cloves
½ bell pepper, diced
one 15 oz. can of fire roasted tomatoes or stewed tomatoes with liquid
¼ cup of tomato paste, or tomato sauce
3 tablespoons of liquid aminos or soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sriracha or other hot sauce (we used vegan wing sauce)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
tofu sour cream (optional)


Directions:

Mash chickpeas in a bowl with a fork into small chunks. Put aside.

Toast bread or put rolls in oven, open faced for 10-15 minutes on lowest setting to warm.

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic for a few minutes until translucent and add bell pepper and chickpeas. Sauté for another 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Allow to simmer and stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes.

Scoop mixture onto open faced toast or rolls. Add tofu sour cream if you'd like. Shredded cheese on top makes a nice addition as well if you'd like. Enjoy! These also taste great as leftovers.