It has finally came to pass. Alexis finally had someone make fun of her for not eating meat.
It was bound to happen. Anything that makes you different can and will be used against you by someone who hasn't figured out that not eating meat is no different than not eating broccoli. I mean, it can be, but it's not in our house. We are a mixed group where vegetarians and meatatarians co-exist in peaceful harmony. Just don't ask me to stop at the grocery store for your ground beef because apparently I am very not good at buying the correct stuff.
ANYWAY.
Alexis and I ended up having a nice long talk about how some people get weird about the whole vegetarian thing. I was getting ready to settle into a fun discussion about how she can reply without being rude, but before I could, it became obvious. Real obvious.
The boy who made fun of her totally likes her.
As in LIKES her.
So I guess that thing where some little boys say mean things to the girls they like is alive and well. I would have thought evolution would have fixed that by now.
We talked some more and it came to light that the whole scenario played out because Alexis is "a weirdo who doesn't eat Sloppy Joes." Obviously, we had to fix that the only way I knew how. I made vegetarian Sloppy Joes for the kid. Now she's in love with them.
This recipe goes back years and years and years -- it was one of the first "split family" meals that I figured out. Long before Alexis (and the internet, for that matter) (OMG I AM OLD), I started making the vegetarian version for myself while the then boyfriend (and now husband) made the meatatarian version for himself. Over the years, we stopped making them for no particular reason, but that's ending now. They're back in the rotation.
Vegetarian Sloppy Joes (Or Meatatarian, if you like. Just swap in ground beef instead of veggie stuff.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red pepper, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 bag Morningstar Recipe Crumbles
1 cup ketchup
1 cup barbecue sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Buns
1. Throw the olive oil and red pepper in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook until the red pepper just barely starts to soften.
2. Throw in the onion. Cook until the onion starts to turn clear.
3. It's the Morningstar Recipe Crumbles' turn to join the party. Beware, those buggers tend to stick to even non-stick pans, so be sure you stir often. Cook them until the Crumbles are warmed all the way through. They're pre-cooked, so it really is just a reheating game.
4. Toss in the ketchup, barbecue sauce, salt, and pepper. Heat thoroughly.
5. Really, that's it. I always think it needs to be more complicated than that, but it doesn't.
See?
She's pretty happy with a nice simple veggie version of the old classic.