I recently discovered that in my new city, a smutty little blot on the map in Southerwestern Ontario, there is a grocery delivery service. This is top notch, as I hardly have time to shower, let alone trot over to the store. My first delivery (fruits, vegetables, whole grain pasta, tofu, cheese, whole grain pitas, canned beans) came tonight. Since it is Sunday, and I do not have to get up until noon to teach, I decided to dive headfirst into my first cooking experiment.

Lentil/Tofu Sloppy Joes

1/4 package firm tofu
1 can lentils
1 stalk of celery
1 green pepper
2 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion
1 can sloppy joe sauce (not as good for you, but it saved me time/money)
Hamburger buns (I keep these frozen and take out buns as necessary)
2 tbsp olive oil
*Add hot sauce/pepper flakes as desired. I did not desire any.

First, I cut up the tofu, and cooked it in a tablespoon of olive oil (for a guide to doing this easy but also easily botched task I direct you to here: http://hubpages.com/hub/How_to_Cook_Tofu_Like_the_Pros).

After the tofu had sufficiently browned, I opened the can of sloppy joe sauce (classy), and put the tofu in to marinade for 1/2 hour.

As it absorbed that sweet, sodium filled sauce, I turned my attention to the vegetables. I cut them all up, and in a tablespoon of olive oil lightly sauteed them. Some may like the vegetables to be cooked more, but I personally have a hatred of cooked vegetables lacking crunch.

As the vegetables crackled away, I opened the can of lentils. I rinsed these bad boys, and then threw them in with the vegetables.

After thirty minutes were up, I threw in the tofu and sauce and let it all simmer and boil until ready.

Finally, I heated up my hamburger bun in the microwave, and then toasted it once it had defrosted.

Result of first experiment: success. I served it with a garden salad (bagged), and iced green tea with a slice of orange in it. I know I could have made this much healthier by using non-canned lentils, non-bagged salad, and non-canned sauce, but this blog is about being realistic. Realistically, I spent several hours in the library today and have at least five hours of reading ahead of me before bed. It is not perfect, but for a lot of people under time/financial restraints, I think this is a relatively healthy, and definitely inexpensive meal.

**Pictures will come eventually.