If you grew up in the 1980s (or late 1970s), you no doubt remember that Manwich sauce slogan. Here's a 1977 Manwich commercial to jog your memory.
Manwich, the canned tomato sauce for sloppy joes, actually hit the market in 1969. But when I decided to create a sloppy joe recipe for my vintage vegan cookbook project, I figured I'd tuck it into the 1980s chapter because the sauce definitely rose to its height of fame at that time. And it's such an iconic thing for an 80s kid like me. Of course, Manwich is still a thing, but in the age of moving to less processed and prepared foods, I doubt they're seeing the sales they saw in the latchkey kid 80s.
Loose meat sandwiches, what sloppy joes were once referred to, actually go way back the 19th century. But legend has it that some guy in Iowa discovered his loose meat tasted way better when he added a little tomato sauce. Other theories say the sloppy joe actually originated in a restaurant called Sloppy Joe's Bar (so named because owner Jose was apparently a messy dude) in Key West in the 1930s. Either way, the sandwiches go way back.
I created a Manwich-inspired vegan version this week for my next cookbook. I'm saving the recipe for the book, but I can say that it has a base of TVP, French lentils, and green bell pepper. I've always loved the Snobby Joes from the Veganomicon, so I wanted to work lentils in here. But I also desired a meatier texture. Hence, the TVP. The result is a meaty, yet still pretty wholesome, sandwich with a tangy sweet-n-savory sauce.
That sandwich looks delicious! The snobby Joes from Veganomicon are one of my all time favorite recipes ever! Looking forward to your version!
ReplyDeleteI see or hear no sexism in that publicity. Cool.
ReplyDeleteYour sandwich looks really good! I like the wholesome feeling of the lentil-based sloppy joes in Veganomicon, but I prefer the sloppiness of the TVPs, so that should make for the perfect combination.
ReplyDeleteI only heard about sloppy joes when I was about 20 year's old. We don't have them in Quebec.
I like the sound of your version!
ReplyDeleteWe did not grow up with sloppy joes here... also no manwiches! How did our hungry lumberjacks survive? ;) Oh, we don't call them lumberjacks either.
Now excuse me, I am going to be signing the Monty Python Lumberjack song for the rest of the day!
Ha! That's amazing! I only remember having sloppy joes a few random times when at friends houses, my mom never made them.
ReplyDeleteYears ago i bought a can of Manwich (it's vegan!) and made a version with lentils and tempeh crumbles that was actually kinda gross- tastes like canned funky fake stuff.
Ttrockwood
I remember one of the first recipes I learned to cook was a microwave sloppy joe recipe. I remember it tasting good. XD I think my favorite is from How It All Vegan, she used TVP
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