Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

I'm slowly getting back into cooking now that James is generally only waking up once at night and new patterns of juggling my two babies are falling into place. Last night I attempted a new recipe from my friend Karen over at Curious Lyle for Vegetarian Sloppy Joes. They were delicious and I ate more than I care to admit (nursing makes me feel like a bottomless pit).

I used red wine vinegar rather than white vinegar as it was what I had on hand and that tasted fine. These were very spicy as I used Mexene chili powder though a milder chili powder would likely make them more child-friendly.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

8 kaiser rolls

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green pepper, and garlic: saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, tomato paste, vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Stir in kidney beans, and cook an additional 5 minutes.

3. Cut a 1/4 inch slice off the top of each kaiser roll; set aside. Hollow out the center of each roll, leaving about 1/2 inch thick shells; reserve the inside of rolls for other uses.

4. Spoon bean mixture evenly into rolls and replace tops. Serve immediately.