Avoca-JOES. Vegan Sloppy-Joes in Delicious Avocados!

Sloppy joes for many are associated with their childhood- the carefree days of summer, family BBQs, and just the “good times”. And really, who doesn’t love a good joe? Welllllll… I have a delicious, healthy, vegan recipe for you that will throw ya back to those times, but at the same time will fuel your health. A joe? And a healthy joe? I am avOKAY with that! Annnd this is carnivore husband tested + tried. Verdict: He LOVED them!

Grocery List:

• 6 Avocados
• Two 15 oz. cans (or 4 cups) of rinsed and dried cooked chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/3 medium red onion,diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 green bell pepper, minced
• 1 15-oz. can unsalted tomatoes with liquid
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 TBSP low sodium soy sauce
• 1.5 TBSP Sriracha (omit if you don’t care for too much spice)
• 1 TBSP all natural maple syrup
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• Plain vegan yogurt (or plain greek yogurt if you are OK with straying from the 100% veg.)

Directions:

1. Chill avocados in refrigerator (trust me- they are much better cool than room temp.) for a few hours.
2. Cut in half & de-pit the avocados, and scoop out about 1/4″ of the center
3. Dice garlic, mince red pepper and onion
4. In a mixing bowl, mash chickpeas with clean hands or a fork into small chunks, set aside. (If you notice the skins falling off the chickpeas, just go ahead and pull them out of the mix & discard).
5. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
6. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent/garlic is fragrant.
7. Add the bell pepper and mashed chickpeas; sauté for about two minutes
8. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, Sriracha if desired, syrup, oregano, cumin, paprika, thyme, a touch of salt and pepper; simmer, stirring for about 15 minutes until heated through and thickened. (If it starts to stick too much, turn down heat a touch and add a little water to deglaze the pan).
9. Scoop heaping 1/4 cup chickpea mix into avocados
10. Serve immediately with 1/4 cup yogurt of choice!
11. Bon appetite!

**Feel free to add the “joes” to a plain bun or butter lettuce wraps if you aren’t an avid-avo fan!

Nutritional Facts per 1/2 stuffed avocado: (makes about 12 halves).

Calories: 213

Fat: 10g

Carbs: 25g

Sugar: 4g

Protein: 7g

xo <3