Main Course: Sloppy Fauxes

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Adapted from a recipe on Food.com

It's remarkable how much this resembles Sloppy Joes made with ground beef.  Whenever I see a carton of tofu on sale, I pop it in the freezer so that I have a package on hand to use as a ground beef substitute.  It can be used to make a very convincing version of a ground beef taco filling too. Defrosting the tub of tofu can be speeded up by immersing it in a bowl of hot water.

    1 14 oz. container firm tofu in water
    1 Tbs. cooking oil
    1 small onion, finely chopped
    2 large cloves of garlic, minced
    1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
    1/4 c. ketchup
    1/4 c. barbecue sauce
    2 tsp. dry mustard
    1 Tbs. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
    1 Tbs. white or red wine vinegar
    salt and pepper, to taste

1. At least one day ahead: Place tofu, still in its packaging, in the freezer and allow to freeze completely.  Remove to the refrigerator, and allow to thaw.  Open tofu container and drain liquid.  Working over a colander set in a sink, squeeze the tofu block in your hands, squeezing out as much liquid as possible and crumbling the tofu so it resembles cooked ground beef in texture.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook onion until it is soft and golden.  Add garlic and cook until softened.

3. Stir in prepared tofu and remaining ingredients.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Uncover and continue to cook until the consistency is that of Sloppy Joes.  Serve on toasted buns.