This past semester, I took a course called ‘critical perspectives on consumer food practices’. It’s a complicated way to say ‘why people eat what they eat’; we discuss the conscious and unconscious motives behind food choices. I don’t always appreciate BS-self-reflection courses but this one was enlightening and actually fun. I mean, who wouldn’t want to talk about food and eating for an hour and a half? At the end of the term we even had a class potluck. Now you wish you could be a part of the class.

At one point in the course, we examined the strategies people used to simply decision making around food. I swear “what do you want to eat?” is the question of the century and has the potential to start a feud. The list includes tactics such as elimination, addition, and substitution which are rather self explanatory. What do vegan sloppy joes have to do with this? For those that want to progress towards a plant-based diet, I think lentils and pulses will make your quest more satisfying.

Often times New Year’s resolutions revolve around eliminating foods or food groups entirely to achieve some sort of lifelong health benefit. No gluten, no dairy, no carbs, no meat, no fat, no sugar….the list goes on. By February, it seems like these resolutions have already faded away and we’re back to our old habits. Perhaps rephrasing resolutions in a way that focuses on addition or substitution will make the transition process less laborious and yield longer lasting results.

I find it easier to stick to goals when they’re phrased as “more ____” instead of “less ____”. In terms of diet, I concentrate on adding more vegetables into my diet. By filling my stomach up with a variety of veggies, it’ll naturally displace the foods we’re trying to eliminate. I reach for the pint of ice cream at the back of my freezer if my dinner wasn’t filling enough. So instead of telling myself “no ice cream!” (that would be a sad life), I tell myself “have all the veggies you want!” which almost makes me feel like I’m at a buffet.

Sometimes it’s really really difficult to give up a food that you regularly eat. Like many others transitioning into vegetarianism, I always get asked “so…what do you eat?” Animal protein is so deeply integrated into the ideas of a ‘proper meal’ that when taken out of the picture, it doesn’t seem like a meal at all. Christmas dinner without the turkey? Breakfast without bacon? Spaghetti without meatballs? Like my cousin who is testing the waters of vegetarianism, or my friend’s brother planning to go meat free in the new year, the substitution strategy will be helpful in navigating and succeeding in keeping their resolutions.

In particular, pulses (dried legumes) are excellent substitutions for animal meat. Not only for health reasons but for environmental reasons as well. Pulses are a protein and complex carbohydrate power house with an impressive nutritional profile high in iron, B vitamins, zinc, and other minerals. Ever been told you need to eat meat to get iron? Go eat some legumes instead. Pulses also require a heck less water to produce compared to animal livestock. The world already has a short supply of fresh water, let’s use it more efficiently by being primary consumers (i.e. eat plants!) There are so many types of lentils, chickpeas, peas, and beans to experiment with in both savoury and sweet recipes.

We show you how to make delicious lentil vegan sloppy joes on the Que Pasa website! My family, particularly my brother, adored this hearty one-pot (or skillet) recipe. It keeps you warm on a snowy day and keeps you satiated until dinnertime. This vegan sloppy joes filling also tastes great with vegan & gluten free cornbread crumbled on top; that’s my favourite way to eat this. This recipe is such a breeze to make (if you can open a jar of salsa you can make this) and so delicious that you’ll want to make every day Meatless Monday. This year, say good bye to sad cold cut sandwiches for lunch and gross microwave dinners and hello to the exciting world of pulses!