sloppy Jill's and sweet potato not-fries

Without even tasting this, the name alone makes this recipe pretty awesome.  Sloppy Jill's are a vegetarian twist on a meaty classic, and they are true to their name... very sloppy!  Instead of using hamburger meat which is high in unhealthy fat and cholesterol, I used the soy crumbles which I had left over from the easy 'meaty' chili recipe from earlier in the week.  Sweet potato fries are a super quick and easy side dish, and they're good with just about anything!  I seriously eat sweet potato fries at the very least 3 out of 7 days a week.  Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin A, C, fiber, & potassium, and they are a colorful alternative to your average joe shmoe spud.  

Sloppy Jill's (serves 1)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp olive oil
2/3 cup soy crumbles (Boca or MorningStar have these in the freezer section near the veggie burgers)
3 tbsp canned tomato sauce
1 tbsp canned tomato paste
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp teriyaki sauce 
1/4 tsp cumin
a splash of hot sauce (only if you like a little heat)
1 roll of choice (I used a Trader Joe's multigrain sandwich thin... some rolls have an absurd amount of calories, so read your labels-- If its over 150 calories, try to find another option)


sweet potato not-fries (serves 1)
Ingredients: 
cooking spray
1/2 large sweet potato (or 1 small, but those are hard to find)
pinch of coarse sea salt


Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.  These tasty treats get their name because they are not fried, they're baked!  Cut a large sweet potato length wise (put one half in a tupperware container for another day).  Lay one potato half on the cutting board with the flat side down and cut length wise into strips.  Then cut those strips into 1/4 inch fries, don't go  too thin or they'll burn.  Spray a baking sheet with a little bit of cooking spray, put the potato on the pan and sprinkle with sea salt.  Set your oven timer for 15 minutes, when that timer goes off, take them out, flip 'em and pop them pack in for another 15 minutes.

When there is about 10-15 minutes left after you've flipped your not-fries, you can start to prepare your Sloppy Jill's.  Start by chopping a green bell pepper.  I used about a 1/3rd of a medium size pepper.  Add 1/2 tsp of oil into a small frying pan on medium heat.  Add the pepper.  Stir occasionally and cook for about 5 minutes.

 Next you can add the tomato sauce & tomato paste.  If you are using frozen soy crumbles, nuke them for about a minute before you add them to the pan.  Reduce the heat to low.  Keep stirring and mix in the cumin, worcestershire sauce, teriyaki sauce, and hot sauce.  If it starts to get really thick, add a little water about a tbsp at a time and simmer... 

 I like my bread toasted because it adds a texture contrast to the sloppiness of the sandwich.  After you've toasted your bread, put the bottom bun on a plate, pour your sloppy filling on the bun, and top it with the other half of the bun.  The not-fries should be just about done now if you've timed everything just right.  
I have tested a ton of different condiments to try to find the perfect dip to dunk the sweet potato fries... honey mustard is really good, but my all time favorite so far is a light drizzle of maple syrup, probably less than a tablespoon.

  You may need a fork to tackle this sandwich, and most definitely lots o' napkins!