I know my first few recipes have been a little more advanced, so today, I’m sharing an easy five-minute recipe.

The Lo Fo Sloppy Jo was an early innovation in my low FODMAP days. They are really easy to make for a quick lunch. These sandwiches are also vegetarian, dairy-free and gluten-free.

I chose the show “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” for this pairing because, to use a modern definition of the word, the lead character is messy. You can read more about Rebecca Bunch and this musical comedy after the recipe!

Ingredients
1 cup low FODMAP meatless grounds
0.25 cups crushed tomatoes
0.25 teaspoons chili lime seasoning
0.125 teaspoons asafoetida (a.k.a. hing)
2 low FODMAP buns or rolls

Directions
The recipe is for one person, but you could easily double, triple or quadruple (etc.) the ingredients to make it for more people.

Mix together the meatless grounds, crushed tomatoes, chili lime seasoning and asafoetida in a microwave-safe bowl. If you don’t have asafoetida, you could sub in dried chives. If you are not following a low FODMAP diet, you could sub in garlic powder or onion powder.

Microwave the mixed filling for two and a half minutes. While that’s heating up, slice your buns and put them on a plate.

Put the heated up mixture in the buns and veg out with an episode or two of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend!”

Taking the Easy Route
This recipe is already pretty basic, but you could try to find a pre-made packet of sloppy joe mixture or order sloppy joes to be delivered. (I imagine that it would be pretty impossible to find low FODMAP and vegetarian pre-made sloppy joes in a grocery store or for delivery, but if you are not eating those diets, go for it.)

The Pairing
This is Veg Out’s first musical and first TV show! We promise there will be plenty more of both in the coming months.

“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” is one of my favorite shows of the last decade. It’s a musical romantic comedy that tackles mental health issues with both humor and grace – along with some very catchy songs.

Years after watching the show, I still find “Heavy Boobs” and “I Have Friends” running through my head at least once a week. Sometimes I even sing them to myself and/or break out a few dance moves.

Rachel Bloom (who also co-created and co-wrote the show) is deeply intriguing as Rebecca Bunch, a lawyer who gives up her career in New York City to follow a childhood flame to suburban California.

The ensemble surrounding her is just as terrific, from all of her love interests to her coworkers.

For me, this pairing works because both the show and the sandwiches demonstrate that you can still carve some extraordinary moments out when you’re going through some messy or sloppy periods in your life.

I hope this lunchtime pairing can bring a little burst of joy in the middle of a long work day!

If you decide to make a Lo Fo Sloppy Jo and/or watch “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes