Lentil Sloppy Joes with a smoky & creamy Mac n Cheese recipe (vegan)

I've been meaning to try this recipe out for a while now.
Finally made it tonight!
The homemade Sloppy Joe sauce brought me back to my childhood so I label this recipe a success!
I'm not the most organized when it comes to writing recipe posts. I apologize if this isn't the best layout.

I ended up doubling the original recipe and made loads of left overs. The only thing I didn't double was the green pepper and onion - you can if you want though!
I imagine there will still be some left overs, depending on how many you are feeding.
Left over sloppy joe mix should freeze well.

Sloppy Joe Sauce:

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• tablespoon of oil (optional, can use water to cook veg.)
• 1 can of tomato sauce, 13-15 oz (regular sized can)
• 4 tablespoons of white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of ketchup
• 3-4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce (could use low sodium, tamari, liquid aminos or coconut aminos)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• if you have vegan worchestershire sauce use 1-2 teaspoons, optional

Sloppy Joe Mix:

• 1 cup of dry lentils, rinsed (I used red, but any variety should do)
• 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce (could use low sodium, tamari, liquid aminos or coconut aminos)
• 1/2 cup of toasted walnuts, optional
• 1/2 cup of toasted sunflower seeds, optional

I honestly think the nuts and seeds are optional, but I did use them in my mix. Once the lentils were cooked and the nuts and seeds were toasted, I chopped the nuts and seeds in the food processor. I mixed the lentils with the soy sauce and walnuts and sunflower seeds and added them to the sauce. You could cook them in the pan a bit before starting the sauce, but I also feel that is optional.

Smoky, Creamy Mac N Cheese Sauce:

• 2 small yellow or russet potatoes, chopped (peel if using russet)
• half can of white beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northern)
• half cup of non-dairy unsweetened/unflavored plant milk, I used soy
• 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon or so of turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika

I cooked up one pound of macaroni (one box) and ended up using the entire can of beans. 

Boil the potatoes until tender. When you drain the potatoes, reserve the liquid in case you need to add more. OR you could add more milk. I blended everything together and ajusted based on my taste.

I made Quinoa crispies to go on top of the macaroni, but this is optional. I cooked up some quinoa and let cool. I then seasoned about a half of a cup worth with italian herbs, a little oil, salt and garlic powder and baked in a 350F oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so it doesn't burn.

I also mixed the quinoa crispies with breadcrumbs. You could just use breadcrumbs and more nutritional yeast to go on top of the macaroni before baking. 

I baked the macaroni for about 20-25 minutes in a 350F oven.

I serve my sloppy joes open-faced instead of a sandwhich, but you can do what you want! 

My inspiration came from Haley Lauren's post but I made a couple of adjustments. I just didn't top mine with coleslaw like Haley did, but that is an option!