Sloppy Joes

These are a far cry from the stuff in a can.  I use ground turkey breast, so they're low in fat, and with all the veggies in the sauce, they're a perfect one-dish meal.   I make them a little on the sweet side to appeal to the kids - you can cut back to 1-2 T on the sugar if you'd like, and substitute cayenne pepper for the paprika to make them spicy.

I like to use potato rolls.  They're nice and soft and I pull out the inside to make a pocket for the meat - fewer carbs and less mess!  Sometimes I get the smaller dinner rolls instead for the kids.  Two regular sandwiches is too much, but two dinner roll size are perfect.

 

Sloppy Joes

• 1 T oil


• 1 medium bell pepper, diced


• 1/2 medium onion, diced


• 1 1/4 lb ground turkey breast


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 medium tomatoes, diced (or 1 can diced tomatoes)


• 1 T Worchestershire


• 1 T red wine vinegar


• 3 T brown sugar


• pinch ground cloves


• pinch ground allspice


• 1/2 tsp thyme


• 1/2 tsp paprika


• salt and pepper


• 1 c ketchup


• hamburger buns

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the peppers and onions and saute 3-4 minutes until beginning to soften.  Add the turkey and break up with a spoon.  Saute until turkey is fully cooked.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Add tomatoes (with juice), Worchestershire, vinegar, sugar, and spices.  Stir 1-2 minutes until combined.  Add ketchup, reduce heat, and simmer 15-20 minutes. If the sloppy joes look too dry, add a little water or chicken stock.  Adjust salt and pepper if needed, and serve.

Indian Summer Chili

This is the best chili ever, and easy too.  Its based on this Rachael Ray recipe, but I've added beans, and I cook it a bit longer - I think it develops the flavors.  I used a combination of black and kidney beans in this batch.  Chickpeas might be good too. It is great for a crowd, but make a double batch - it goes quickly!

Indian Summer Turkey Chili

• 1 lb ground turkey


• 4 T dark chili powder


• 2 T grill seasoning blend


• 1 T cumin


• 2 T Worcestershire sauce


• 1 to 3 T hot sauce


• 1 large onion, diced


• 2 large bell peppers, chopped


• 1/2 bottle beer, about 1 cup


• 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce


• 1/2 c barbecue sauce


• 2 c corn kernels


• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Heat a pot over medium to medium high heat and brown the turkey. Drain the fat.

Add the chili powder, grill seasoning, cumin, Worcestershire, hot sauce, ¾ of the onion, (reserving the rest for topping the chili) and chopped bell peppers.  Cook 10-15 minutes until peppers and onions are softened.

Add beer and bring to a boil.  Stir in the tomato sauce and barbecue sauce.  Return to a boil, lower heat, and simmer 20-30 minutes.  Add corn and beans, simmer 15 minutes more until heated through.

Serve with chopped onion, cheese, sour cream, chopped cilantro, or your favorite chili topping!

Last Trip to the Deli Counter

I decided to stop buying deli meat.  The nitrites, sodium, preservatives, etc. don't exactly fit into my healthy eating plan.  However, the kids must have something for lunch, and PB&J - even if it is natural peanut butter and homemade jelly - doesn't cut it five days a week.  It's nice to bake a ham every once in awhile, but I really wanted to find an easy turkey recipe that didn't involve roasting a whole bird.  The result: Spice Rubbed Turkey Tenderloin.  It tastes great, took about 30 minutes to make, and at $5.39/lb, costs about the same as deli meat - what's not to love? 

I had a hard time finding turkey tenderloin that wasn't already marinated, and almost gave up.  I finally found it underneath all the other packaged turkey parts (doesn't that sound appetizing!).  My recipe is based on this one.  It has a great sweet-spicy flavor, and the rub keeps the meat from drying out.  I cracked whole coriander seeds, and used turbinado sugar, and mine came out of the oven with a beautiful, carmelized crust. 

Spice Rubbed Turkey Tenderloin

• 2 T turbinado or brown sugar


• 1 tsp salt


• 1 tsp cumin


• 1/4 tsp ground ginger


• 1/4 tsp ground coriander


• 1/4 tsp cayenne


• 1 T olive oil


• 2 turkey tenderloins, about 1 1/2 lbs

Preheat oven to 425°.  Line a baking sheet with foil, then place a rack on top.*  Mix spices together.  In a shallow dish or plate, rub tenderloins with olive oil.  Rub spice mixture all over tenderloins, making sure to coat the entire surface.  Place on the rack and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160°.  Remove from oven and rest 10 minutes.  Serve hot or cold.

*I keep and old baking sheet and a seperate cooling rack just for this purpose, but you can skip the rack if you don't have an extra one.    Allowing air circulation all around the meat helps it cook evenly and get a nice crust on all sides.  Make sure to the line the baking sheet with foil, unless you have an already ruined one just for this purpose (like me). The drippings will create a mess!