Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Sloppy Joes


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     Let’s talk about the Sloppy Joe, an often overlooked inexpensive family meal.  I could probably count on one hand the number of times I have actually eaten a Sloppy Joe.  Zero of these times have included a prepackaged sauce, a.k.a. Manwich.  On the other hand, my husband has a different story to tell.  J.T. remembers eating Sloppy Joe’s regularly as a child, and only on special occasions did his family have Manwich.  According to J.T. the proper name for the Sloppy Joe is the Sloppy Jim.  J.T.’s first name is Joseph and he comes from a long line of men by the name of Joe.  J.T.’s father, Joe, started calling this sandwich the Sloppy Jim because Joe’s were not sloppy.  It only took me half a week to notice that J.T. had changed my menu plan…see?

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Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground chuck
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup chopped carrots
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade, or 1 (15 ounce) can
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ teaspoons Celtic sea salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions
  1. Brown the ground meat in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Drain and set aside.
  2. In the same sauté pan heat the olive oil.  Add the carrots, celery, and onion and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the ground beef back to the pan and stir in the marinara sauce, honey, vinegar, mustard, sea salt, chili powder, pepper, and cinnamon.  Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.  
  3. Serve atop warm whole grain corn muffins or bread of choice.  

Make ahead:  Prepare the recipe as listed above and transfer to a heatproof dish.  Reheat in the microwave for 15 minutes or 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  This dish can be frozen for 3 months.  Double the recipe above and freeze half to pull out for a future meal.  


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