Sloppy Joe = Sneaky Lynda

Last week Joe and I both ended up grocery shopping, so we had a few doubles of things.  I hate to see things go to waste, especially food, so I was determined to make use of all the celery, carrots and peppers hanging out in my vegetable bin.  I juiced some of them, but I needed another creative idea. 

Enter....Sloppy Joe night!! This is a great way to sneak in more veggies without your man knowing he's eating them! You can add any combination of vegetables with this tangy mixture of vinegary tomato sauce, on a soft whole wheat hamburger bun, and you have a winner for dinner! 

Sloppy Joes
Yields: 4-6 servings
Prep time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup minced carrots
1 bell pepper, diced  (whatever color you like)
1 cup onion, chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound of lean ground turkey or beef

The Sauce:
2 cups of tomato sauce or 15 ounce can of tomato puree
1/2 cup of low sugar ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoon brown sugar
pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
whole wheat hamburger buns

1.  Heat olive oil in a pan and saute carrot, onion, celery and pepper for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add garlic during the last minute and stir.  Remove veggies to a bowl and set aside. 

2.  Add turkey meat to pan and brown for around 5 minutes, or until no longer pink.  Add salt and pepper to season. 

3. Return the veggie mixture to the beef mixture.  Add tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and spices and stir to combine. 

4.  Bring the sloppy joe mixture up to a low boil by turning up the heat to medium high.  Then return to a low simmer.  Simmer for 10-12 minutes, and you are ready to serve. 

The beauty of this meal is that, if I know I'm short on time, I can make this in the morning and just reheat it for dinner later that night.  It's a total make ahead meal.  I've even made it a day in advance. 

Hope you try this easy dinner idea soon, it's a favorite at our house.  Wishing you all a beautiful weekend. 

Remembering all those Americans lost ten years ago in the 9/11 attacks and wishing their friends and family our thoughts and prayers on this anniversary.  They will never be forgotten.