A New Take on Sloppy Joes

Foods from my childhood are comfort foods to me - Mac & Cheese, Tomato Soup,  Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.  But they're not the healthiest things on the planet, so I tend to "mix it up" a little bit.  When I was a little kid, I loved Sloppy Joe's.  My mom was a "from scratch" mom, so we're not talking about a can of Manwich thrown on a bun.  She probably made a tomato sauce, sautéed onions and any other veggie could try to sneak in there, and fresh ground beef.  And it went on something cool like a Dutch crunch roll.

So in honor of my mom's efforts, I put my own spin on Sloppy Joes: Thai Style!

I started out by sautéing some diced onion in coconut oil.  You can use olive oil if you don't have coconut oil, but I HIGHLY recommend coconut oil; adds a really nice background of flavor (and the scent reminds me of sun-filled vacations).  When they're nice and soft, create a little space in the middle of the skillet and add garlic, ginger and Serrano pepper.  I like to let those sit on the heat by themselves for a minute and then incorporate them into the onions.  Then add red curry paste (green or yellow works, too, but the red paste makes me happy and looks good), and stir that in well.

Now comes the turkey.  I like to use a half-and-half mixture of breast and thigh; it makes for a moister (Is that a word?  It looks weird.) burger, meatloaf or....sloppy Joes.  Break it up with a wooden spoon into little pieces and cook until no longer pink.
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How about some more Thai flavors?  I'm all in with coconut milk, fish sauce (just do it!) and tamari.  Tamari, if you're not familiar, is a wheat-free soy sauce.  Traditional soy sauce is about 60% wheat, so when you remove the wheat, you get a really rich, deep flavor. 

Let that simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed... depending on your particular "sloppy" factor.

Add scallions, cilantro and fresh lime sauce, and you're good to go.

 

 

I made a little slaw salad to go on top with purple cabbage, carrots, scallions, lime juice, a tiny pinch of sugar and a little cilantro.  Make this early on and let it sit to soften and develop .

 

 

I like to serve this on naam (I know it's Indian, and this is Thai, but it works!), but you can use traditional buns...I won't come to your house and check.

 

This is fast and flavorful, perfect for a quick weeknight fix.....

Thai Turkey Sloppy Joes

Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons coconut oil

½ cup diced onion

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 teaspoons minced serrano pepper

¼ cup Thai Kitchen red curry paste

½ lb ground turkey breast

½ lb ground turkey thighClick to see savings

Click to see savingsClick to see1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon tamarik to see savings

½ teaspoons fish sauce

4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal, divided

½ cup lime juice, divided, plus extra lime wedges for garnish

2 cups shredded purple cabbage

Click to see savi1 small carrot, cut into thin matchsticks or shredded

Click to see savings1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped, divided

Pinch coconut palm sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

1 package Trader Joe’s Garlic Naan

·         Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

·         Create a well in the middle of skillet and add garlic, ginger and serrano pepper.  Let stand 1 minute and then stir to combine.

·         Add curry paste and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.

·          Add turkey, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.

·         Add coconut milk, tamari and fish sauce and half of the scallions. Cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

·         Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine cabbage, carrot, remaining half of the scallions, ¼ cup lime juice, ¼ cup of cilantro and sugar. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand (the longer the better).

·         Add remaining lime juice and cilantro to turkey mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.

·         Cut naan in half across the middle and place turkey mixture on each half.  Top with cabbage slaw and serve with lime wedges.

Cook Happy!

 

 

Take THAT, Rachel Ray!

Some months back I taught a cooking class, and as one woman was leaving she said, "You should be on TV.  You're like Rachel Ray, just not annoying."  Gave me quite a chuckle.  Yes, I'm "bubbly" and "perky", but I  use less hand gestures to articulte my point.  But then Forbes just listed her as earning $25 million, so I can get more animated if you want me to!!  America sure seems to like it.

Anyway, Rachel often refers to heself as "The Burger Queen."  I've watched her cook lots of delicious burgers.  But I've never seen her make one without meat.  I'm sure she has, but I've never seen one.  I, on the other hand, have been searching to create the perfect vegetarian burger for the past year.  I've been pretty successful, but I never stop with one.  My "guinea pigs" are the chef students at Bauman (shhhhh...don't tell them; they think I've thoroughly thought these through before I cook for them, and I've pulled it off for months!), and they have voraciously enjoyed every one I've ever rmade.  I take into consideration all the allergies, intoerances and preferences I have to deal with:  no gluten, no dairy, no soy, and no meat.  No biggie for a girl like me!

My latest, and possibly greatest, is my Black Bean and Millet Veggie Burger.

I think I'm starting to figure out the essential mix of  beans, grains and eggs.  My firiend Bill is great at deconstructing a recipe and then is able to recreate new versions of it.  This is something I admire about him so much, because it is something I admittedly am  not great at. I just don't take the time to think that much (yes, it's a problem....and not just with cooking!).  But I'm starting to get the hang of it though.

For this one I cooked black beans and millet (millet is a tiny, little gluten free grain). I toasted the millet in a saucepan for a few minutes and then added boiling water, cover and simmer about 10 minutes until water is absorbed, just like with any other rice.  I chopped up some colorful, in season veggies to mix in - red bell peppers, red onion and fresh corn...

Take about 3/4 of your beans and mash in a bowl with some lime juice, cumin, coriander, chipotle chili powder, salt & pepper.  Put the remaining beans in a food processor with an egg, and puree it.  Add the puree, cooked millet, chopped veggies and a little cilantro to the mashed beans.  Now it's time to play with your food.  Form the bean mixture into patties and coat in cornmeal. 

Fire up a cast iron skillet coated with olive oil and cook those babies up!  Just about 4 minutes per side.

I whipped up a little spicy sauce of Sirracha and Greek yogurt; if you're putting these on a bun, that's a yummy condiment!  We had a some cilantro lime rice and a frisee salad instead.  Soooooo good!  I think I will call myself the Veggie Burger Queen.....take THAT, Rachel Ray!

What's your favorite veggie burger??

Black Bean Burgers

Makes 6

3 1/2  cups cooked black beans, divided

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cooked millet

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn

1/2 cup goat cheddar

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 egg

cornmeal

2 tablespoons olive oil

• Place 2 1/2 cups of cooked beans in a large bowl and add lime juice, cumin, coriander, chile powder and salt.  Give it a rough mash with a fork or paotato masher.
• Add cooked millet, bell pepper, onion, corn, cheese and cilantro, mixing to combine well.
• Take remaining cup of cooked beans and place in the bowl of a food processor with one egg and puree.  Add this puree to the bean and veggie mixture.
• Form bean mixture into patties and coat both sides with cornmeal.  Let set for 10 minutes or so.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet and cook burgers 4 minutes per side or until cooked through.

Yum it up!!  Yeah, yeah, yeah there's a little bit of cheese in there!!  I did it for THEM. :)

Spicy Chicken Burgers

Every time I see that "Jumbaco" commercial from Jack in the Box, I get a little crazed.  If you're not familiar, it starts with a fake commercial for a new product, the Jumbaco: a Jumbo Jack burger nestled between two tacos.  Gross on so many levels.  Then a woman tells Jack that "research shows that normal people..." and I'm waiting for her to say, "...normal people don't want to gorge themselves like that!"  Instead she points out that people like the Jumbo Meal Deal better: a Jumbo Jack burger, two tacos, large fries and a large drink.  And all of this for just $4.29. 

It's no wonder 2/3 of Americans are overweight and that diabetes is at a record high.  So I decided to work on a meal that would be healthier, yet delicious, and cost about the same as the fast food meal deals.  And along came my Spicy Chicken Burgers.  I used organic chicken thighs, tons of spices, a homemade yogurt sauce, pita bread, and whipped up a batch of sweet potato fries on the side.  And it clocked in at $2.71 per person, for a family of 5 (I didn't buy a full 1 1/2 lbs of chicken, which would've served 6). Take THAT, Jack!

Start with some chopped ginger, cilantro and scallions.  People always ask me if they can use the green parts of scallions....YES.  Use all of the scallion, just cut off the ends.

Cut the boneless, skinless thighs into small chunks.  If you're not a fan of chicken thighs, I'm with you, but they are perfect for this dish, since they are more moist than chicken breasts, and they are so economical.  I promise you'll be a fan.

Place the ginger, cilantro, scallions in a bowl and add as many of the spices I suggest.  If you don't have some of them, don't sweat it; use what you've got, because that's probably what you like.  I added paprika, cumin, coriander, madras curry powder, garam masala and cayenne.

Add the chicken and let it sit for about 30 minutes.

Put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined.  Form into patties and refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.

I used coconut oil to saute the burgers because it lends a nice little background of flavor, but you can use olive oil if you don't have coconut oil (but think about getting it; it's yummy and a good, healthy fat).  Cook about 3-5 minutes per side until cooked through.

You can also bust 'em out in minis and have a slider night.

Next I toasted some cumin seeds in coconut oil until they started to brown (and you can smell it when it's ready....a fine line between perfect and burnt; if you burn them, throw it out and start over.  When I pulled it off the heat, I added a pinch of cayenne and a pinch of coriander.

When it's cooled down, turn it into about 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, and toss in some diced cucumbers and a pinch of sea salt.

I used a large circle cutter to make my own "bun", but I was just being cute.  You can cut a pita in half and load up the burger (or sliders), along with the yogurt sauce.  If you'd like, add shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, too.

And viola!  The tastiest burger I've had in the longest time.  Super spicy and hearty.  The yogurt sauce is the perfect compliment to the spice of the burger, if you make it with all the spices I used.  Make a simple little salad on the side or  baked sweet potato fries....or maybe both!

Spicy Chicken Burgers

Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

4 scallions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons chopped ginger

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon Madras curry powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil

• Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl.
• Add scallions, ginger, cilantro to the bowl, along with the paprika, cumin, coriander, curry powder, salt, garam masala, and cayenne.  Let it sit for 15-30 minutes.
• Form into 6 patties and let sit in fridge for about 15 minutes
• Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Add burgers and cook 3-5 minutes per side.
• Remove from heat and put into pita halves and drizzle yogurt sauce.

Yogurt Sauce 

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander

Pinch cayenne

Pinch sea salt

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup diced cucumber

• Heat coconut oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.
• Add cumin seeds and cook, tossing gently until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in coriander, cayenne and salt.
• Let cool and fold into Greek yogurt and cucumber.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did....I ate two people's portions!  I certainly love when I make something that tastes this good....but I also hate it, cuz I eat waaaaay too much of it.  Treadmill tomorrow.

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