I know it's been awhile. I'm in the home stretch of the internship, with job applications, exam studying, final projects, etc. on top of other life craziness (more to come soon). But that's not excuse for leaving you dinnerless. Shame on me. In an effort to redeem myself, I bring you a lovely, easy, delicious dinner recipe sure to please, and promise you a decadent, your-search-ends-here double chocolate chip cookie recipe to follow very soon. If I can't win back your love with dinner, perhaps I can do it with chocolate.
As you know, husband believes meat is fairly essential for a meal to be called a meal. While I am definitely a meat-lover and eater, I am also a big fan of finding ways to improve our vegetable intake. Plus, I try to get us the best proteins available, which means that we typically spend a bit extra to get free-range chicken, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, etc. and that makes me even less interested in focusing our dishes around such a costly ingredient.
Well, the other night we wanted sloppy joes (joe’s? But what does Joe own?) Anyway… husband wanted oodles of meat. I wanted to not use $10-worth of meat on one dinner and wanted to get in a serving of vegetables, too. A good friend of mine had recently told me about her adventures with a vegetarian sloppy joe recipe. Because I doubted husband would be interested in completely abandoning his carnivorous craving, I decided to compromise and make a half batch of each. What resulted was delicious. Husband loved them and didn’t miss the “extra” meat. I loved them and was glad I’d snuck in some fiber-rich veggies. This will definitely be a recurring dish in our house!
*You are welcome to go all out and make this completely vegetarian; I’m confident it will be awesome, as well. Conversely, you could make it with just meat, but come on, live a little! Get some veggies in your life!
**I felt the final product was great, but a tad acidic for my liking. Next time, I would add a touch less ketchup and probably a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Just taste as you go and adjust to your personal preference. Some people like ‘em spicy, some like ‘em sweet; this can easily be adapted to your own sloppy joe whims. :)
Sloppy Joe's with a Twist
makes about 6 sandwiches
1/2 lbs grass-fed beef
1/2 cup uncooked green lentils
1/3 cup** ketchup
1/2 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbs sriracha
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
Cook the lentils according to the package instructions, typically about 1 cup water to 1/2 cup lentils, simmer for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender, but not mushy. Meanwhile, prep your other ingredients. In a large skillet, start to brown your meat. Add the onion and garlic after the fat from the meat starts to render out just a bit. Cook over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and all remaining ingredients. Cook until well combined and the consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve on lightly toasted buns with some coleslaw or a nice big salad. Yum!
Well, the other night we wanted sloppy joes (joe’s? But what does Joe own?) Anyway… husband wanted oodles of meat. I wanted to not use $10-worth of meat on one dinner and wanted to get in a serving of vegetables, too. A good friend of mine had recently told me about her adventures with a vegetarian sloppy joe recipe. Because I doubted husband would be interested in completely abandoning his carnivorous craving, I decided to compromise and make a half batch of each. What resulted was delicious. Husband loved them and didn’t miss the “extra” meat. I loved them and was glad I’d snuck in some fiber-rich veggies. This will definitely be a recurring dish in our house!
*You are welcome to go all out and make this completely vegetarian; I’m confident it will be awesome, as well. Conversely, you could make it with just meat, but come on, live a little! Get some veggies in your life!
**I felt the final product was great, but a tad acidic for my liking. Next time, I would add a touch less ketchup and probably a tablespoon or two of tomato paste. Just taste as you go and adjust to your personal preference. Some people like ‘em spicy, some like ‘em sweet; this can easily be adapted to your own sloppy joe whims. :)
Sloppy Joe's with a Twist
makes about 6 sandwiches
1/2 lbs grass-fed beef
1/2 cup uncooked green lentils
1/3 cup** ketchup
1/2 Tbs maple syrup
2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 onion, diced
1 Tbs sriracha
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
Cook the lentils according to the package instructions, typically about 1 cup water to 1/2 cup lentils, simmer for 15-20 minutes until lentils are tender, but not mushy. Meanwhile, prep your other ingredients. In a large skillet, start to brown your meat. Add the onion and garlic after the fat from the meat starts to render out just a bit. Cook over medium-low heat until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the lentils and all remaining ingredients. Cook until well combined and the consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve on lightly toasted buns with some coleslaw or a nice big salad. Yum!