Turkey Sloppy Joes

Were you one of those kids whose mom/dad opened up canned sloppy joe sauce and “made” sloppy joes for dinner? Well, I’m proud to say that I wasn’t. What I am not proud to admit is that I have absolutely no idea how my mom made sloppy joes from scratch or what she put in it. Or maybe it was my dad who made them.  Anyway, I think maybe there was some ketchup and maybe there was some mustard. And maybe some brown sugar. Beyond that, I’m clueless. As easy of a recipe as it seems, I honestly didn’t have the first clue as to how to make sloppy joes from scratch. Now, I introduce you to Turkey Sloppy Joes. I think I’ve bought canned sloppy joe sauce once in my life, which shows how little I eat said sandwiches. Until now.

I’m assuming we used to enjoy sloppy joes in the summer because for no good reason, it seems like a summer food to me (even though there is nothing “warm weather” about standing over a stove stirring ground meat and sauce). I’m happy to say that after making these Turkey Sloppy Joes, I’m feeling confident about making them again in the future…and soon. Made with tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, this was everything you want in a sloppy joe – sweet, tangy, sloppy, and finger-licking. Just for kicks and giggles, try this next time you are in the mood for a sloppy mess of a sandwich.

The ingredients:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the turkey, onion, and garlic. Cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until browned and fully cooked.

In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, barbecue sauce, and Worcestershire. Mix into the turkey mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Spoon into your favorite bun and keep some napkins nearby.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers

Last week, when I made Tortellini Caprese Bites, I mentioned that I could probably revolve this entire blog around different caprese recipes. This week I have come to realize that I could also write just as much about different kinds of skewers. I mean, who doesn’t like food on a stick? We were all kids once, right? One thing about skewers that I love is that they can be so healthy if made with lean meat and tons of veggies.

These Spicy Moroccan Chicken Skewers not only have tender chicken, plump juicy cherry tomatoes and sunny yellow peppers, but the chicken is coated in a spicy marinade of chile paste, cumin and coriander which provides tons of bold flavors. Serve this with a side of plain Greek yogurt to tame the flavors and cool your palette if you like. I cooked my skewers on an indoor grill but I can only imagine how much better these are over an open flame. If the tomatoes are slightly big or different sizes, pay close attention to the chicken as it’s cooking to ensure it is fully cooked. Or consider using grape tomatoes instead. Eaten plain or with a side of quinoa, couscous or rice, these skewers are sure to please. I can’t think of anything better than a spring or summer evening with chicken skewers in one hand and sparklers in another. Ah, to be a kid again.

The ingredients:

Combine garlic, chile paste, olive oil, salt, cumin and coriander in a small bowl.

Using a rubber spatula or spoon, place mixture into a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken and seal, massaging chicken so that all pieces are coated by the marinade. Marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours, turning after 1 hour.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning on the grill. Drain and pat dry. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade and discard any remaining marinade. Thread 3 chicken pieces, 1 pepper piece, and 1 tomato alternately onto each skewer, beginning and ending with chicken. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Arrange skewers on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 4 minutes on each side or until done.

Serve with yogurt.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light Magazine

Strawberry-Chocolate Paninis

I’ve been on a little bit of a strawberry kick ever since one day last week when I went to this relatively new eatery in Philadelphia’s Suburban Station called Yoshi which sells – wait for it – yogurt and sushi. The thought of yogurt and sushi grosses out the majority of us but I finally got to a point where I just couldn’t listen to another person rave about the yogurt (not one word on how the individually wrapped sushi is selling) without trying it myself. I grabbed a co-worker and stepped into this vibrant little shop which offered several different kinds of non-fat yogurt (like vanilla, peach, cheesecake, chocolate, and mint) and all kinds of toppings. From Oreo cookies, gummy bears, and peanut butter chips to kiwi fruit, blueberries, and lychee, you can make your treat as good or as bad as you want. I was in a fruity mood so I chose peach yogurt with fresh slices of strawberries. I generally choose other berries to snack on over strawberries but that day, they seemed to go well with the peach frozen yogurt and the whole dessert was fresh, light and tasty. Now, I can’t get enough of those plump little berries.

Since then, I’ve been craving strawberries and bought a pint earlier this week that never seems to end. Looking around my kitchen and noticing some whole-wheat buns that I probably wouldn’t finish and a few ounces of cream cheese that I had nothing to eat with, I decided to make a Strawberry-Chocolate Paninis using my sweet, sweet strawberries as the star of the show. Cream cheese is spread on whole-wheat bread and topped with slices of fresh strawberries and semi-sweet chocolate chips before being smooshed and toasted in a panini press. The cream cheese provides the slightest bit of tang to balance out the sweetness from the strawberries and chocolate. Any kind of bread will do here (like sourdough or French) and dark chocolate could easily be substituted too. My ingredients below made two sandwiches but you can easily double everything to make more. This is a nice little dessert panini that’s perfect for when plain strawberries just won’t do the trick. I mean, who doesn’t like strawberries and chocolate?

Strawberry-Chocolate Paninis (makes 2 sandwiches)

  • 2 whole-wheat hamburger buns or any 4 slices of preferred bread
  • 4-6 medium sized strawberries
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, reduced-fat or regular, preferrably room temperature
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat a panini maker over medium-high heat. Spread 1 ounce of cream cheese onto the bottom sides of each bun. Layer strawberries slices over the cream cheese. Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the strawberries. Top each with the remaining bun halves. Grill sandwiches in the panini press until golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes). Halve sandwiches and serve.

The ingredients:

Spread 1 ounce of cream cheese onto the bottom sides of each bun.

Layer strawberries slices over the cream cheese. Evenly sprinkle the chocolate chips over the strawberries.

Top each with the remaining bun halves. Grill sandwiches in the panini press until golden on both sides (about 2-3 minutes).

Halve sandwiches and serve.

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