Homemade Sloppy Joes

August 29th, 2011 Nancy

I have enjoyed sloppy joes since the early days of marriage when I didn’t know how to cook anything unless it came out of a box or can.  When I made a commitment to limit high fructose corn syrup in our families diet, I had to say goodbye to my friend Manwich.

I have tried several homemade recipes that were OK, but they just didn’t do it for me.  Then I found this recipe: Sloppy Joes…The Real Food Way.  I love the title.  I love the recipe.  My search for a good homemade sloppy joe recipe has ended.

While there are bold and spicy sloppy joes, I prefer sweet ones.  This recipe satisfies my sweet tooth.  It’s super easy to throw together and I always have the ingredients on hand.

I tweaked the recipe a bit to simplify it even more.  I also added a can of red beans to stretch the meal a bit.  (You can read how I also do this in my spaghetti sauce here.)

Homemade Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Ground Beef
  • 1/2 cup Bell Pepper, chopped (optional)
  • 1/2 cup Onion, chopped
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, pressed or minced
  • 1 14.5 oz can of Red Beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
  • 5 Tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 1 cup Broth
  • 1/2 cup Honey
  • 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Tamari Sauce  (Soy-free recipes here and here or leave it out and extra salt)
  • 1/2 Tbsp Chile Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Mustard
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. In a skillet cook ground beef until brown.
  2. Add peppers, onions and garlic and cook until soft.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
  4. Serve on allergy-friendly bread or in a baked potato.

You may also enjoy Easy Pulled Barbecue Chicken and Nancy’s Green Beans and Sausage.

This post is part of Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday, Monday Mania, Mangia Monday, Make a Food”e” Friend, Mingle Monday,  Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival,  Made By You Monday, This Weeks Cravings, Homemaker Monday, Hunk of Meat Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Made From Scratch Tuesday,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Delectable Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, $5 Dinner Challenge, Tip Me Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays , Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Domestically Divine, Tackle it Tuesday, {TITUS 2}SDAYS, Delicious Dishes, show me what ya got, Tuesday Time Out Link Up, Gratituesday, Tea Party Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday, Let’s Do Brunch, Tuesday Tasty Tidbits, Traditional Tuesday, Fat Tuesday

 

Posted in Allergy Friendly Recipes, Beef, Main Dish Tags: , , , , , 20 Comments »

Menu Plan Monday – August 29, 2011

August 28th, 2011 Nancy

Here’s what we are planning for dinner:

Monday – Orange Chicken and Rice made from leftover Orange, Honey and Cumin Roasted Chicken and broth 

Tuesday – Italian Roast Wraps

Wednesday – Maple Dijon Crockpot Chicken

Thursday – Spaghetti

Friday – Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos

Saturday – Beefy Zucchini

Sunday – Leftover Buffet

What’s on your menu this week?

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.

Posted in Menu Plan Monday Comments Off on Menu Plan Monday – August 29, 2011

{Giveaway} Tropical Traditions Winner Announced and Free Shipping

August 28th, 2011 Nancy

The winner of the Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening is Anne@ Quick and Easy Quick and Healthy!   Congratulations Anne!

If you did not win and still want to try Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening, you are in luck.  They are offering free shipping until midnight August 29th.  Just click here and use shipping code 290811.

Posted in Giveaway Comments Off on {Giveaway} Tropical Traditions Winner Announced and Free Shipping

Fresh Summer Corn Salad

August 25th, 2011 Nancy

Welcome to the final recipe in our Simple Sides series.  I hope you have enjoyed this series as much as I have.  So far we’ve had some Beautiful Tomato & Basil Bruschetta, Refreshing Melon Citrus Salad and a lovely Mango Summer Salad. 

This week I offer you this Fresh Summer Corn Salad…  

This recipe can be made year round using frozen corn and tomatoes from the supermarket but it really shines with fresh in season produce from your garden or local farmer’s market. 

Is there anything that says summer more than fresh corn on the cob and homegrown tomatoes?  Throw in some chopped bell pepper, onion and cilantro and toss them with a simple dressing made of lime juice and olive oil and you have a delightful summer side dish with a zing. 

If you have any leftovers, add some gluten-free taco seasoning and transform your salad into a Mexican corn salad.  Special thanks to Tatertots & Jello for sharing this recipe!

Fresh Summer Corn Salad

Ingredients:

  • 8 ears of Sweet Corn cut off the cob or 4 cups of Frozen Corn, thawed
  • 1 Large Red Pepper, chopped
  • 1 Red or Vidalia Onion, chopped
  • 25 Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/3 cup Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/3 cup Lime Juice
  • 1/3 cup Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

Optional Add-ins:

  • Avocado, chopped
  • 15 oz Black Beans, rinsed
  • 2-4 Tbsp Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning

Directions:

  1. Cut the corn off the cob.  The easiest and mess free way to do this is to stick the cob it in the center of a bundt pan and cut away.
  2. In a large bowl, gently combine all the produce (corn, pepper, onion, tomatoes, and cilantro).
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the lime and olive oil together.
  4. Liberally salt and pepper the corn mixture and add the dressing to the salad.  Toss gently and chill.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Take a minute to enter to win one gallon of Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening while you are here.

You may also enjoy Asian Chicken Salad and Grilled Asparagus and Artichoke Salad.

Posted in Allergy Friendly Recipes, Side Dishes Tags: , , , , , , 12 Comments »

{Giveaway} Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening

August 24th, 2011 Nancy

I’m so excited to be hosting our first giveaway!  Tropical Traditions asked me to pick a product from their line to review and giveaway.  I knew immediately I wanted to give away palm shortening.  Why?  Because I use Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening almost everyday.

When I first began my journey into real food, I had a hard time finding a local source for all the goodies I had read about.  Eventually I joined a local buying club.  I sheepishly walked in and stared at the wall of fats.  There was expeller pressed coconut oil, virgin coconut oil, virgin olive oil, palm shortening and ghee.  The club leader suggested new members start off with palm shortening.  I took his advice and I am so glad I did. 

 

 Here’s why I love Palm Shortening:

  • It’s not hydrogenized and it’s trans fat free.
  • It’s tasteless and colorless.  This makes it extremely versatile. 
  • It’s affordable.  One gallon of Tropical Traditions Palm Shortening retails for $30.65.  Compare that to expeller pressed coconut oil (the lowest grade TT carries) at $44 and the savings is obvious. 
  • It’s shelf stable.  Palm shortening is a solid and melts at 97 degrees F.  It is a great substitute for vegetable shortening (Crisco).
  • It’s not prone to rancidity.  It is safe to use at high temperatures.  I do all my frying in palm shortening.

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Posted in Giveaway Tags: 39 Comments »

Orange, Honey and Cumin Roasted Chicken

August 23rd, 2011 Nancy

 

I shared before that I am trying to cook one locally pastured chicken per week.  This week I tried a new recipe from the New York Times: Roast Chicken with Cumin, Honey and Orange.

This marinade is gooood!  The orange and honey work perfectly together to make my sweet tooth happy, while the cumin gives a subtle savory taste.

This marinade is incredibley quick to throw together.  I measured and mixed the three ingredients into a one cup liquid measuring cup so as not to dirty any more dishes than necessary.

My only complaint about this recipe is that the meat was not as flavorful and moist as I would have liked.  Even though I separated the skin from the breast and poured the marinade underneath the skin, most of the flavor remained in the skin.   Dipping the meat in the drippings cured that problem. Seriously, I could eat the meat with the drippings on it everyday. I really like this marinade!

I carmelized some vidalia onions (saute them until they become brown and soft) in the chicken drippings and whipped up some smashed potatoes.

I scooped some potatoes in a dish, topped with chicken and onions and covered with more drippings.  Mmmm, good!

Update:  I highly recommend making chicken stock with the leftover bones.  You can read how here.  I think the stock and leftover meat would be divine in this Bourbon Chicken Recipe.

 

 

Orange, Honey and Cumin Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Orange Juice
  • 1/2 cup Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Cumin
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Whole Chicken or 4-5 pounds Chicken Parts

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Combine orange juice, honey and cumin.  Whisk until well blended.
  3. Place chicken (with giblets removed!) in a roasting pan.  Pour marinade all over the chicken.  Pour inside the bird.  Loosen the skin around the breast by sliding your hand between the skin and breast.  Pour some marinade in there.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes per pound, basting every 10-20 minutes.  Let rest 15-20 minutes before carving.

 

 

You may also enjoy Rotisserie Chicken in the CrockPot, Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken in the CrockPot and Mojo Chicken in the CrockPot.

 

 

 

This post is part of Melt in Your Mouth Mondays, Mouthwatering Monday, Monday Mania, Mangia Monday, Make a Food”e” Friend, Mingle Monday,  Weekend Gourmet Blog Carnival,  Made By You Monday, This Weeks Cravings, Homemaker Monday, Hunk of Meat Monday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Made From Scratch Tuesday,  Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Delectable Tuesday, Tuesdays at the Table, $5 Dinner Challenge, Tip Me Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays , Totally Tasty Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday Parade of Foods, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Domestically Divine, Tackle it Tuesday, {TITUS 2}SDAYS, Delicious Dishes, Gratituesday, Tea Party Tuesday, Let’s Do Brunch, Tuesday Tasty Tidbits, Traditional Tuesday, What’s on the Menu, Made it on Monday, Whatcha Makin’ Wednesdays, Gluten Free Wednesdays, Real Food Wednesdays, What’s on Your Plate, What’s Cooking Wednesday, What We’re Eating Wednesday, Show and Tell,  Works for Me Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Creative Juice, Foodie Wednesday, Healthy 2day, Inspired by You Wednesdays, Let’s Do Brunch, Cast Party Wednesday

Posted in Allergy Friendly Recipes, Chicken, Main Dish Tags: , , , , , , , 18 Comments »

Menu Plan Monday: August 21, 2011

August 21st, 2011 Nancy

 

Happpy Monday!  I have a full week planned for Real Food, Allergy Free.  I’ll be sharing a new chicken recipe, anouncing a giveaway and hosting the final installment of our simple sides series.  I hope you’ll check back often.

Here’s what we are planning for dinner this week:

Monday – Rotisserie Chicken in the CrockPot with Potatoes and Green Beans

Tuesday – Tacos using Gluten-Free Taco Seasoning, Fresh Mexican Corn Salad

Wednesday – Summer Squash and Chicken Skillet (Use leftover rotisserie chicken.  Yes, we are still swimming in squash!)

Thursday –  Easy Pulled Barbecue Chicken Beef, Broccoli

Friday – Chicken Fried Rice and Peas (Use leftover rotisserie chicken.)

Saturday – Sloppy Joes, Honey Carrots

Sunday – Leftover Buffet

What’s on your menu this week?

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.

Posted in Menu Plan Monday 4 Comments »

Simple Sides: Mango Summer Salad

August 18th, 2011 Nancy

It’s time for some bloggy friends and I to share some simple summer side dishes with you.  So far we’ve had some Beautiful Tomato & Basil Bruschetta and Refreshing Melon Citrus Salad.

Up this week is Mary from Bare Feet in the Kitchen.  I love the name of her blog.  I have to admit, there is no way I’m going bare foot in my kitchen.  At any given moment you could step on a crayon or a grape (yuck!).  Be careful by my fridge ’cause you might slip on a melted ice cube!

This week Mary is sharing this Mango Summer Salad.

Mary writes…

In the summertime especially, I’m a huge fan of fresh fruit in our salads. Whether it’s a Strawberry Spinach Salad, Spring Salad with Poppyseed Dressing, Red Wine and Honey Salad with Fruit, or Cashew Chicken Salad with Grapes, there is often fruit in our salads or in the dressings.

Since I’m not a huge dressing fan, I must have friut in my salad.  I have a mango sitting in my fridge.  I may have to have this salad for lunch today!



Stay tuned next week for the final simple sides recipe brought to you by yours truly!

Posted in Allergy Friendly Recipes, Side Dishes Tags: 2 Comments »

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

August 16th, 2011 Nancy

A few weeks ago, I saw a sweet potato and black bean burrito recipe.   Being a sweet potato lover, the recipe interested me.  I added the idea to the bottom of my mental “recipes to try” list.

Also on my long list of recipes to try, was mole sauce.  Mole sauce has always intrigued me.  Mole sauce is a brown/red sauce that originated in Mexico.  There are many legends about how the sauce was first created.

The most common version of the legend takes place at the Convent of Santa Rosa in Puebla sometime early in the colonial period. Upon hearing that the archbishop was going to visit, the convent nuns went into a panic because they were poor and had almost nothing to prepare. The nuns prayed and brought together the little bits of what they did have, chili peppers, spices, day-old bread nuts and a little chocolate and more. They killed an old turkey they had, cooked it and put the sauce on top; and the archbishop loved it.[3] Wikipedia

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Posted in Allergy Friendly Recipes, Main Dish, Meatless Tags: , , , , , , 36 Comments »

Menu Plan Monday – August 15, 2011

August 15th, 2011 Nancy

 

Here’s what we are planning for dinner:

Monday – Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

Tuesday – Citrus Honey Chicken, Breaded Zucchini Spears

Wednesday – 5 Minute Spaghetti Sauce

Thursday – Chicken Fajitas

Friday – Beefy Zucchini

Saturday – Pancakes, Sausage and Friut

Sunday – Leftover Buffet

What’s on your menu this week?

This post is part of Menu Plan Monday.

Posted in Menu Plan Monday Comments Off on Menu Plan Monday – August 15, 2011
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