Not Your Average Sloppy Joe!

It's the end of September and summer has finally arrived in sunny, southern Cal.  Record heat and with record heat, for some of us, comes a loss of electricity and power.  I was one of the not so lucky ones that had partial power yesterday.  It was over 100 degrees and although I lost power in the kitchen, I didn't loose the air conditioner!  Thank goodness for that!  However, my fridge was not so lucky.  I didn't loose much.  I realized the power was out, before my frozen peas and ice cream turned to mush. Eli helped me take much of our perishables to our second fridge/freezer in the garage and eight hours later, the power was back on!

With the day being what it was, I needed something quick, easy and nutritious for dinner. My kids have never really been a fan of Sloppy Joes.  I have tried several homemade recipes and until this one, they couldn't stand it.  So, when they lifted up the lid on the sauce pot and asked what was for dinner, I renamed it.  Instead of them scrunching up their noses and walking away, they asked how soon they could eat (it was 4:45).  I happily said, "now"!

I lightly buttered the buns, wrapped them in foil and stuck them in the oven for a few minutes.  Then unwrapped them and put them under the broiler for just a few seconds.  Roasted some "yam fries" on high heat, cut up some Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, organic sweet onions - sprinkled it with feta and balsamic vinaigrette and voila, dinner in minutes.  Isaac added pickles to his sandwich (of course) and Eli  added Jalapenos.  They each ate two.  This is going to be one of those staple weeknight meals.

Sloppy Joes
adapted from an Gourmet Quick Kitchen

ingredients:
1 15 oz can whole tomatoes in juice, drained
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbls. unsalted butter
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 1/2 lb. organic, ground chuck
1 Tbls. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 Tbls. packed brown sugar
4 potato rolls

instructions:
• heat saucepan over medium heat.  add the butter.
• in the bowl of the food processor* fitted with the metal blade(or chop by hand), pulse the onion and the garlic until finely chopped. add to the melted butter.  saute until very soft, about 5-10 minutes.
• rough chop both the carrot and celery and add to the work bowl of the food processor.  process until finely diced. add to sauteed onions with 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  cook until veggies are soft.
• add drained tomatoes to the food process and puree. set aside.
• once veggies are soft add the meat to the pan and brown, stirring to break up the lumps.  cook until the meat is no longer pink.
• add the chili powder, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of pepper and cook stirring 2 minutes.
• add the pureed tomatoes, wine, Worcestershire sauce, and brown sugar and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 6 minutes.
• season, if needed, to taste and place on buns and eat!

* I use the food processor to chop my veggies because my kids do not like chunks of veggies in their food, unless it is a big bowl of soup!

Yam Fries

ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes
2 Tbls. good olive oil
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
3/4 tsp. ground chili powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

instructions:
• preheat oven to 500*.
• wash, peel and cut sweet potatoes into long match sticks.
• spray a sheet pan with cooking spray.
• mix potatoes with the rest of ingredients and massage spices and oil into the potatoes.
• spread, evenly, in one layer, on the prepared sheet pan and put in the middle of the preheated oven.
• bake for 30 minutes.  rotate pan half way through and turn fries a couple of times during cooking.
• sprinkle with a little sea salt and serve.

Quinoa Falafels

In college, I discovered falafels.  I happen to be a lover of most things fried (unfortunately for me) and eating a falafel with tons of veggies and avocado makes devouring them a bit more acceptable. As I have mentioned in the past, I am a fan of Dave Lieberman and his book;  the 10 things you need to eat, makes me like him all that much more.

Dave taught me a thing or two about quinoa. Most recipes say a 2 to 1 ratio when making most grains.  Yet, with quinoa, this rule does not apply.  However, up until acquiring Dave's book, I was no good at making quinoa and basically, gave up.  His tip: use 1 1/4 cups water to 1 cup quinoa.  Genius!

I like to make a big batch of quinoa and keep it in the fridge.  Not only do I make these amazing falafel balls, but I also love to make quinoa cakes ( similar to a veggie patty) and the quinoa breakfast cereal (here).   The cooked quinoa can stay in the fridge, for about a week. The only down side to this recipe is that they have to be eaten within a short time of making them.  They get a little soggy and don't really keep their texture nor their taste. Too bad for Miguel.  He loves to take his lunch to work and this could be one of those perfect foods.

I like to serve them with fresh whole wheat pita, homemade hummus and a huge Israeli salad!  My kids have fallen in love with these.  And getting this kind of protein in them makes me very happy!

Quinoa + Chickpea Falafel
yield: 30 balls

ingredients:
1 cup chickpea flour
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup cooked quinoa
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
juice of 1/2 lemon
3/4 tsp. black pepper
canola oil for frying

instructions:
• combine chickpea flour, cumin, olive oil, and boiling water in large bowl. mix well with a fork to form a paste.  let sit for about 10 minutes.  add the remaining ingredients except for the canola oil.
• heat the canola oil in a small dutch oven ( i use a small le creuset) on medium heat ( you don't want to burn the oil).  using a deep frying thermometer, heat to 350*
• using a small, 1-2 tablespoon size ice cream scooper, scoop batter to make free formed balls and dump, gently into the hot oil. put 5-6 in the pot at at time.  you don't want to overcrowd the pan and you also don't want to reduce the heat of the oil. cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
• drain on a paper towel lined baking sheet.  repeat with the remaining batter.
• serve at once.
• serve with warm pita, hummus, Israeli salad, eggplant dip, or whatever suits your fancy!

I like to make hummus and keep it in the house.  It is so inexpensive to make and literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish.  And in my opinion, the only way to make an Israeli salad is to chop the veggies really, really fine.  Keeping this on hand keeps me far away from the sweets!

Hummus
yield: 2 cups

ingredients:
1 15oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed twice (reserve the liquid)
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tahini (sesame paste)
4 Tbls. freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of 1/2 lemon
1-2 Tbls. reserved liquid
several dashes of Sriracha (Asian hot sauce)
chopped parsley

instructions:
• put garlic in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to chop.  add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until pureed.  taste for seasoning, add kosher salt and a little pepper to taste.  sprinkle with fresh, chopped parsley.  serve with toasted pita chips and cut up veggies.

Israeli Salad

ingredients:
• 3 Roma tomatoes
• 4 Persian cucumbers
• 1 red bell pepper
• 7 radishes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 Tbls. basil
• juice of one lemon
• dash or two of olive oil
• kosher salt, to taste

instructions:
• chop all veggies super small.  add to the bowl.
• squeeze lemon over veggies.  add olive oil and toss.
• season with salt to taste
• add basil right before eating!
paprika

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

If you want the perfect weekend food, this is it!

Brisket is such a versatile meat.  I like it best, slow cooked.  I make it in the winter time, slow roasted with red wine, orange marmalade, orange zest, garlic and dried herbs.  Yet, in the summer and fall months I like to make it BBQ style and serve it on delicious french bread with a side of Asian Cole Slaw.

The recipe calls for jarred BBQ sauce.  Yet over the past few years I have really become even more conscious of what I am feeding my family.  I have never bought a jarred salad dressing (even in college).  Two reasons why;

• they taste lousy 
• there are way too many things in the ingredients list that I can't pronounce.  

And if I can't pronounce it, I am not going to eat it.  I have come to the conclusion that BBQ sauce is no different. I have decided to make my own.  I make a big batch of it and use it for grilling, marinating, roasting and my kids like to dip their oven baked chicken nuggets ( recipe to come ) in it.

I have been making my brisket this way for 20 years and each time I make it it gets rave reviews.  It is a great Sunday evening meal, creating left overs for the next day.  It is also terrific for a big crowd!

BBQ Brisket
yield: lots of sandwiches!

ingredients:
6 - 7 lbs brisket of beef, grass fed
12 oz homemade BBQ sauce
1 large yellow onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves
dash of paprika
dash of garlic salt
1 28 oz. can of whole tomatoes

instructions:
• preheat oven to 325*
• pat dry the brisket with paper towels.  put in a large dutch oven ( I have a large, oval Le Creuset that I use)
• slice garlic.  make slits in brisket and put slivered garlic in the brisket.  season with garlic salt, paprika, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.
• add sliced onion, tomatoes, and homemade BBQ sauce.
• cover pot and put in oven for 3 1/2 - 4 hours.  check it every 45 minutes and baste.
• remove brisket from the pan and let cool to room temp.  once cooled wrap in foil and refrigerate.
• puree all the sauce from the pan and place in a clean container.  put in fridge until ready to use.
• when ready to serve, slice thin and place in a roasting pan.  cover sliced brisket with pureed sauce (save some for slathering on the bread).  cover roasting pan and put in a 250* preheated oven.  heat brisket when for about 25 minutes or until warm to the touch.
• generally, I make the brisket the day before I want to serve it. this is one of those easy meals; put everything in the pot, put in the oven and forget about it!
p.s.  shred the brisket and put it in fresh corn tortillas with a little bit of pickled onions.  so goooood!

BBQ Sauce
yield: 2 1/2 quarts

ingredients:
1 large yellow onion, diced
9 garlic cloves, minced
3 Tbls. avocado oil
1 Tbls. lemon zest
5 Tbls. fresh lemon juice
4 1/2 cups organic ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
6 Tbls. molasses
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chili powder
4 Tbls. cider vinegar
1 Tbls. chipotles in adobe, pureed
3 cups water

instructions:
• heat pan and add oil.  saute onions and garlic until translucent, about 7 minutes.  add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  let cool completely, then refrigerate.