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.

Zucchini Ricotta Tart

I made this tart last week and I seriously can't stop thinking about it.  I have a little ricotta in the fridge as well as some zucchini's and I may just have to whip one up today to accompany tonight's dinner.  I found this recipe on Heidi Swanson's blog; 101 Cookbooks.  I did not file this recipe in my ever growing folder of "things to make", instead it lived on my kitchen counter to remind me that this was something I wanted to eat, immediately.

I made the crust in advance and then just assembled the tart a few hours before baking and serving.  Generally, I am a huge fan of everything Heidi.  However, this crust just did not work for me (or my guests).  I was perfectly content eating a crust less tart, however next time I am going to opt for a cornmeal crust.  I think a cornmeal crust will be the perfect compliment to this rich, yet light, savory, and delicious tart.  I may even make minis (5") and freeze them.  Pair this with a wonderful field greens salad and one has the perfect lunch!

Lasagna Tart
adapted from here
yield: 8-12 servings

Tomato Sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. olive oil
dash of red pepper flakes
pinch of kosher salt
1 14oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 Tbls. heavy cream
2 medium zucchini, sliced very thin ( I used a mandoline)
sea salt

instructions:
• make crust of your choice.  I am going to try this one, next time (here) and add a little Parmesan cheese to it.
• preheat oven to 375*
• slice the zucchini's very thin and set in a colander.  sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and set colander over a bowl.  let them sweat while you make the tomato sauce.
• set a small saucepan on the stove.  add the garlic, olive oil, red pepper flakes and the salt and turn the heat on to medium-high.  cook until the garlic starts to sizzle.  stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer and turn down heat.  let simmer for 15-20 minutes.  remove (this can be done a day ahead).
• combine the ricotta, heavy cream, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• pat the zucchini dry.
• to assemble the tart; spread half of the ricotta mixture on to the tart shell. spoon half the sauce over that and then arrange the zucchini circles over the first layer of sauce.  repeat this layer one more time, using up all your ingredients. sprinkle, generously with fresh, grated Parmesan.
• place the tart on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 40 minutes or until the tart is cooked through.  remove from the oven and let cool for about 1o minutes before serving.

• we ate it at room temperature and it was simply scrumptious!