Healthier Sloppy Joes: Lots of Slop, Not a lot of Meat

This recipe is yet another "make it healthier" comfort recipe, but if you are automatically rejecting the healthier route, can I entice you with "tastier than the real thing" as an ad slogan?

I loved sloppy joes growing up, but I can't eat large amounts of ground beef without feeling sick, so this recipe that asks for a mixture of only 6 oz. of ground beef (or sirloin), kidney beans, and carrot. You get all the great taste of traditional sloppy joes with added fiber and nutrition. When served on whole wheat hamburger buns with fresh side vegetables, this dinner is a promising addition to the "lighter and better for it" dinner category.

Sloppy Joes
(From Mark Bittman's recipe in Cooking Light)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 ounces ground sirloin
1/2 cup grated carrot
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
1 (15.5-ounce) can low-sodium red beans, rinsed, drained, and divided
4 (2-ounce) whole-wheat sandwich rolls, split and toasted
4 (1/4-inch-thick) red onion slices, separated into rings

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, and beef to pan; cook 5 minutes or until meat is browned and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally to crumble beef.
2. Add carrot, chili powder, sugar, oregano, and red pepper; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes or until thickened and carrot is tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Partially mash 1 cup beans with a fork or potato masher. Add mashed beans and remaining whole beans to pan; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Spoon 1 cup bean mixture onto bottom half of each roll; top each serving with 1 red onion slice and top half of roll.

Portabella Mushroom Burgers and Black Bean Couscous with Feta

I love me a good burger, and if there's bacon on it, even better. In fact, if you order a bacon cheeseburger anywhere in the United States, I instantly manifest, wearing a bib and ready to feast. Despite my love for burgers, I also love the veggie options that are currently out there. When I was first introduced to veggie burgers, it was of the tasteless cardboard variety and I never thought a good substitute would make its way to my plate, so I never ordered one again.

That is, until I tasted the Black Bean Chipotle Burger from Morningstar Farms. Don't get me wrong--the texture is somewhat mushy and the patty tends to fall apart if you stare at it too long, and it can never replace the bliss I feel from eating a meat hamburger, but it's pretty darn good compared to the hockey pucks that used to have the veggie market cornered.

My other favorite type of burger is the mushroom burger. Portabella mushrooms are like the meaty burger patty of the fungi world, and the hold marinades pretty well, so if you're one of those who appreciates the juices that flow from a beef patty and are disappointed by the dryness of veggie burgers, try this simple marinade and grill recipe.

In addition, while fries are the standard accompaniment to burgers (and I happen to adore piping hot fried foods in moderation), I decided on couscous with black beans, cherry tomatoes, spinach and feta as a lighter alternative packed with fiber and protein.

Portabella Mushroom Burgers
4 portabella mushroom caps, cleaned
1 shallot, finely minced
1 garlic clove, finely minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. dried oregano
Kosher salt and pepper

1. In a medium bowl, mix shallot, garlic, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Place mushroom caps in a shallow baking dish and pour marinade over to cover. Let stand for 30 minutes, turning the caps over occasionally.

2. Heat a grill pan (I used my George Foreman) to nice and hot. Add mushrooms to grill and cook 3-4 minutes a side. While on grill, place sliced cheese on and allow to melt on mushroom caps. Serve with lettuce, tomato, avocado, caramelized onions, or whatever else floats your boat on a steamed whole wheat bun. Enjoy!


Black Bean Couscous with Feta
1 1/4 cup chicken stock
1 cup couscous
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 medium zucchini, cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 cups baby spinach
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tbsp. feta cheese

1. Heat chicken stock and 1 tbsp. olive oil until it comes to a boil, then add couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let stand while preparing rest of ingredients.

2. Heat remaining olive oil over medium heat. Saute zucchini in oil until soft, about 5-7 minutes. During the last three minutes, add halved cherry tomatoes and saute.

3. Fold zucchini-tomato mixture into couscous, along with baby spinach (I chiffonade the spinach) and black beans. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if necessary.

Shrimp n' beans with couscous

This is one of my absolute favorite meals, aside from the fact that I completely forgot the tomatoes. You see, I usually cut up a whole mess o' cherry tomatoes to throw in right before I throw in the baby spinach in this shrimp n' beans dish. Let's just say there was grading involved in that kerfuffle.

No matter. This is still a light but filling meal that I end up craving even after eating it. Cannellini beans are my favorite beans, and their creaminess lends itself to the soft texture of the couscous. I love a citrus salad on the side; it's the perfect complement.


Shrimp n' Beans with Couscous

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 cups baby spinach (I chiffonade it)
1 cup couscous
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. butter

1. Bring chicken stock and butter to a boil in a saucepan. Add couscous, stir, and cover until ready to serve.
2. Melt olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic to pan and saute until fragrant. Add shrimp and cook on each side until pink (don't overcook; I just barely cook them through).
3. Add cannellini beans and lemon juice to skillet and stir one minute. Add baby spinach and combine until spinach just barely starts to wilt. Salt and pepper (more pepper than salt, please!).
4. Scoop a generous serving of couscous onto a plate and cover with shrimp n' bean mixture.

Note: if you use cherry tomatoes, halve about 14-16 of them and toss them in the skillet along with the cannellini beans.

Sausage and Beans over Polenta

This is my favorite dish to eat in the entire world. I'm really not kidding. When I'm stressed out or feeling under the weather, I immediately start craving cannellini beans and polenta, so over the years I've run to this staple that I've never written down before. For your sake, I took the time to actually record what's in this comfort food.

I last made sausage and beans over polenta during the hurried last stages of writing, when it was still cold out and the puppy was overly rambunctious. These days he's quite the gentleman, even riding in the car. Oh hell, here's a gratuitous shot of Otis looking cute. Recipe follows.

Sausage and Beans over Polenta

4 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained with juices reserved
1-14.5 oz. can cannellini beans (may substitute Great Northern Beans)
3-4 tbsp. Italian parsley, chopped
Fresh ground black pepper
1 recipe polenta

1. Cook sausage in deep skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Set sausage aside and keep warm. Pour all but 1-2 tbsp. drippings from pan and reserve heat to medium.

2. Add onion and garlic to skillet and saute until onions are translucent. Pour in tomatoes and cannellini beans. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved tomato juices; stir to combine.

3. Return sausage to pan and add black pepper and parsley. To serve, ladle beans and sausage over polenta.

Note: I sometimes top with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano if I'm feeling particularly blue. It will make your soul sing.

Polenta, Beans, and Scrambled Eggs or, Everything but the Kitchen Sink

I'm in the midst of a love affair with polenta, and this has to be one of my favorite ways to eat it. Tired of Italian sausage over polenta (post coming soon), I decided to clean out my pantry and fridge for this dish. I wouldn't recommend this if you're on a diet....which I am not. Ever. I like food. Sue me.





Polenta, Beans, and Scrambled Eggs

3 cups water
1 cup polenta
1-14.5 oz. can S&W Pinquitos, drained with liquid reserved
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
4 eggs, beaten
1 avocado, diced

1. Bring 3 cups water to a boil; pour polenta slowly into water, stirring constantly. Continue stirring for 20-25 minutes, or until mixture is thickened and is easily pulled from the side of the pan. Let sit.*

2. Pour pinquitos into saucepan over medium heat; add green onions and enough reserved liquid that the mixture isn't soupy but is lightly sauced. Heat through and add cherry tomatoes.

3. Scramble eggs in a separate pan. To assemble dish, scoop a generous amount of polenta onto plate, cover with a layer of bean mixture and half of the eggs. Place avocado pieces on top.

4. Eat, and then jump on a treadmill.

*Note: polenta has a tendency to spatter if stirring isn't rigorously maintained. I sometimes use a splatter screen or soup pot lid to shield myself and the dogs at my feet from molten polenta lava.