Friday: Beef and Mushroom Sloppies (with a side of Creamed Corn and Peas)

I've never met anyone who doesn't like a good'ol sloppy joe.  I've made all kinds...from the canned version, to mom's recipe, to some found on the net.  I've never; however, made it with mushrooms.  So, of course, that means we have to try it.  Hubby gave me the thumbs up on this one and onto the menu it went.  Serve it up with a side of sweet potato fries and the Creamed Corn and Peas, and you're good to go!

Beef and Mushroom Sloppy Joe's (recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces ground sirloin (I want to keep it lean so I'll prob buy 90/10)
• 1 (10oz) package presliced cremini mushrooms (Trader Joe's has these cheap!)
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 4 (2-ounce) Kaiser rolls or hamburger buns, toasted

*my note:  We've ALWAYS added shredded mozzerella cheese to our Sloppy Joe's...I think I'll have some on the side...just in case.)  :)

Preparation

• 1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add beef; cook for until nicely browned..should take at least 10 min., stirring to crumble.
• 2. While beef cooks, saute mushrooms, onions and garlic in oil.  Saute until most of the moisture from the mushrooms have been absorbed. 
• 3.  Add tomato paste and next five ingredients to the meat.  Stir to combine.  Keep meat at a simmer.  
• 4.  Add mushroom mixture and combine everything.  Stir in pepper and hot sauce. Spoon about 1 cup beef mixture on bottom half of each bun; top with top halves of buns.
• 
  

Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light
JUNE 2011




Creamed Corn and Peas (without the cream)  - recipe from Kayotic Kitchen
who knew you could have creamed corn and peas and it would actually be healthy!  Use whichever kind of milk you want, I'm sticking with low-fat...but I'm sure whole would give a much richer flavor.

Ingredients:

1 large shallot (or 1/2 a small onion)
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/2 to 2 cups of milk  (I'm going to use low-fat)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup peas (frozen)
1 1/2 cup corn (drained)
4 tbsp grated parmesan
pinch nutmeg 

Directions:

Chop the shallot.  Do the same with the bell pepper. Use whatever color you like. (I like the bright color of the red to mix in with the green and yellow).  

Mix the flour with the mustard powder.  Keep 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk nearby.

Heat the butter and sauté the shallot and bell pepper for about 4 minutes.  Add the flour, stir well and cook for 2 minutes to neutralize the rawness of the flour. Keep stirring.  

Pour in about 1/2 a cup of milk while stirring vigorously.

Bit by bit, you pour in milk until you have a consistency you like. I usually stop at roughly 1 1/2 cup. Don’t make it too thin!

Simmer the sauce for a minute or two.

Season it with 1/2 a tsp salt, a pinch of (freshly grated) nutmeg to taste and about 1/8 tsp pepper.  Then, stir in the frozen peas and corn. 

Let it simmer for 5 minutes, until everything is all bubbly warm.

Stir in the grated Parmesan as a finishing touch. You could also add some dried sage or thyme as well for a bit of extra flavor.  This is a rich tasting side dish without all the fat.  Really yummy!