Smokey Joes

My baby sister, Debbie, has really become quite the cook. She recently got married, so she is enjoying all her new kitchen gadgets, and has been whipping up all kind of Food Network gems. Last week, she sent me a Rachael Ray recipe, for Chipotle Sloppy Joes. It looked pretty simple, and sounded tasty enough, so I bought some ground turkey and put the recipe to the test. First of all, the recipe is incredibly easy to throw together, especially if you are low on ingredients or time. You can really add any veggies to this, though peppers and onions are key. The end result is really flavorful, with just the right blend of smoke, spice, and sweetness. We aren't big on eating sloppy joes on rolls, so I served them over "Un-fried Rice," for Kevin and the kids, and I ate them over a salad. The salad idea was actually great, because it tasted like a Tex-Mex version of a lettuce wrap. I really liked this, but I don't think it was extraordinary enough to serve to company. It was more like a solid, easy weeknight meal. I think this would have been terrific served over baked potatoes (sweet or white), or with couscous or barley. I had leftover white rice to use up, so this worked well for me, but next time, I see sweet pots in the cards!



Make these. They are a great addition to your weeknight repertoire! 3.5 Bowls!

Smokey Joes
Adapted from Rachael Ray

• Cooking spray
• 2 1/2 cups presliced Vidalia or other sweet onion
  
• 1 Chipotle Chili, plus 1 tsp of adobo sauce (use a can!)
  
• 1.5 pounds of ground turkey (or chicken or beef)
  
• 1 red pepper
  
• 3 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• MOST of 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce (Probably about 3/4 of the can)
  
• 5 (1 1/2-ounce) hamburger buns - OR try rice, baked taters, or another grain!)
  

Preparation

1. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion to pan; cover and cook 8 minutes or until golden brown, stirring frequently. Remove onions from the pan.

2. Remove 1 chipotle chile from can; chop and set aside. Reserve remaining chiles and adobo sauce for another use.

3. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add turkey to pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Add bell pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in chopped chipotle chile, adobo sauce, tomato paste, and next 3 ingredients (through tomato sauce); cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/2 cup beef mixture over bottom half of each bun, and top evenly with onions and top half of bun.

Un-Fried Rice

Ingredients:

3 cups of leftover rice

1tsp of Sesame Oil

1/3 cup Shallots

2 tsp of bottled minced ginger

2 tsp bottled minced garlic

1 tablespoon plus 1 tsp of soy sauce

1/4 cup of green onions

Directions:

Saute shallots, garlic, and ginger in the sesame oil for a few minutes, or until shallots are soft. Add anyother veggies you want to include (frozen peas or broccoli, peppers, etc.). Add rice, and drizzle soy sauce over the rice. Heat through. Add green onions and stir to blend.