Homemade Veggie Packed Sloppy Joes

So growing up Sloppy Joes were pretty much a staple in our house and I was telling my boyfriend last night after making dinner that I didn't even know there was canned sloppy joe mix until I was 18 or older. My mom always made the sauce herself, not from scratch but just mixting BBQ sauce and ketchup. I think doing it yourself, especially with your favorite BBQ sauce makes it way better! 

So here is my super easy Sloppy Joe recipe and I like to fill it with lots of veggies

Ingredients 

• 1 lb ground beef (I used 90/10)
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/2 green bell pepper (use whichever you like best)
• 1/2 onion (red or white)
• Ketchup (about 1/2 cup)
• BBQ Sauce (about 1/2 cup)
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne 

Directions

• Chop veggies to the size of your liking. If you have little ones and are trying to disguise the veggies use a food processor 
• Put meat and chopped veggies in pan on medium. You don't need to add oil because of the fat in the meat. 
• Break apart ground beef, add a few pinches of each seasoning, and and stir often until meat is browned. About 15 minutes 
• If you are using a lean meat you may not need to drain it and can keep the little bit of fat for flavor, if it is a higher fat percentage drain it and return to stove
• Add ketchup and BBQ sauce, cover, and simmer on low for 10 minutes 
• Add to bun or bread of choice and enjoy (with lots of napkins)

Super easy since it cooks all together

So tasty and so sloppy 

 

So ketchup is ketchup as I see it but I LOVE Kinder's BBQ Sauce. This one isn't very hot but has such a good flavor, if you see if in stores near you give it a try.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

I make this ALL the time but have been forgetting to take pictures and post the recipe. It's super easy and versatile. I've listed the ingredients that I used this past time and that you see in the picture but I've also mixed it up with mexican seasoning, cheese, italian seasoning, sriracha and ginger, and other stuff. Basically whatever seasoning you like. Also this is a GREAT staple to substitute pastas/rice. For a quick dinner the other night I made this,heated up some chicken meatballs, and added a little sauce. It was tasty, filling, and satisfying without all the extra carbs.

Ingredients

• Cauliflower (has better taste if you use it the day, or soon after, you buy it. Sometimes it can taste funny after sitting in the fridge for a few days.)
• Olive oil - couple tablespoons for each half head of cauliflower
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, dash of cayenne pepper
• Parmesan Cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Cut cauliflower into florets
• place in pan or on baking sheet
• Coat with olive oil and seasoning of choice
• Bake 7 min. Take out and toss. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and place back in oven
• Bake additional 7 minutes or so and remove. Top with a little bit more cheese and enjoy

When I do it my florets look like this...

And the final product!

Sweet and Savory Crusted Brussels Sprouts

More Brussels Sprouts! 

So I made brussels sprouts again because I am obsessed. These were so good and the crumb topping was awesome. Here are the quick and easy directions... if you want just normal baked ones go here

Ingredients

• Brussels sprouts
• Olive oil
•  1 slice whole wheat bread (1 slice for every 12 or so sprouts)
• Melted butter or margarine (about 1/4 cup)
• Flavor of choice: I added about 2 Tbsp Blackberry Jam so a little sweet and savory
• Parmesan cheese. I just use the crumbly stuff that comes in the shaker
• Seasoning: salt, pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper

Directions

• Heat oven to 425
• Rinse, trim ends, and cut brussels sprouts in half
• Place in pan and coat with olive oil and seasoning. Turn cut side down
• Bake with cut side down for 10 minutes
• While they are baking make your crumb topping:
• If you have a food processor you can use that but I just took off the crust and rolled the piece of bread between my hands until they fell apart into little crumbs.
• Add melted butter or margarine, a few good shakes of parmesan cheese, and 2 Tbsp of jam.
• Mix together
• Once they have cooked for 10 minutes pull out, flip so they are cut side up and add packed spoonfuls of topping to each one. I used my hands because it was easier that way
• Bake for another 10 minutes
• Enjoy :)

Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I had never tried brussels sprouts until this year and I REALLY liked them! Each time that I've had them now they have been oven roasted so I decided to make my own and see how they turned out. You can try lots of different substitutions but I'll give you the recipe I did last night with pictures and also suggest some other ideas to switch it up.

Ingredients

• Brussels Sprouts
• Olive oil (the more generous you pour it the tastier--but also more calories... find your own happy medium)
• Seasoning: Salt, pepper, garlic powder (optional)
• Sierra Nevada Honey Spice Mustard (sooo good, if you don't have this look at some of the other substitutions listed blow)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Wash, trim and cut brussels sprouts in half
• Put sprouts and loose leaves in pan or on baking sheet and top with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder. Drip a couple tablespoons of honey mustard over sprouts, trying to get a little on all the halves.
• Use spatula to mix everything so sprouts are coated evenly
• Place in oven and cook for 15-20 minutes tossing once about half way through. If doing a larger batch may need to cook for longer (20-30 min). I typically just make enough for myself.
• Enjoy. The loose leaves will get pretty crispy but they are tasty.

Other Ideas

If you don't like, or have, honey mustard you can also try some of the following to add some flavor:

• Drizzle some balsamic vinegar (syrupy) when finished cooking and toss again
• Add rosemary when seasoning and then toss with parmesan cheese before serving
• Use fresh minced garlic cloves in the recipe
• Add sriracha and toss before cooking--careful it has a little kick
• Sriracha, honey, and lime.
• Let me know if you know any other good recipes!