Sloppys Joes night!

I make my sloppy joes with ground turkey and they still taste alright to me! Normally I admit I cheat and use Manwich
But today since I did not have that and wanted an even healthier alternative I started experimenting with what I had! :)

2 lbs lean ground turkey
2 T dried onion flakes
4-6 T Worcestershire sauce (I do this to taste mainly)
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp powdered ginger
1/2 c ketchup
2 tsp dried ground garlic
1 package of thinwiches or sara lee hamburger thins

Brown turkey with onion, then add other ingredients save for the buns.
Let sit for a few minutes to sauce to thicken and serve on buns.

In a pinch if you forget....

Soooooo while meal planning, totally blanked that don't have any BBQ sauce!
So here's a handy dandy recipe for some!

Yummy BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup Ketchup
1 Small onion chopped
1/4 cup White Vinegar
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
2 TBSP Mustard
2 TBSP Molasses
1 Garlic clove minced
Red pepper flakes to taste (optional)



Directions
Start with butter in sauce pan then add onions. Let them cook just a few minutes until a little soft. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for about 15 minutes to thicken.

Number of Servings: 24

Low fat and still yummy!

This one is thanks to spark people's recipe book, pulled chicken BBQ sandwiches made easy!

Ingredients

* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* A dash of salt and pepper
* 14 Tbsp (about a half bottle) KC Masterpiece Low Calorie Classic Blend BBQ Sauce
* 6 whole wheat hamburger buns



Directions
Place chicken breasts, along with salt and pepper to taste, in a large pot of water and boil until fully cooked through. (Time will vary depending on whether you are using fresh or frozen chicken.)


Once the chicken is cooked, use a fork to pull the meat apart so it is thickly shredded. (Shredding too finely will cause the sandwich to become mushy once sauce is added.) Place pulled chicken in a large bowl.


Add a half bottle (approx. 7 servings worth, or about 14 tbsp.) of BBQ sauce. Toss until chicken is coated.


Distribute chicken evenly onto buns. You may choose to toast the buns first, or add toppings like lettuce or red onion to the mixture, or spread a small amount of the sauce right onto the bun before assembling. This delicious alternative to the classic bbq sandwich will be a hit any way you serve it!


Makes about 6 sandwiches

crock pot casseroles

I am a huge fan of crock pots, this weekend I used mine yet again to make a chicken and black bean casserole of sorts.
Instead of cutting up the chicken though I laid the half breast pieces flat on the bottom of the crock pot and piled everything else on top of them.

Ingredients

1 can organic black beans
1 cup of frozen organic sweet corn
2 cups of dry long grain white rice
4 chicken breasts (1/2 pieces from Foster Farms all natural packs) ** you can shred or cut up to mix, I left mine whole**
1 cup of medium salsa (I used Herdez salsa)
2 cups of water or chicken broth for rice

Place chicken in crock pot if left whole, otherwise just layer in with rice, beans and veggies lasagna style.
Since I left my chicken whole I put it in first, then the rice with liquid to moisten, black beans, corn and then topped it all with the salsa.
Set crock pot on low for 10-12 hrs or high for 4-6 hrs.
When rice is soft mix all together.

Lamb chops play along!

Ok so the title MIGHT be a little sick sounding to those of you who remember the show.....especially since this is about how to cook a lamb chop! ha ha ha

Herb and Garlic Lamb chop

Ingredients

1 4-ounce lamb chop
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 clove of garlic, mashed



Directions
Preheat a grill or broiler to high.

Rub the olive oil over the entire lamb chop.

Mix the rosemary, salt, pepper and garlic and rub over the chop.

Grill, turning once, until personal level of doneness is achieved, 10-15 minutes.

Number of Servings: 1

Charoset for the seder

I got this recipe from Spark people.com but have tweaked it a little bit to fit with what I have handy.
Though tasty it is a little muddy looking which is the point! Charoset is supposed to represent the mud/straw mixture that the Israelites used to make bricks or mortar for the buildings they had to make as slaves for Pharaoh.

Ingredients

6 apples, unpeeled
2 cup ground walnuts (I will use almonds as I'm allergic to walnuts)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
Passover wine to moisten (I will use juice instead since we don't drink)
Honey to taste



Directions
Chop apples (do not peel).

Grind walnuts in food processor to make powdery substance.

Combine apples and nuts in bowl and stir in wine. Add enough wine so that the nuts create an almost paste. Add honey to sweeten.

Chill for at least 2 hours. Add more wine and/or honey as necessary.


Number of Servings: 16

Passover Seder

When I was younger my girls group Missionettes used to observe passover somewhat.
Being a Protestant church there wasn't a heavy emphasis on it but because we studied the old testament women we did talk about some of the festivals that they celebrated as well.
The other day I realized my kids didn't know what passover really was, they had no idea that Jews today and some Christians still celebrated the release of God's people from Egypt or how today as a remembrance of Jesus's last supper.
So today and tomorrow I plan on making a few dishes that reflect on passover and hope to teach my children a little bible history through taste and story.

Unleavened Bread for Lord's Supper or Passover

Ingredients

Whole Wheat Flour, 4 cups
Cilantro, 2 heaping teaspoons
Salt, 1 level teaspoon
Canola Oil, 3/4 cup
Water, 3/4 cup



Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a cookie sheet.

Chop fine or crush the cilantro and then mix it with the salt. Add this to the flour.

Add the oil to the flour and mix well.

Pour the water into the flour mixture and knead lightly. It will be ready when the dough is no longer sticky. Add extra water 1 tablespoon at a time if the dough is too dry.

Use a rolling pin to roll the unleavened bread dough out on a lightly-floured surface. Flatten the dough to about ½ inch in thickness. Try to make the shape as close as possible to the shape of the pre-greased cookie sheet.

Put the dough on the cookie sheet and cut into triangles or squares. Bake the unleavened bread for 15 to 20 minutes. It will be dry in consistency like a cracker.

Makes around 36 cracker size pieces. Serving size is one cracker.


Number of Servings: 36