April 19, 2013

roasted sweet potatoes, homemade sauerkraut, rice, and sloppy janes

Let me tell you about my current go-to meal. It's a basic meat 'n' potatoes supper, but for me there's something perfect about the way it tastes right now. It involves ground turkey, red bell pepper, red wine vinegar, garlic, and roasted sweet potatoes. Mmmm.

I first had sloppy janes when my mother-in-law, Judy, made them for a lunch get-together with all of the Harms girls who live 'round here. (There are currently 4 of us nearby. So thankful for Judy and all my sisters-in-law!) The idea is simply sloppy joes made with ground turkey instead of ground beef, but the sauce that goes with it is tangy and so flavorful. I've been playing around with it for the last month and think I've got it where we like it. For me, the roasted sweet potatoes make the meal. Give it a try and let me know what you think. I've always loved sloppy joes (which is the name I was raised on, but around here they're called "barbecues") but these are even better. You can, of course, serve the meat in a sandwich, but I never have buns on hand so I usually just serve it as loose meat or over rice. We always have a spoonful of sauerkraut on our plates at dinnertime, but it goes especially well with the sloppy janes. We could probably finish off half a jar during this meal. A good coleslaw would be great, too. 


Sloppy Janes

1 T. coconut oil or butter
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped red onion
salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. seasonings that you like 
(I just sprinkle in dashes of oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 T. red wine vinegar 
2 T. tomato paste
2 T. mustard 
1 T. honey

Heat a cast iron skillet to medium heat and melt oil or butter. Add pepper and onion, season with salt and pepper, and sautee until almost soft. Add ground turkey and seasonings, more salt and pepper, and break up the turkey with a spatula. Add remaining ingredients, combine well and continue cooking until turkey is fully browned and crumbled. Serve hot on buns, over rice, or alongside roasted sweet potatoes.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel 2 large sweet potatoes and chop into small cubes. Place in a large glass baking dish or a jellyroll pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and plenty of minced garlic. Add a couple spoonfuls of coconut oil on top. Stick the pan in the oven for a minute or two until the oil melts, then use a spatula to toss potatoes until evenly coated with oil. Return to oven and roast for 30-40 minutes, or until lightly browned and crisp. 


Happy Friday to you guys! Hope you have a great weekend full of good to-do lists, good food, and melting snow. (That's what ours will be like, I'm thinking.) 

6 comments:

twinsontherun said...

Do you have a good source for ground turkey? That's one thing I don't have so it would be ground beef for us. Sounds great!

summer said...

@twinsontherun Ground beef would be so good! I know US Wellness Meats sells ground turkey- that would be great stuff. It's pretty spendy, though. We've just been getting whatever the grocery store has lately.

Unknown said...

Might try this over cauliflower rice!

Michelle said...

I've never had a sloppy jane before!

Hayley said...

I need to know more about this homemade sauerkraut bidness.

Julie said...

Made these for dinner tonight. Umm...absolutely fabulous! Loved them. And agreed - sweet potatoes were a great sidekick. :0 Keep all the great recipes coming - I love them. We are also big burrito bowl and stuffed squash fans.

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about this blog

Hello, I'm Summer. A people-loving introvert whose hope and life is in Jesus. His promises are my passion and my ministry is homelife. This blog is a place for me to write about everyday things. Especially food. My favorite thing to do is sit around a table, lingering over a long meal with good conversation. I live with my husband and our 2 littles. We like blizzards, thrifting, grammar, guacamole, cheerful hearts, nice manners, good movies, and making simple, real, nutrient-dense food.

"If Christ be anything, He must be everything."
-C.H. Spurgeon

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