Ultimate Sloppy Joes Sandwiches

This is another recipe from a chef who appeared on Oprah's show featuring "Easy Family Recipes". I've never made Sloppy Joes' (an American dinner classic for all you non-Yanks) from scratch before, but they were so easy and delicious that I'm a total convert. The recipe calls for ground/mince turkey, but if you don't have turkey on hand, it's just as tasty with beef.

Ingredients:

Extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced
1 1/2 pounds (750g) lean ground turkey or beef

Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

2 cups (500ml) ketchup
1/4 cup (60ml) yellow mustard

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar

whole wheat hamburger buns

Directions:

1. Set a heavy-based pot over medium-high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent. 2. Add ground turkey or beef, season well with salt and pepper and brown well all over, breaking it up with a wooden spoon—about 7 to 10 minutes. 3. Add ketchup, mustard, cayenne, brown sugar and tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Finish with a splash of apple cider vinegar and season it once more before serving on toasted whole wheat hamburger buns.

Mom's Hearty Minestrone Soup

My mom used to make this hearty soup every Halloween and we kids weren't allowed to go out trick-or-treating until we'd finished a big, warm bowlful of it. Depending on how much stock you add, it can be really thick (almost like a stew) or thinned out. Great with garlic bread!

Ingredients: (makes 8-10 servings)

3 Tbsp (40g) butter

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup peeled, diced potato

1 small jar spaghetti bolognese sauce (vegetarian)

1 can pinto or kidney beans

1/2 lb. (250g) dry spaghetti, broken into thirds

1 chopped white onion

1 cup chopped carrots

4 cans (1500ml) beef broth/stock

1 lb. (500g) ground (mince) turkey or beef

1/2 head shredded cabbage

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large soup pot, add celery, carrots and onions. Cook until tender but not brown.

2. Cook meat in a separate pan until browned and drain (if desired).

3. Add meat, potatoes, bolognese sauce, and broth to vegetable pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. Add dry spaghetti, undrained beans, and cabbage. Cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve. Flavors get even better the next day.

Leftover Turkey & Mash 'Cottage Pie'

If any of you in the U.S. have leftover turkey and mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving, like I do, then this is the perfect recipe! I got inspiration from this recipe on CD Kitchen, but modified it a bit, and made it today in about 15 minutes + baking time. My version is below:

Turkey & Mash 'Cottage Pie' (Serve's 4-6)

Ingredients:

1/4 c. butter or margarine

1/4 c. plain flour

1 pouch dry Lipton Onion Soup Mix

3 cups water

1 pouch dry Turkey Gravy w/parsley & sage

2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cut up into bite sized pieces

1 (10oz) package fresh or frozen chopped mixed vegetables (ideally onion, celery, and carrots)

3/4 c. frozen peas

Any loose leftover stuffing or glazed pearl onions

2-3 c. mashed potatoes

Directions: Preheat oven to 350F/180C. In a large saucepan over med.-high heat., melt the butter, then add the flour and stir constantly for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Mix onion soup mix, gravy mix and water thoroughly in a large bowl and add to flour mixture in pan. Stir until thickened. Mix in vegetables, turkey, peas, stuffing and onions (if using) and heat through.

Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole dish (8 x 8 x 2 worked for me) and spread mashed potatoes evenly across the top. You can spray a little olive oil over the potatoes or drizzle a little melted butter if you like, then bake the dish for 30 minutes, or until bubbling. You can also crank up the heat and broil the potatoes for the last few minutes to give them a golden brown crust.