Gluten Free Easy Sloppy Joes Recipe

Sloppy Joes are always a huge favorite for large gatherings.  They are easy to make, and you can whip up a bunch in no time flat!  Here's a recipe that's just as easy, just as fast, AND it's gluten free!

Yes, that is actually a bun!  So you can have your Sloppy Joe and a bun, too!  I buy Udi's brand because it is not only tasty, but the buns themselves hold up well to a wet sandwich, like a Sloppy Joe, or a cheeseburger fresh from the grill, or tuna salad - you get the picture.  They come in 4 packs, which is also very convenient for our family of 4.

So on to the recipe!

SPH Easy Gluten Free Sloppy Joes
2 pounds lean ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 medium bell peppers, diced very fine
1 12-oz. bottle Annie's Naturals Sweet & Spicy Barbecue Sauce
1/2 cup Organicville ketchup
1/2 cup Pacific Organic Beef Broth
1 tablespoon dijon mustard

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Drizzle in a tablespoon or two of olive oil.  Add ground beef, and break it up with a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Continue to brown and stir.  When beef is almost completely browned, drain all but a tablespoon or two of the grease/oil from the pan, and add garlic, onion, and bell pepper.  Stir for a few minutes, til the peppers become a brilliant green color.  Add the barbecue sauce and ketchup.  Pour the beef broth into the barbecue sauce bottle (use a funnel), swirl around to get all the savory goodness loosened from the inside of the bottle, then pour into the pan.  Add the mustard and stir.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Or, pour the contents into a crock pot and let them cook on low for a few hours.  Serve hot.

No minced garlic or dried minced onion?  No problem!  You can use either fresh or dried for both of these ingredients.  I made this recipe with what I had on hand.  Want more kick?  Add some diced fresh jalapeno pepper.

So another great thing about Sloppy Joes is that the recipe is easily doubled or tripled or then-some.  If you are hosting a graduation party or other large family gathering, you can upsize as needed.  Again, the crock pot will be a big help here, keeping everything cooking and hot while you tie up all those last minute loose ends.

Have a great weekend, and enjoy!

Princess Makes It Monday - Happy Chinese New Year!

Some homemade not-takeout tonight - and in the crock pot!

If you have recently gotten the news that you need to go gluten free, or if you are just looking for some delicious, simple recipes, you MUST BUY Stephanie O'Dea's two cookbooks - Make It Fast, Cook It Slow and More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow.  Everything is cooked in the crock pot, and everything is gluten free.  In fact, when Hubby got the news, I knew we'd be fine because I had been following Stephanie's blog.  I had a stack of recipes just from the blog under my apron strings, and we were ready to rock and roll!

So tonight, in honor of Chinese New Year, Princess is making Broccoli Beef, based on the recipe in Make It Fast, Cook It Slow of page 350.

Broccoli Beef
1/4 c. soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos, which are GF)

2 T. dry white wine (we used water)
2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 t. sesame oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced (we used a big spoonful from the jar)

1 T. brown sugar (we used raw turbinado)

1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes (we used a good couple dashed cayenne pepper - use the amount that has your desired heat level)

1 pound beef, cut in thin strips (we used rib steak)

1 16-oz. bag broccoli, defrosted
Hot white rice

If you choose to slice your own beef instead of buying it sliced, cut it while it's partially frozen.  It's way easier to get those really thin slices.  Also, by slicing your own, you can better control the fat of the meat.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for beef.  Stir to coat, then add to crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If your beef is partially frozen, you may want to start it out on high for an hour or 2, then drop the heat.  Steam broccoli, and serve with beef, over rice.

When we do Chinese at home, I make what we call Not Fried Rice.  I picked up this trick from a Rachael Ray recipe.

Not Fried Rice
a few T. olive oil
a few T. butter
1 small onion, diced fine
2 c. white rice
4 c. chicken or beef broth/stock (choose based on what you are serving it with - we are using beef tonight)

Drizzle olive oil into a medium size pan, then add butter.  When butter has melted, add onion and cook til translucent.  Add rice.  Stir and cook for about 1-2 minutes, to get rice really coated with the flavorful oil.  Add broth/stock, cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand for 5 more minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve.  This rice, by the way, is phenomenal in soups, because it brings its own flavor to the table - no more bland white little floaties.

Enjoy your dinner, and as we welcome the Year of the Dragon, may fortunes find their way to you.  Take good care of yourself in the year ahead.  Wishing you successes, longevity and health!