Celebratory Sloppy Joes

Did you all have a wonderful 4th of July? We found ourselves doing the family potluck thing, but with a little spin this year. Instead of just gathering for the grub, we met together early in the morning to redo the landscaping at the family patriarch's home.

Who knew that holiday family time could be more than just casual conversation and random food?

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Though I took Quinoa Vegetable Salad and a Celery and Apple Salad to our little get together, these Sloppy Joes make for a wonderful dish to take to a get-together or just to serve the immediate family. They're so tasty your family will never guess they're good for you, too.

We've been talking about alfalfa this month and the many benefits it can bring to your health. Alfalfa is very easy for the body to assimilate and boasts of vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, sodium, silicon, biotin, and folic acid.

::WHEW::

I like to think of alfalfa as the spirulina of the land... but minus the pond-scum taste.  And in this recipe, it offers wonderful health benefits without affecting flavor. At all. It's like having your cake and eating it, too. Mmm... cake.

Anyway... let's talk taste. As you may remember, I have a husband who hates condiments of any kind. Yes, that includes the staple of any American diet: ketchup. Prior to discovering this recipe, his diet preferences kept sloppy joes off our menu.

A sad situation, I know.

But no longer. This recipe offers an amazing twist to the traditional sloppy joe with a kick to boot. The addition of cinnamon is perhaps the most unique aspect of this recipe and honestly that's what I love about the recipe. And even though it includes a wee bit of ketchup, my husband didn't even notice. It's just that good.

We served up our sloppy joes on homemade pitas. Kinda negates the "sloppy" factor, I guess. Yum! If you like a little pizzaz to your joe, add 1 T of white vinegar along with the tomato paste and ketchup. And get ready to wow the crowd at your next gathering.

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Celebratory Sloppy Joes

by the Nourishing Herbalist

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 T. coconut or olive oil
• 1 lb grass-fed ground beef
• 2 t. chili powder
• 1 t. roasted ground cumin
• 1 t. ground cinnamon
• 1 t. salt
• 2 T. alfalfa, dried
• 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 T. molasses
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup water
• (optional) 1 T. white vinegar

Instructions

1. Place onions, peppers, garlic in oil in a cast iron pan and saute until softened. 2. Add ground beef and cook until nearly done, chopping at the meat as you go to achieve small clumps. 3. Add water, tomato paste, ketchup, and molasses.4. Stir in remaining spices and simmer for 5 minutes or until desired consistency is reached. Serve with buns or pita pockets.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 10 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4 Servings

Recipe adapted from Pinch My Salt.

This recipe has been shared at Thank Your Body Thursday, Tasty Traditions, Simple Lives Thursday, Make Your Own Monday, Mouthwatering Monday, Better Mom Monday, Recipe Sharing Monday, Teach Me Tuesdays, Fat Tuesdays, Melt In Your Mouth Monday, Natural Living Link-Up and Welcome Home Wednesday.