Healthy Sloppy Joes

Although opening a can of store-bought Sloppy Joe mix is very easy, this recipe only takes an hour to prepare all 4 batches. However, I feel all warm and cozy knowing that I am eating a serving of Cauliflower with this homemade version. GO FIBER!

The key ingredient to this recipe is pureed cauliflower. Each batch uses 1 cup of puree, which is about 1/2 of a head of cauliflower. If you are accepting The Suburban Challenge and you are making four batches (1 to consume and 3 to freeze) then you will need 2 heads of cauliflower.  However, due to the labor involved for steaming and pureeing, go ahead and do 3 heads of cauliflower.  I sat aside the 4 cups I needed for the Sloppy Joes and then blended 10 oz. of breast milk (you can use formula or water) into the remaining cauliflower and made baby food. If baby food is no longer on your "To Do" list - then freeze the remaining cauliflower for future use.  (Mix into instant Mashed Potatoes to fool the family.)

The 4 cups for the 4 batches of Sloppy Joes are on the right and the baby food is on the left.  I freeze baby food in ice trays, then store them in a plastic bag. One 'ice cube' is about 2 tablespoons of food - a perfect serving.
To Prepare Cauliflower: Cut off cauliflower florets and steam for approximately 20 minutes, or until Cauliflower can be mashed with the back of a spoon. Then puree in a food processor.
I did this step two days before I actually had time to make the Sloppy Joes.

Grocery List: (For the Challenge)Olive Oil
4 onions
4 lbs. ground turkey
4 cups cauliflower, pureed
2 cups Beef Broth
8 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
4 8oz cans of Tomato Sauce
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 teaspoons Paprika
4 teaspoons Chili Powder
8 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

To Prepare 1 Batch:
1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium high heat in a large fry pan. Add one chopped onion and cook until onion beings to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and brown.
2. Once meat is browned add 1 cup cauliflower, 1/2 cup of beef broth, 2 tbs tomato paste, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 tbs Worcestershire, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 2 tbs brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir ingredients and reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for 15 minutes.

In this picture, Steve and I were making 2 batches at a time. We found out that the batch in the large fry pan (left) cooked quicker and thickened up better. I guess the extra space allowed the waters to evaporate better. Therefore, we made the remaining two batches in this pan alone.