Open-face Josephs

So, I had yet another "heavy" GF bread to work with: good flavor, but texture a bit too dense to enjoy alone.  What to do with it?  Then I remembered during our "poor years" when Mom would make Sloppy Joes with sandwich bread.  Hmm ... it's worth a shot.

This is another one for which a food processor would benefit the prep.
Open-Face Josephs

Mince

lil' E doesn't pick out his veggies when they're this tiny!

1 sweet bell pepper
1 medium yellow onion
1 clove garlic

Puree' 1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes

Combine
1/2 cup pureed squash (or 4 oz strained baby squash)
1/4 C ketchup
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp hot sauce (or to taste)

Brown 1 lb extra-lean ground beef over medium to medium-high heat.  Add minced veggies and saute until tender-crisp.  Stir in tomatoes and mixed sauces and bring to a bubble.  Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.   

While the "Joseph mix" is simmering, lower top rack in oven to center position and set temp to low broil.  Arrange slices of bread (your choice) on cookie sheet.  Toast about three minutes; flip and repeat.  Remove immediately.

Spread "Joseph mix" over toast.  Sprinkle with shredded cheese if desired.  Serve with salad (green or fruit!)

 

Jammin' Jambalaya

My son has gotten into this habit of balking at certain veggies in his casseroles.  Suspecting that it's a "texture issue," I decided to get a little ... creative.  Gleaning from a number of recipes easily available on the web, my intents were to 1) make this as simple as possible; and 2) incorporate as many vegetables as possible.  It was a score with both my husband and not-quite-4-year-old, so hopefully your fam will enjoy it as well.  A word of caution, though: my son inherited both his grandfathers' spicy palates, so the hot sauce quotient might be a tad strong for most little ones.

Note: you will need a small food processor (3-cup) to complete this recipe.

Gather ingredients

3 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 softball-sized sweet onion (or 1 medium yellow), peeled with ends removed
1 bell pepper (I used red), washed and cored
4 stalks celery, scrubbed with toughened ends remoed
1 lb rope sausage, cut lengthwise and sliced thinly (I use Hardwood Smoked Chicken Sausage by Hillshire Farms)
1 can organic diced tomatoes
Chicken Stock (I use Pacific Crest Organic, which is low-sodium and gluten-free)
1 - 2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tsp hot sauce (I use Smoked Chipotle Tabasco)
3 Bay leaves
1 1/2 Cups long-grain brown rice 

Prep

Liquify diced tomatoes in food processor.  Transfer to quart-sized measuring cup and combine with Worcestershire and hot sauces; add enough chicken stock to make 4 cups total liquid.  Set aside.

Mince onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic in food processor.  Unless you have a larger capacity processor, I'd advice doing this in two batches.

Heat oil in deep skillet.  Saute minced veggies and sliced sausage until veggies are crisp-tender and sausage is lightly browned.

Add brown rice, bay leaves, and liquid mixture.  Stir once to combine.  Bring to a boil; cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes.  Please resist the urge to overstir -- it will make the rice split and go mushy!

Serve with steamed sweet corn and grated colby-jack cheese.  Enjoy!