11. The perfect Halloween dinner!

We're having a family over for Halloween dinner and some serious super-hero trick-or-treating. Luckily this mom, we'll call her Dee, feeds her kids like I feed mine. You'll hear more about Dee when I post my article on juicing. Anyway, my goals for my Halloween dinner were simple. I wanted it easy. I wanted it rich and warm. I wanted it somewhat healthy and full of protein to combat all the candy that was about to be inhaled and I wanted it easy to make ahead (ala crock pot friendly meal). My solution? Jessica Seinfeld's Sweet Potato Sloppy Joes. I haven't tried this recipe yet but I'm pumped. Sloppy Joes...a classic but with a new healthy, seasonal twist and chock-full of protein. And what a yummy, laid-back food for Halloween night! I'll probably serve it with some frozen waffle fries (baked). Throw some carrot sticks on the plate as well. For dessert...wait, what am I thinking????

Here's the recipe....


Deceptively Delicious, Seinfeld

"Sloppy Joes with Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash"

1 T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 pound lean ground sirloin or turkey
1/2 cup pureed sweet potato
1/2 cup pureed butternut squash or red pepper puree
raw, finely chopped carrots (optional)
1/2 cup reduced-fat low-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder or to taste
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
8 whole grain hamburger buns or hot dog buns

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cooks until the onion starts to soften (not brown), 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the mean breaking it up with a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the vegetable purees, raw chopped carrot if using, beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half, 15 to 20 minutes.

Spoon mixture over buns and serve!

* I plan on simplifying this recipe a bit. For instance, totally omitting the celery. I have pre-minced garlic in the fridge. I also plan on using CASCADIA FARMS ORGANIC, ALL-NATURAL SWEET POTATO puree found in the frozen food section at my grocery store. How stinkin' easy is that? Thaw. Dump in recipe. There is absolutely NOTHING else in this package but pureed sweet potato. Not even water. Check it out. If your store doesn't carry, might be time to get with the store manager....

And don't forget, you can make the meat mixture ahead of time and throw it in the crock pot to stay warm! It'll be better later anyway after all those spices and flavors meld!

I can't wait to hear feed-back about this recipe! Particularly from the kiddos. I already know what the husbands are gonna say!