Clean Eating's Turkey Sloppy Joes

Sloppy Joes are one of my favorite things in the world.  I rarely talk about my love for sloppy joes, because let's face it.....they are not necessarily very healthy, and not something a typical "foodie" would admit to craving (and I do....often).  Last summer Clean Eating Magazine had a recipe for Chicken Sloppy Joes, which I actually made for the family for whom I was cooking on a weekly basis.  They loved them.  So did Nick and I.  This year I made them again when we had friends over for a Sunday dinner and once again they were a hit.  Of course, as a dietitian and someone who follows a low FODMAPs diet, I made my own modifications so this would be suitable for my sensitive ....well....gut, but nothing too drastic.  And if you are mad because you secretly crave sloppy joes too, but you don't eat meat, have no fear, I have the perfect tempeh sloppy joe recipe for you.  You're welcome ;)

Clean Eating's Turkey Sloppy Joes

Modified from a Clean Eating Magazine Recipe (June 2012)

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil

1 green bell pepper, chopped and diced

1 lb. extra lean ground turkey

1 Tbsp. chile powder

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp. sea salt

fresh ground black pepper

2 cups jarred low-sodium tomato sauce **

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 cup frozen yellow corn **

4 whole grain hamburger buns **

Optional: Sliced Avocado **

Directions

In a large saucepan, heat 2 tsp. olive oil on medium-high.  Add the bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes, until soft.  Add the extra lean ground turkey and cook, stirring and breaking up with wooden spoon, for 3 minutes, until cooked through.  Add chile powder, cumin, dried oregano, salt and pepper and stir to coat.  Cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute, until fragrant.  Add tomato sauce and Dijon mustard and bring to a simmer.  Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until sauce reduces and thickens (you may need to cover half-way with a lid so it doesn't splatter all over the place!).  Stir in frozen corn and cook until heated through, about 1 minute.  Spoon mixture between 4 buns, dividing evenly.  Top with sliced avocado if you want.

**NOTE:  If you follow a low FODMAPs diet look for a tomato sauce that contains zero garlic or onion (there may not be a low-sodium version of this, but that's ok).  Also use a garlic-infused olive oil to make up for the lack of garlic and onion, if you'd like. In addition, use white corn instead of yellow corn (it may be tolerated better) and use a gluten-free bun.  Lastly, omit the avocado (although some people can handle 1-2 small slices, or ~1-2 Tbsp.)

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1-sandwich
Includes 2 Tbsp. fresh avocado
Source: CalorieCount.com

Nutrition Highlights:  Good source of iron and vitamin A, excellent source of vitamin C, protein and fiber.

You know those meals that you can't stop eating as you're cleaning up the remains, and putting them back in the fridge?  Yes, this was one of those.  It was as if I'd made a wedding cake...I kept licking the bowl and the spoon.  Just so fantastic!   And, because I couldn't find a low FODMAPs tomato sauce that was low-sodium, I omitted the sea salt.  The taste was still out of this world (the nutrition facts use sea salt and a low-sodium tomato sauce, as described in the recipe).

Question:  I admitted it, I crave sloppy joes (and extra meaty lasagna too, did I mention that?!).  What do you CRAVE?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd