Sloppy Joe's

From The Kitchn.

Adapted from Favorite Recipes from First United Methodist Church of Still Water, Minnesota

Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped small
2 celery stalks, chopped small
1 carrot, peeled and chopped small
8- to 10-ounce package mushrooms (button or baby bella), sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
8-ounce can tomato sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1-2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
8 hamburger buns

In a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Break it up into small bits as you cook. Once browned, transfer the beef and any juices to a clean bowl and set aside.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, warm a teaspoon of olive oil. Add the onions, celery, and carrots, and cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots look softened, about five minutes. Add mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are soft and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about thirty seconds.

Return the ground beef to the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce, ketchup, 1 tablespoon cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar (if using), salt, and black pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

Taste the sauce, adding more vinegar, salt, or sugar if desired. If the sauce is too thin for your taste, simmer uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes until the desired thickness is reached.

Serve on hamburger buns. Don't forget a napkin.

The sloppy joe sauce will keep refrigerated for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Detox drink

http://everydayroots.com/detox-drink-for-cleansing

You will need…

-1-2 liters’ of water, depending on how strong you want it to taste
-Part of 1 watermelon or 1 cucumber
-1 lemon or lime
-A handful of fresh mint leaves (approximately 10-13)
-Ice cubes

Directions

Slice up a good amount of watermelon into cubes, rind and all, and put them into a jug or pitcher. Cut 1 juicy lime into wedges and toss in with the watermelon. Add a handful of fresh, fragrant, mint leaves and pour in 2 liters of cool water, filling the jug all the way to the top. Let this sit overnight in the fridge and let all the yummy flavors steep and infuse the water. When you want to drink it, put in a generous helping of ice cubes, pour, and enjoy daily.

Watermelon & mint

Cucumber & lemon.

Flavor Tips

• Try substituting a lemon for the lime, cucumber for the watermelon, or a combination of all of them.

• Pour water in first and then add the ingredients. I feel like there’s more of a burst of flavor when the water gets poured in and everything swirls around, but there’s something to be said for letting it gently infuse itself as well (the water tends to stay a bit clearer as well.)

• Don’t add ice to the entire jug, and leave it on a cup-by-cup basis. If you plan on drinking it over time, this can help prevent it from getting diluted as the ice melts.

• Start with 2 liters’ of water steeping overnight, and then experiment with longer/shorter times and more or less water.

• Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and/or lemon and then slice up another and add that to give it a little extra citrus kick.

• This isn’t for flavor, but this drink looks mighty appealing in a glass pitcher on a hot summer day.

DIY Detox Drink

We all have different tastes and preferences, and like to mix things up every once in a while too. Experiment by trying out various ingredients, amounts, and methods (like blending, or boiling into a tea, or infusing into water, etc.) Below is a list of foods that have been shown to help boost your built-in detox system (namely liver, G.I., and kidney function.) If possible, always buy organic to avoid chemical ingredients or pesticides.

Cruciferous vegetables & leafy greens: This group includes a lot of veggie superheroes, and is why you see so many “green” detox drinks or smoothies. Included are broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce, bok choy, and spinach. Broccoli and co. increases the amount of glucosinolate (organic compounds) in our body, which in turn help create enzymes that help our body’s breakdown and digest things. Leafy greens like lettuce and bok choy have the ability to neutralize metals, chemicals, and pesticides that find their way into our systems.

Avocado: Avocados can help your body produce an antioxidant, glutathione, which our liver needs to do its job and filter properly.

Grapefruit: High in antioxidants and vitamin C, grapefruit or grapefruit juice also aids the liver in flushing carcinogens (things linked to causing cancer, like stuff in cigarettes and tobacco, as well as some pre-prepared foods) and possibly pesticides out of the body.

Beets: The systems in the body all work together, and for various reasons beets seem to be helpful to more than one major organ. However, they’ve shown themselves to be particularly helpful when it comes to aiding the liver in detoxification.

If it’s chilly, try making some detox tea to keep you warm and healthy, or mix up an icy cool drink in hot weather. Play around with what you like and keep in mind things you know are good for your body’s own detox system-not things that claim to be a miracle detox system all on their own.

Pasta with Chickpeas, Sweet Peppers, and Rosemary

While the exact recipe changes with the region, this classic dish of chickpeas, pasta, and rosemary is served throughout central and southern Italy; a drizzle of aromatic rosemary-chile oil finishes the dish to delicious effect. If you don’t have a Parmigiano-Reggiano rind for making the sauce, shave some cheese over the pasta before serving.

• 6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary
• 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into small dice (3/4 cup)
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into small dice (3/4 cup)
• Kosher salt
• 2-1/2 cups Chickpeas with Bay Leaves and Herbs, plus 1-1/4 cups reserved cooking liquid
• 1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 1 3- to 4-inch piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind (optional)
• 1 lb. dried tubetti lisci, tubetti rigati, or pennette
• Parmigiano-Reggiano shavings (optional)

Heat 3 Tbs. of the oil with the rosemary and red pepper flakes in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, 1 to 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Heat the remaining 3 Tbs. oil and the garlic in a 6-quart pot over medium heat, turning the garlic occasionally, until golden-brown, 2 to 3 minutes; discard the garlic. Add the peppers and 1/2 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown in spots, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and, using the back of a spoon, gently mash some of them against the side of the pot. Stir in 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid, the tomatoes, cheese rind, if using, and 1/2 cup water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have melded, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should be thin but have body. Add the remaining 1/2 cup cooking liquid as needed.)

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta.

Add the pasta to the chickpea sauce and cook, tossing gently, until the flavors meld, about 2 minutes. Add pasta water as needed to keep the consistency loose. Season to taste with salt. Discard the cheese rind, if used. Serve drizzled with the rosemary oil and topped with Parmigiano shavings, if you like.

nutrition information (per serving): 

Calories (kcal): 530; Fat (g): fat g 17; Fat Calories (kcal): 150; Saturated Fat (g): sat fat g 2.5; Protein (g): protein g 17; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 10; Carbohydrates (g): carbs g 78; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 3; Sodium (mg): sodium mg 500; Cholesterol (mg): cholesterol mg 0; Fiber (g): fiber g 9;