Sloppy Joes

By Paul Briand

Every family should have a Sloppy Joe recipe on hand, and we as a society can do oh so much better than the canned stuff we find on the store shelf.

I like this recipe because it takes all of 15 minutes and can feed a small horde.

It comes courtesy of the Food Network.

A couple of points: This recipe seeks to be more healthful by calling for low-salt or no-salt ingredients, and there are comments attached to the online recipe that the lack of salt failed to bring out some of the flavor. So, the saltiness aspect is a jump ball -- trade a healthier recipe for something that might not be as dynamic for the taste buds.

And be advised on the jalapenos -- their heat is not to everyone's taste. Lastly, I had some leftover corn and threw it into the mix. It's not in the original recipe but I liked the little sparkle of color.

Ingredients
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 can small red beans or pinto beans, preferably low sodium drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups no-salt-added tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon mustard powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole-wheat burger buns

Directions
1. Brown the meat and the onion in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks;
2. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard;
3. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and red pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally;
4. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes more;
5. Place a half-cup scoop of the mixture onto each bun and serve.