Primal Sloppy Joes

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Nothing says comfort food quite like sloppy joes. The go-to of potlucks and family dinners for generations, they’ve got the tangy and hearty flavor even kids gravitate to. Many versions, including canned sauces, however, contain added sugars or even high fructose corn syrup—such a shame, since the basic ingredients of sloppy joes need no sweeteners when done right.

Bring this classic back to your healthy menu with this recipe for delicious sloppy joe meat sauce—and the grain-free buns to deliver all the goodness. Enjoy!

Grain-Free Buns

Servings: 4 Buns

Time in the Kitchen: 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes to bake

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups super-fine blanched almond flour (165 g)
½ teaspoon kosher salt (2.5 ml)
½ teaspoon baking soda (2.5 ml)
4 large eggs, separated
5 tablespoons Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil (75 ml)
1 tablespoon honey (15 ml)
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar (2.5 ml)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar (1.25 ml)
Optional: Poppy seeds or sesame seeds to sprinkle on top
Tools: Silicone bun mold

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 ºF/190 ºC.

In the bowl of a food processor, mix together the almond flour, salt and baking soda so that no clumps remain.

Add the egg yolks, avocado oil, honey and apple cider vinegar. Blend until thick and smooth.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Using the whisk attachment, whisk until the egg whites are fluffy and soft peaks form (when the whisk is lifted out of the egg whites, a soft peak should pull up).

Pour 1/3 of the egg whites into the food processor. Pulse until combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add another 1/3 of the egg whites, and pulse again until combined into a wet batter.

Scrape the dough out of the food processor and into the bowl with the remaining egg whites. Use a spatula to gently fold the egg whites into the dough. Fold and mix until there are no white streaks, but be gentle; the air in the egg whites helps the dough rise into a loaf with a light texture.

Place the bun pan on a baking sheet. Fill each bun container in the bun pan with ½ cup of batter. If desired, sprinkle poppy seeds or sesame seeds on top of the buns.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes, until the buns are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the bun comes out clean.

Set the bun pan on a rack to cool. When the buns are cool, remove from the pan. (You may need to invert the bun compartments to get the buns to pop out.)

The buns will keep fresh for several days in a sealed plastic bag.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 485
Carbs: 8.75 grams
Fat: 43 grams
Protein: 15 grams

Sloppy Joe Meat Sauce

Servings: 4-6

Time in the Kitchen: 15 (plus 40 minutes to let sauce cook)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds extra lean ground beef
2/3 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, finely diced
1 red pepper, finely diced
3/4 cup Primal Kitchen® Unsweetened Ketchup
1/4 cup Primal Kitchen BBQ Sauce
2 tablespoons of Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Primal Kitchen Spicy Brown Organic Mustard
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chicken/bone broth or water

Instructions:

Saute peppers with 2 tablespoons of avocado oil until slightly softened. Add garlic and saute for 3 more minutes. Set aside.

Place ground beef and onion in a large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook and stir the mixture constantly until the beef is browned and forms small crumbles, about 10 minutes.

Add cooked pepper mix to the meat skillet. Add 1 cup water and stir, scraping the pan to dissolve any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the skillet.

Mix in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Return mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is thick, about 40 minutes.

Nutritional Information (assuming 6 servings)