Chili Cheese Sloppy Joes and Honey Lime Coleslaw

Oh my goodness people, I LOVE this coleslaw! I had two heads of cabbage from my CSA bag that I need to use in someway so this recipe sounded great. The other is destined for German Style Stuffed Cabbages (I am rubbing my hands together in glee, I can't wait - it's one of my favorite things!) I am going to do them in the slow cooker I think. Anywho, back to the coleslaw it has a dressing of mayonnaise, honey, and lime juice and then also some fresh cilantro. Oh it is so good! I like cabbage in general, so odds are most coleslaws I am going to like just because. The original recipe for our sloppy Joe's tonight needed a bit of something extra, so I added a traditional ingredient for sloppy Joe's, ketchup! Problem solved!

Chili Cheese Sloppy Joe's

Prep and cook time: 25 minutes
1 red onion , chopped and divided
1 pound lean ground beef
2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 to 1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
4 hamburger buns
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
[1] Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half of the onion, ground beef, chili powder and garlic.
[2] Sauté until beef is cooked through, breaking up with spoon, about 5 minutes. Add beans and tomatoes. Simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Mix in cilantro and season with salt and pepper.
[3] Meanwhile, place french bread on a baking sheet and warm in oven, about 10 minutes. Transfer toasts to individual plates and top with chili, cheese, and remaining chopped onions.

Honey Lime Coleslaw
Prep time: 10 minutes
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons lime juice
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 cups coleslaw mix (or small to medium sized head of cabbage)
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
[1] In a medium bowl, whisk mayonnaise, honey, lime juice and salt and pepper together in a large bowl. Toss with coleslaw mix and cilantro, chill until ready to serve.

Slightly Spicy Sloppy Joes

So we ran out of propane last night so my original idea for tonight's dinner didn't pan out. Instead we had Sloppy Joes, local corn from one of my favorite farm stands that is unfortunately on it's way out- it needs to be eaten, and homemade coleslaw -cabbage from CSA bag.

Hold on, pregnant pause as the say, so that I can watch Anthony's show on Rome real quick.

Ok I am back.

I made up the cole slaw tonight so I thought I would share that recipe as well as the sloppy joes.
Sweet Mustard Cole Slaw
1/2 big head of cabbage

1/3 cup Mayo

1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp yellow mustard
2 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Shred the cabbage, mix rest of ingredients in a separate bowl and then toss all together. I didn't have any nectarines but these have become my favorite thing to add to coleslaw, give it a try and tell me what you think.

Slightly Spicy Sloppy Joes

1 lb hamburger meat

1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 sweet onion, chopped
1 can Original Rotel's tomatoes with chilies
1/2 cup of ketchup, or more depending on your tastes
2 tbsp yellow mustard
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
4 hamburger buns

1. Saute meat, onions and peppers together. When meat is brown drain excess fat.
2. Add canned tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard let cook until thickened a bit.
3. Toast hamburger buns, top buns with meat mixture sprinkle with cheddar cheese to melt and top with green onions before finishing with the other bun.

** Now I find sloppy joes to be, well sloppy, so I usually have mine open faced and eat it with a fork (as seen in pic above) my husband however eats it as a true sandwich. To make it kid friendly, my two year old still has a hard time with "sandwiches" so I just gave her a bit of the meat with some cheese on top sans bun. By adding peppers and tomatoes into the mixture I don't feel too bad about giving it to her, and it wasn't too spicy (believe me I am a wuss, and my daughter never mentioned a word about it being, "Spicy momma!" So for those of you that like more spice get the hotter brand of tomatoes,or add red pepper flakes or saracha to make it to your taste buds but for my family it was just right!)

Added bonus, you have more than enough left over for lunch the next day. This is my husbands meal for tomorrow. Yet another reason why I am so passionate about cooking and eating at home it makes leftovers for lunch the next day so great and EASY! I love easy lunch boxes but all of mine are dirty, husband doesn't always bring them back, and this little box was found for $2.99 at Target in their summer section (I have seen them there the last two years be on the look out they are great!)

Slight nod to Relish, my favorite meal planning site for giving me some direction with this meal.

Linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesdays At the Table, and Tasty Tuesday.