This is a family favorite! For company, I stretch the meat by adding 4 cups of cooked green lentils to the meat mixture, while (just about if not entirely) doubling the sauce ingredients.
- 2 cups dry brown basmati rice
- 2 cups water plus 2 T raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups stock
- 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef (or ground buffalo)
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, diced
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons raw honey
- garnishes: sliced olives, thinly sliced or diced onions, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, and/or homemade cultured dairy, chopped cilantro, shredded raw cheese
In a 2 to 3 quart pot, soak the rice in the 2 cups of water and raw apple cider vinegar overnight. The next day, add the 2 cups stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until all liquid is absorbed and grains are fluffy and tender. This will be about a half hour if the grains have soaked overnight. Remove from heat. Let stand for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
While rice is cooking, put the ground beef in a 4 to 6 quart stock pot. Over medium heat, brown the beef. Add onions and garlic. Saute until soft. In a 4 cup measuring cup, whisk together: water, tomato paste, sea salt, pepper, olive oil, and honey. Add sauce mixture to meat. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Fill bowls with rice, then meat sauce, then desired garnishes. The picture shows a Sloppy Joe’s bowl garnished with diced shredded homemade goat cheese, diced onions, diced avocado, chopped cilantro, and a drizzle of “sour cream.” I make our “sour cream” by blending homemade chevre or kefir cheese with raw milk to a drizzly sour cream consistency.
Enjoy!
© 2006-2009 by Wardeh Harmon
We love Buffalo beef. We are able to get organic buffalo from our local grocery store, but I have to wait until it is on sale. Your Sloppy Joes sound yummy.
Dear Wardeh,
Oh! This sounds scrumptious.
Love, Robin
Michelle, I just found grass-fed buffalo at our grocery store not too long ago. I am inquiring about buying a quantity of it for a discount, but I am waiting to hear back from the meat department.
Robin, I hope you’ll like it!
I love buffalo meat. This receipe sounds great. I will have to try it.
[...] I will add them to meals over the course of a couple days. These meals include — stew, chili, Sloppy Joe’s in a Bowl, or spaghetti sauce, to name a few. As I mentioned before, they readily absorb other flavors, so [...]
I think I saw somewhere in your postings I read that you sometimes add lentils to this recipe. At what point in the recipe do you add the lentils and about how much would you add?
Thank you ahead of time!
Yes, I do add lentils quite often. Separately, I soak 2 cups of lentils in 4 cups of water overnight. Then next day, I bring that to a boil and cook it fully, until the lentils are tender. I add those to the meat sauce, and about double all the seasoning ingredients (tomato paste, etc.). Hope that makes sense. Let me know if you need me to clarify. -Wardeh
Hey Wardeh…
Did you change this recipe aside from the soaking of the rice? My old printout had bell pepper. Do you omit it now?
I’m making it, yet again. It is a favorite over here.
Steph, let’s see… I used to use a Vitamin C powder, which I omitted. I took out the bell peppers only because they’re not always in season – but keep adding them if you have them! I could have left it in there! And I soak the rice. I also omitted the onion powder in favor of the sauteed fresh onion. I’m really happy your family enjoys this dish!
Ahh, gotcha. Bell peppers are so pricey out of season, even if you don’t mind getting things out of season on occasion. I was a good girl this summer though and froze them like crazy. I even froze some ground to toss in for sloppy joe or spaghetti sauce. Since I’ve got my new dehydrator, I may think about drying some next summer. Then they’ll be traditionally preserved *and* I’ll have them for the winter. I wonder if there’s a way to do something with dried tomatoes instead of tomato paste, too. Hmm…
Steph – I’m sure there is a way to use dehydrated tomatoes! In fact, as soon as my supply of tomato paste runs out, I will probably not buy any more because of the BPA in the cans. Here’s a comment where Faith told me how she uses dehydrated tomatoes in place of canned: http://gnowfglins.com/2009/12/03/where-do-you-shop/ For paste, we’d just use less water, I think, to make it really thick.
Ooh, thanks for the link. BTW, Bionature brand tomato paste is in glass jars, but I’m fairly certain that the lids have BPA. Right now I’ve been getting it by the case through our co-op’s UNFI order. Maybe I’ll figure out the dried tomato thing so I won’t need to get it any more.
One can of tomato paste…how much? The ones I have are 6 oz.
Tammy – yes, the 6 ounce size.