Author: Roy
One of the things that we love most about summer is taking the time to relax and enjoy our favorite BBQ dishes with family and friends!
No doubt about it: summertime and barbecues go hand in hand. But, how do you enjoy barbecue season when you’re also trying to improve your health?
Well, there’s no better season than summer to lighten things up! Summer is the perfect time to learn how to recreate your favorite recipes so they’re just a tad healthier!
That’s why we’re delighted to share how you can enjoy an All-American BBQ Classic – Sloppy Joes – by transforming them into a healthier dish, Healthy BBQ Sloppy Joe Sliders.
Healthy BBQ Sloppy Joe Sliders are the perfect dish for apartment dwellers to make because it does not require outdoor grills or any expensive, space-consuming cookware.
First, let’s start with the star ingredient – the protein. Most Sloppy Joes are made with ground beef. But – if you substitute ground beef with ground turkey – you not only reduce calories and saturated fat, but also provide your body with a more easy-to-digest protein.
Now let’s add some veggies! We incorporated a rainbow of colorful red, green and yellow sweet bell peppers and purple onions into this recipe for a spectrum of flavor and health benefits!
Bell peppers are low in calories and add a variety of nutritional benefits to this dish, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits – immune-boosting properties – and protection from certain types of cancers and eye diseases.
Purple onions – also known as red onions – contain flavonoids that act as antibiotics and antioxidants and may also offer health benefits for people with diabetes!
Don’t forget to add some flavor! Olive oil provides protection against a variety of diseases and can help lower blood pressure. Garlic powder helps reduce cholesterol and strengthens the immune system, and black pepper could help you lose weight and relieve your cough and cold symptoms!
Finally, we opted to serve our sandwiches as sliders rather than traditional-size sandwiches to help control the calories, the carbs, and the portion sizes. Sliders are also are the perfect serving size for young children!
When it comes time to serve your Healthy BBQ Sloppy Joe Sliders, you can mix and match slider rolls and add colorful toothpicks to hold your sandwiches together and add a festive touch. You can then serve them on plates that your guests can help themselves to – or dress them up! We served ours in pairs, topping one of the sliders with extra peppers and adding a side of homemade mango salsa for extra nutritional benefits!
So, feel free to indulge in this delicious, health-conscious BBQ meal that both adults and children will love!
Recipe – Healthy BBQ Sloppy Joe Sliders
Ingredients
- 20 oz. Ground Turkey
- 1 Large Brown Onion, Finely Chopped
- ½ Large Green Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
- ½ Large Red Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
- ½ Large Orange Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
- ½ Large Yellow Bell Pepper, Finely Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- ¾ Teaspoons Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
Instructions
1. Combine everything except for the BBQ sauce in a pan.
2. Cook until the peppers are tender, the onions are translucent, and the ground turkey is brown – approximately 20 minutes.
3. Add the BBQ sauce and mix thoroughly.
4. Cook until you achieve the desired consistency – not too much liquid and not too dry.
5. Plate using slider buns. Add additional sautéed peppers or onions as desired.
This recipe makes 20 servings, at 174 calories per slider.
Looking for more great recipes? Be sure to visit the ForRent.Com Apartment Living Blog today!
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