Sloppy Joes

Serves 8 (great for leftovers)

1lb lean or extra-lean (90% or higher) ground beef (or sub soy crumbles)
1 med onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced
1 med red bell pepper, seeded & diced
8 whole wheat burger buns

You can either make your own sauce with the following ingredients, or shorten it with a variation on BBQ sauce. These are ingredients you may or may not have on hand- but if you invest the money, you'll use them again. It's up to your budget to decide.

1.5 c. no-salt-added tomato sauce (I buy in bulk and make my own easy marinara sauces all the time)
2 tbs tomato paste (also buy in bulk)
1 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tbs unsulfured molasses (admittedly don't use often, but have used more than once)
1 tbs worcestershire sauce
1 tsp dry mustard
3/4tsp salt
pepper to taste

Brown the meat and onion in a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it cooks. Pour the drippings out of the pan and discard. Add the garlic, jalapeno & red bell pepper and cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rest of the ingredients for the sauce and reduce the heat to low and simmer another 5 minutes.