Sloppy Turkey Joes in Hash Brown Cups

I interrupt the Pantry Challenge to bring you a cute AND delicious dish I made for today's special diet client.

If you read my blog a lot (I can't imagine there are many of you), you may remember that my every-other-Tuesday client is not only gluten-free and dairy-free, she doesn't eat red meat, vinegar (except rice vinegar), nuts, seeds, legumes, refined sugar or raw vegetables. No problemo.

Today's idea was completely inspired by and ripped off from fellow Personal Chef Patti Anastasia. I took Patti's idea and ran with it, substituting ground turkey for the beef, rice vinegar for the apple cider vinegar, and making a few other tweaks as I went along. The result was so tasty I have to share with you.

Update (Jan. 25, 2009): Just got an email from the client saying how much she loved these. You must try them NOW!

Sloppy Turkey Joes in Hash Brown Cups
Makes 8 filled hash brown cups, enough for 4 - 6 servings

Find Patti's recipe here.

Hash Brown Crust:
2 bags frozen hash browns -- thawed (we like Alexia brand)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons melted butter or vegetable oil
8 4-1/2 inch aluminum tart pans

Sloppy Joes:
1 3/4 pounds 93% lean ground turkey (not turkey breast please!!)
1 onion -- chopped
3 cloves garlic -- minced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 can tomato paste
1/4 can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoon agave nectar (if you can have sugar, use an equal amount of light brown sugar instead)
2 tablespoons apple juice, optional
3/4 cup shredded soy cheese (use sharp cheddar if you eat dairy)

To prepare crusts: Preheat oven to 450. If potatoes aren't completely thawed, put them on a cookie sheet or in an aluminum pan and pop them in the oven for a couple of minutes while it's preheating to finish the thawing process.

Toss the hash browns with the cornstarch, spices, and butter or oil. Spray nonstick spray in tart pans and place them on a cookie sheet. Press a heaping 1/2 cup of hash browns into the bottom and sides of pie pans. You want to make a 1/4-inch thick crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden. Watch carefully! The baking time is dependent on how much moisture is in your potatoes. Keep your eye on them, they may take less or more time.

While the crusts are baking, prepare the Sloppy Joe mixture: Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Saute turkey in a bit of olive oil until it begins to brown. Add onion, and when it's almost cooked, garlic. Add vinegar, tomato paste, tomato sauce, seasoning and sweetener of choice. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened; stirring frequently. Taste, adjust seasoning. To make them more tangy, add more vinegar. To make them sweeter, add brown sugar or some apple juice. Spoon meat mixture into crusts. If desired, top each pie with 2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Bake 10 minutes and serve.