Meatloaf and Cauliflower: satisfying weeknight dinner

So I have found out that it is a lot harder to make food look pretty and appetizing in pictures than it is to make food look pretty and appetizing in person.  Meatloaf is not very photogenic!  Even though it is delicious.  Actually, meatloaf gets a bad rap all around.  Called mystery meat and other bad names, meatloaf is very misunderstood.   According to Wikipedia, meatloaf is common in many cultures but became popular in the United States during the great depression as a way to stretch meat by adding bread, cereal and veggies to it.  Meatloaf can be super tasty, comfort food and sure disappeared quick at our house last night.

Mom's Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I used organic from Costco)
1 egg
2 slices bread torn or cut into small pieces
1/2 small onion chopped fine
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 c. Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, with additional for garnish
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together well, form into a loaf in a glass baking dish and spread a thin layer of barbecue sauce on top of the loaf.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until internal temperature exceeds 160 degrees. 

This is my attempt at mashed cauliflower.  It really turned out more like rice.  I don't have a food processor so I used a mixer which caused quite a mess in the kitchen with cauliflower splattered everywhere!  The taste is great, but the texture was a bit odd.

Mom's Mashed Cauliflower

Ingredients:
1 large had of cauliflower cut into pieces and steamed until very tender
1/4 c. sour cream
2 Tb butter
2 Tb milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese

Puree cauliflower with blender or food processor.  Add sour cream, butter and milk and continue to mix until creamy.  Pour into a glass baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and cheese.  Bake in 350 oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.


Add a green salad to the meatloaf and cauliflower and you have a great dinner!



Chicken and White Bean Soup: Sunday dinner with enought left over for Monday lunch!

Sunday's I enjoy making a big pot of soup for lunch.  It is inexpensive, nutritious and most importantly, delicious. I try to use up ingredients I have on hand.  This week I made a pot of very satisfying Mexican Chicken and White Bean soup.  The best part of Sunday soup is having the leftovers for lunch on Monday.  Enjoy!

Chicken and White Bean Soup

1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken cut into 1/2" pieces ( I had thigh on hand but breast would work too)

2 cans small white beans

1 can hominy

1/2 medium onion chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic minced

1/4 fresh jalapeno seeded and minced

1 can mild diced green chili's

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2 cups chicken broth (I like my soup chunky, add more broth if you prefer a thinner soup)

2 Tbs olive oil

Heat the olive oil on medium high in a large soup pot.  Saute the onion, garlic and jalapeno until the onion is soft and just beginning to brown.  Add the chicken and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until chicken turns white.  Add all of the remaining ingredients.  Bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer on low for one hour. Garnish with grated cheese, crushed tortilla chips and avocado. Total cost to make this pot of soup (excluding cumin and chili powder that I had on hand) $10.39. Makes 6 generous servings.



Simmered Thai Green Curry Chicken, a quick, pre-Birthday dinner.

Today is a rather momentous day in our house.  Twenty years ago today I gave birth to triplet girls.  At 34 weeks, 5 days, after spending 4 months on bed rest (okay, couch rest), gaining 75 pounds and growing to a girth of 54 inches, my body said ENOUGH and they arrived, healthy and noisy!  Sara first, at 6 lbs., a minute later Arielle, 4 lbs. 9 oz. and after two minutes of slipping and wriggling out of the doctor’s grasp, Charissa, 5 lbs. 6 oz. Anyone who knows Charissa will recognize that she was feisty even then.

Last night I whipped up a quick dinner we could eat before family began to arrive for the birthday party.  I guess it was good, because before I could take any pictures of the finished dish, it was gone!  I almost always have these ingredients on hand to make this easy and delicious recipe.

Thank you Trader Joe's!

Simmered Thai Green Curry Chicken

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1” cubes

            (I used a mix of breast and thigh)

½ cup flour

¼ cup coconut oil

Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce

Dredge the chicken in the flour.  Heat 2 Tbs. coconut oil in a large stainless steel frying pan on medium high heat. Fry the chicken until lightly browned on all sides, adding more coconut oil as needed.  When chicken is brown, pour the simmer sauce over it, turn heat to low and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes. Serve over hot rice with your favorite veggie as a side dish. 

Floured chicken browning in coconut oil.

The Trader Joe's Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce is so good I think you could just dump it over raw chicken, simmer for 30 minutes and it would still be delicious, but taking the time to brown the floured chicken helps keep the moisture in (we all know chicken breast can be rather dry) and the flour adds a creaminess to the sauce.  The sauce has a bit of a kick to it.  After simmering for 30-40 minutes the chicken is so moist and tender it nearly falls apart. Delicious!



Spinach or Broccoli Quiche, hearty enough for a winter dinner

Spinach Quiche

Quiche is one of my go to meals when the fridge is getting low and I want something easy and tasty. It is a family favorite and is fancy enough for company.  I make my crust from scratch but you can substitute a store bought crust if you need to save time.  

Pie Crust (makes enough for 2 single crust pies):

3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks minus 2 tablespoons butter (14 Tbs)

1/4 c. vodka

1/4 c. cold water

Soften the butter. Add flour and salt and cut together with a pasty blender. Add the water and vodka, knead gently until it is all combined and can be formed into 2 balls. I like to line the counter and cover the pie dough with plastic wrap, instead of coating the counter with flour to roll out the dough.  So much easier to clean up! Roll the dough into a circle large enough to fill a 9" glass pie pan. Prepare the crust in the pan, flute the edges and set crust aside.

Quiche Filling:

8 oz. bacon

10 oz package frozen spinach leaves, defrosted and drained

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/4 c onion chopped fine

2 cloves garlic minced

5 eggs

1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese (or substitute for your favorite)

Cook the bacon, drain on a paper towel and chop into 1/2" or smaller pieces. Leave a couple of teaspoons of bacon grease in the frying pan to saute the onion and garlic in.  When the onion and garlic are soft add the spinach and cumin to the frying pan.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring to mix with the onion and garlic.  Turn off heat and let sit while you get the eggs ready.  Crack 5 eggs in a large bowl, add the grated cheese and beat together.  Add the spinach mixture to the eggs and cheese, mix well. Pour into the waiting pie crust.  Sprinkle the bacon pieces on topof the egg mixture.  Bake in a 350 oven for 35-45 minutes until a knife comes out clean.

If you like broccoli better than spinach, replace the spinach with 2 cups frozen broccoli, defrosted and chopped into small pieces, and use 1/2 tsp basil instead of cumin.

Black Eyed Pea Soup, A lucky way to start the New Year!

Black Eyed Pea Soup

  This made a delicious New Years Day lunch and it doesn't hurt that southern tradition says eating black eyed peas on News Years day will bring good luck!  This recipe is modified from a slow cooker recipe I found on Foodgawker.com by Steve Wilson/DFW.com. I forgot to buy dry black eyed peas in advance so I didn't have time to use the slow cooker.  I bought canned black eyed peas and used some other ingredients I had on hand. 

Black Eyed Pea Soup

4 slices thick sliced bacon cut into 1/2" squares

1 shallot, minced

2 cloves garlic minced

1/4 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1/4 red chili pepper, seeded and minced

1 bunch collard greens cut into 2" squares

2 chicken sausages sliced thin

4 cans black eyed peas

3 cups chicken broth

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

generous sprinkle of cracked black pepper

Directions

In a large soup pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until brown and crunchy on the edges.  Add the shallot, garlic and peppers and cook, stirring frequently,  until the onion is translucent. Add the chicken sausage and continue cooking until sausage is browning.  Add the collard greens to the meat and vegetables and mix until greens are coated with bacon grease.  Add the black eyed peas, chicken broth and spices, bring to a boil, lower heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.  Eat with crusty bread. Easily serves 4-6 people and cost about $12 to make the whole pot!  Delicious!