I grew up eating meatloaf. Something that my mom used to do that I loved so much was put those skinny string beans, the French cut ones, in there. I didn’t do that for this recipe, but it is one way to get vegetables in a kid without them much noticing or caring because they just take on the taste of the meatloaf. Also they make the meatloaf moist and you’ll never get a meatloaf that is like a solid brick when you put them in there. It will always be moist and juicy.
Here I’m trying something new and it turned out great. So I’m sharing it with you. One of the ideas in the recipe came from Emilybites.com where she puts the onions, carrots and celery through a processor and then sautes them on the stove before putting them in the meatloaf. I tried her recipe and it’s really good. So I stole that part from her - she gets all the credit for that part!! Anyway her recipe is a bit healthier because she uses turkey while I use beef plus sausage. And mine’s got a couple surprises in it. (shhh I think mine is better.) So give this a try if you’d like something different from the meatloaf you always make (that is if you’re a meatloaf lover). If you’ve never made meatloaf, it is traditionally made with 1/3 ground beef, 1/3 ground veal and 1/3 ground pork plus milk, bread crumbs, eggs and some herbs and spices. But we’re not going traditional here. So let’s go!
MMMeatloaf
1 ¼ lb 90% fat free ground beef
2 hot Italian sausage links (remove casing)
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil
1 egg
¼ cup 1% milk (or nonfat)
¼ cup plus 3 Tbls Homemade Chili Sauce (that’s the actual name - there’ll be a picture - it's sweeter than ketchup and has no chilis in it oddly)
45 Kellog’s Special K Crackers Savory Herb
Cooking oil spray
Take out the meat and put on the counter with the sausage on top to take the chill off. Cut the carrots and celery and onions the size that will fit into your food processor. Process. You want to end up with little tiny pieces. Mince the garlic separately (to ensure it’s all in very small pieces). Put oil in a small frying pan (like you’d use to make an egg or two).
Add the vegetables and bring up to medium heat and sauté. Let it go stirring now and then until all the juices are gone. Turn off the burner and set pan on a cool burner and let it sit for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle with your hands. Put the crackers in a bag, leaving the end open but holding it by the open side keep the crackers towards the bottom. Use a mallot to break the crackers up into bitty pieces.
Now put the beef, the sausage that you took out of the casings (by squeezing the middle and pushing meat out the sides), crackers, vegetables, milk, ¼ cup Homemade Chili Sauce and egg in a big bowl and using your hands mix very well but don’t over mix. By this I mean bring it all together so that everything is well distributed but then don’t keep mixing - the more you mix the harder the meat will get after cooked (unless you like very dense meatloaf in which case mix a lot, skip the milk and add an extra egg). Now if you don’t have these special crackers (which are GREAT whether you’re on a diet or not and worth the money to use for dips or just snacking) and decide to use regular saltines instead you’ll use only about 20 crackers and you’ll have to add some dried Italian herbs and salt and pepper to the mix. Or finally you can use regular bread crumbs - homemade - ½ cup or store bought ¼ cup and add the herbs (abut 1 tsp) and salt (½ tsp) and pepper (½ tsp). I hope I made it clear just how special these Special K crackers are, especially in meatloaf!!
Spray a standard loaf mold and dump in the meat and flatten (you want it flat so you can make sandwiches!!). And take the 3 Tbls of Homemade Chili Sauce and cover the entire thing using the back of a spoon or a spatula. Put in the oven for 1 ½ hrs. or until your thermometer reads 165.
Makes 8 servings cals 285 fat 18 carb 12 fiber 1 protein 21 (Pts+ 8)
This recipe takes 30 minutes and of that only 5 minutes preparation and 15 minutes of just waiting - so you can spend a little time with your magazine or on the computer while you're making dinner. The actual cooking time is only about 10 minutes. How can you beat that?
I got the idea for this recipe from a Chinese restaurant actually, although this is more like an Italian dish. Theirs is just cooked lemon spinach with some fancy little fried onions on top. And it's great. I've put lemon dressing on tons of spinach salads but never thought to combine cooked spinach with lemon. I thought it a little odd at the time but tried it anyway and i'm so glad i did. This dish has become a staple at my house now.
LEMON SHRIMP AND SPINACH
12 oz uncooked/shelled shrimp
12 oz fresh spinach
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
4 garlic cloves
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup salt
5 cups of water
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Put the 1/4 cup salt in the water and mix. Then add the shrimp to it. If the shrimp is frozen leave on the counter. If it's not, put in the fridge. Let it brine like this for 20 minutes.
While waiting, mince the garlic and squeeze the lemon juice to 1/4 cup. Wash the spinach and leave wet. Then bring out the shrimp and rinse and dry them well. Put the oil in a large, high-sided saute pan and bring to high heat. Add the shrimp one at a time -- not in clumps. Then add the garlic and let it simmer for 2 minutes. After that add 2 Tbsp of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp of salt, stir for 2 more minutes then remove everything from the pan. Put the pan back on the heat and add the spinach, which should still be slightly wet. Toss the spinach around with tongs or a spoon and let the spinach wilt, add 1/2 tsp of salt and add the rest of the lemon juice and the crushed red pepper flakes.
Stir everything really well until most of the juice has evaporated and the spinach is fully cooked. Add the shrimp back in and stir until it's warm and you're done.
Well worth all that time and effort LOL!
This goes well with plain brown rice, perhaps a slice of lemon and some extra
red pepper flakes on the side. This amount will make 2 big servings.
Per person cals 306/carbs 10/ fiber 6/ fat 7/protein 7 (pts+ 8)
This is a ridiculously easy recipe that is always a winner. It goes well with chips, great on top of nachos or on tacos, with beans and rice, with any kind of Mexican dishes, even soups as well as any Latin-American meal. It really could be extended to Thai and Korean too. I like to leave it in the refrigerator for a day before consuming it - but can’t always wait!! I’ll give you the main recipe and then talk some on salsas.
Pico de Gallo
½ Lg Onion
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
2 - 3 Serrano Chilies (or jalapeno) (they have a separate subtle taste difference - but are equally good)
1 small bunch of Cilantro
2 Key Limes or 1 regular Lime
Salt and Pepper to taste (be easy with both of these)
(See Shepherd’s Pie blog entry if you are new to cutting onions - I have a brief video there on how to cut them).
Be sure to wash all of your ingredients before you start to handle them.
Dice the onions and tomatoes in equal pieces or the onion can be slightly smaller. I personally go with small, ¼ inch or less because it’s easier to pick up with a chip. But your preferences may be different. Some people like it super chunky.
Chop the stems off the cilantro all at once. If some stems make it in there it will make Zero difference. Mince the cilantro (no matter your preference about chunkiness) fine, same for the chilies. If you have very sensitive skin then use gloves to chop the chilies.
Take the chilies and cut off strips of it length -wise leaving the seeds, ribs and stem behind. Or you can cut off the stem, then cut it length-wise in 4 and using a sharp small knife cut the ribs and seeds out. (you’ll see in the photo with the large pepper I did the former and with the smaller pepper I did the latter - just depends on what’s easiest).
Put all in a bowl and sprinkle the lime over the whole of it. I use my right hand to squeeze and my left hand to catch any seeds holding it out straight and at an angle so my fingers catch the seeds and the juice runs down the side - but you can juice the limes and then pour it over the concoction.
Then taste to see if you want salt and pepper. Lime adds it’s own salty flavor and chilis obviously give off plenty of heat. I usually end up putting a couple pinches of salt and just a sprinkling of pepper over it all. Stir it up and put it covered in the refrigerator over night - if you can manage to wait (it’s still really good right then and there but better if let sit over night!! Or at least a couple hours.)
And Voila - perfect Pico De Gallo!! To use for oh so many things.
Now what separates salsa from pico de gallo is the fact that salsa is usually either cooked or tomato juice or sauce is added with extra seasoning. Personally I would suggest to cook it! The recipe is super similar to the pico de gallo.
Salsa
4-5 Roma Tomatoes
1 lg Onion
1 Garlic Clove
2 - 3 Serrano Chilies
1 cup Tomato Juice (or ½ cup water)
1 bunch Cilantro
Salt and Pepper to taste
Maybe some Lime juice
Cut the onions and tomatoes bigger because they will shrink some in cooking. Cut the tomatoes in 8ths and the onion in a ½ inch dice, the serano and cilantro still a fine dice and put a fine dice on the garlic.
Put the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilis and tomato juice or water in a pan and let it come up to a simmer and let it go at a quick simmer - not a full boil - until the sauce is the consistency you like your salsa. It needn’t be cooked very long at all - just a few minutes to reduce the sauce (ie: make it less watery) and to allow the vegetables to become soft. Then add the cilantro and cook one more minute. Then at this point add some salt and pepper - I use more here because some of the peppery and saltiness of the fresh vegetables and lime has been lost. Let sit several hours or overnight in the refrigerator and then give a taste, if it needs some pop then add some lime juice.
Green Salsa, Chili Verde, Tomatillo sauce
7 medium Tomatillos
1 lg Onion
1 clove Garlic
1 ½ cups water
2 - 3 Serrano Chilies
1 bunch Cilantro
Salt and Pepper
Maybe some Lime juice
Tomatillos have husks on them. Just peel off the husks and rinse under water - they are a little sticky naturally - don’t worry about it!! Cut the tomatillos in 6ths and the onion in ¾ inch dice. Mince the garlic and serrano chilies. Mince the cilantro.
Put the tomatillos, garlic, chilies, onions and water in a pan and bring it to a boil. Drop down to a quick simmer and let it go for a while checking on it now and then for consistency. When it reduces to the point where you like that amount of sauciness (this will taste quite a bit longer than the red salsa) then add the cilantro and cook one more minute and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Here you won’t need quite as much salt as the red salsa because the tomatillos add a little salty taste - just add to taste. Let sit in refrigerator for several hours and then if it needs a little pop then add some lime juice.
These are super quick and easy ways to make delicious salsa. And they are really good for your health as long as you don't eat it all with chips :-D
OK when making Chai you only need a few ingredients - water, milk, black tea and either ginger or cardamom. Usually you add a few other things from your pantry to add depth. I’m going to give you THE BEST CHAI recipe!!
Ingredients
6 cups water
2 cups milk
¼ cup sugar
2 cardamom seeds (use mortal and pestle to break them up or use the flat of a chef’s knife to smoosh them then chop a little - make sure the pieces don’t go flying everywhere by holding your other hand over it)
5 thin slices of fresh ginger chopped in half
1 cinnamon stick broken in half
5 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
5 cloves
½ star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds
Put water in a med/lg saucepan and drop the spices in it. Then take 6 black tea bags and open them up over the pan (Lipton is just fine!!) and let the leaves fall in or use 6 tps loose black tea. Bring to a boil and let it boil rapidly for 10 minutes.
The water level will go down dramatically - this is just fine. Add the milk and sugar and give it a stir. Bring back to a boil. (I don’t suggest walking away at this point because if it comes to a boil while you’re not there it will overflow.) Let the milk foam up a bit then turn off heat and it will go right back down. Then using a fine mesh strainer pour yourself a cup of Chai. Let the delicious aromas fill your nose and sip on the most velvety and slightly sweet Chai you’ve ever had!!
Makes 6 servings
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Now as we all know tea has antioxidant properties. Unfortunately adding milk to it removes these. However you make up for it by a landslide in what you get from all the spices.
Bay leaves - antiseptic, antioxidant, digestive , anti-cancer properties, good source of folic acid and vitamin C > helps with immune boosting, wound healing, antiviral effects, vitamin A > good for sight, helps with mucus membranes and skin health, niacin, panto-ethnic acid, riboflavin, all 3 B vitamins, helps enzyme synthesis, nervous system function and metabolism, calcium, potassium, manganese and magnesium, selenium, iron and zinc, helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Astringent, appetite stimulant, helps with tummy problems like cloves do and colic, insect repellent, arthritis, muscle pain, bronchitis and flu (whew!!)
Black peppercorns - aids digestion, breaks up congestion also good with coughs, whooping cough and asthma, sprinkle black pepper on a cut > stops bleeding, antibacterial, kills germs, aids weight loss, good for healthy skin, reduces skin cancer, good for eyesight, helps transport the active elements of other herbs and spices to all your body parts, helps with ear ache and tooth ache
Cardamom - essential oils > antiseptic, antispasmodic, antioxidant, carminative, stomachic, expectorant, stimulant - also has vitamins in it - vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, Manganese (free radical scavenger - helps avoid cancer), iron, riboflavin and niacin
Cinnamon - lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, helps with yeast infections, regulates blood sugar (helpful for those dieting and also to diabetics), reduces proliferation of cancer, arthritis relief, antibacterial, boosts cognitive function and memory, fights E. Coli, high in magnesium, calcium and iron.
Cloves - highest antioxidant activity of any food!! (hence fights off free radicals), good source of manganese, calcium, vitamin K and C, iron, protein, Omega-3 fatty acids, helps with toothaches and infections like the flu, especially good for coughs, high in flavonoids > anti-inflammatory so good for arthritis and rheumatism, anesthetic, antibacterial, purifies blood so helps with various diseases, helps with all digestive problems: diarrhea, vomiting, flatulence, gastric irritability.
Ginger - powerful weapon against ovarian and colon cancer, helps with morning and travel sickness, reduces pain and inflammation, aids menstrual cramps, helps with colds, flu and migraines, reduces kidney damage in diabetic patients
Fennel - helps with anemia, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, antacid, flatulence, facilitates absorption of nutrient of other foods, helps with colic and other respiratory problems, good for eye care, diuretic, removes toxins from body, strengthens hair and prevents hair loss, and sharpens memory (caution you can overdose taking too much fennel - so don’t just decide to make a meal of it)
Star anise - helps with digestion problems, constipation, tummy ache, abdominal cramps, gas, indigestion, and bloating (if you put some star anise in a cup of hot water and drink it it should get rid of your tummy ache as well as aid in cough and cold), helps with colds and flu, increases breast milk production, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, vitamin C, A and copper, helps those with poor appetites.
Okay so that’s a good outline for why this drink is especially healthy for you - definitely makes up for the fact that there is a small amount of sugar in each cup. Also now that you’ve got all these spices might as well add them to coffee drinks and smoothies as well as chutneys to go over meat and any ole thing you can think of (for instance a little cinnamon and cloves are good in chili).
Cardamom is not cheap in most stores. But I found a large chain supermarket that carries “Spicely, whole herbs and spices” and as opposed to the 14 or so dollars you’ll spend on most other brands for cardamom it is only 3 dollars - whoopee!!! Was a happy find for me. Keep you ginger either fresh in a cold spot in your refrigerator or cut off half of it and freeze it. Either way keep it in baggies as they get dry easily. If you find yourself in the Hispanic aisle in the supermarket that is where you want to pick up the black peppercorns, bay leaves, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon - all for $1.50 or less. The fennel seed is usually carried by all brands but I haven’t found it yet in the Hispanic section yet unfortunately. You want whole spices all around preferably but I have on occasion used cinnamon powder or clove powder and it works OK - still makes a great cup of tea!!
To your Health!! - ENJOY!!
