Category Archives: Recipes

We all scream for Ice Cream!

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I give my kids a dessert every night after dinner. The dessert varies from a piece of dark chocolate, to a fruit of their choice, and sometimes ice cream. I usually buy these little sandwiches from So Delicious. I like them because they are made with coconut milk and do not contain high fructose corn syrup…but even so they have sugar and are definitely not the best.  They love any of these options and it really does help them finish their dinner when they know they get a treat afterwards. The other day while I was making some baby food, I opened the drawer of containers and saw some popsicle things Orlando had bought. I had some yummy mango on hand and I thought, hmmmm I wonder if I should make the boys some healthy popsicles for after dinner dessert.

Here’s the recipe:

Mango/Pineapple/Banana Popsicles 

  • a cup of mango
  • a cup of frozen pineapple
  • 1/2 a banana
  • about 1/4 cup of yogurt
  • ice

I blended it all in my blendtec (pressed the ice cream button…love this thing!), poured it into the popsicle container, and popped them in the freezer. The next night I told my kids they could each have ice cream after dinner if they ate well. Of course its all in the pitch with these kids. I told them it was way cooler than the little sandwiches and I had made them just for them but they would need to be earned. They could not wait! Ok so its not actually ice cream. In spanish, its often called “duro frio.”  But the point is its cold, its sweet, its fun for the kids…and calling it ice cream just makes it that much better for them. IMG_0448 IMG_0449 Needless to say the popsicles were a hit. But here’s the coolest part…they loved it so much they asked me to make more. Now when given the option between the popsicle, a piece of dark chocolate or the so delicious ice cream sandwiches…they choose the popsicle! I’ve made strawberry/banana, mango/pineapple, mango/pineapple/banana. And just recently I made mango with chia seeds. The options are endless! The whole process takes about 5 minutes to make and then leave in the freezer overnight. It was fun to make them a homemade dessert that had no sugar, no mysterious ingredients, and tastes sweet! Its definitely worth the effort!!!

PowerSnack Balls Recipe

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Uhhhh, I know it took me soooo long to get this recipe on here!! This has been a crazy week for us!

So no more waiting here is Orlando’s delicious recipe for our snack balls: (he took the receipe from Whole Living and made it his way)

nuts and dried fruit. no added sugar. hemp, chia, flax, and sesame seeds

power Snack Balls

To make the small batch:

  • 1 cup of random dried fruits whichever you like, just make sure they have no sugar added (whole foods). I used 2 different types of dates, figs, and dried banana.
  • 1 cup of raisins
  • 2 cups of your favorite nuts (we did 1 cup almonds 1 cup pecans)
  • 1/4 cup of healthy seeds (we used chia, flax, and hemp)
  • Sesame seeds
  • Dry, unsweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS:

  • Put nuts in food processor and process until they are chopped small (30 seconds or so). Remove to a bowl
  • Put dried fruits in food processor until it forms a paste. You will know its done when the paste is formed and starts to roll around in the processor like dough in a mixer.
  • Knead the fruit and nuts together until all the nuts are incorporated into the fruit. It takes a couple of minutes. At first it will appear as if you will never get all the nuts into the paste, but keep kneading it and they will all incorporate into the paste.
  • Form into a meatloaf size loaf.
  • You can now either roll them into 1/2 inch balls or slice the loaf with a knife and cut them into small squares (much less time consuming).
  • Now press the balls or squares into a bowl filled with coconut and sesame seeds. You can do one or the other or both.

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Note that when I made the above recipe those things lasted only one day in my house, so next time I doubled the recipe.

A little side note:

Food has become a major part of our life as a family. Eating healthy requires planning, preparing, shopping, cooking…its a process. ESPECIALLY, when its a learned behavior like it is for us. Sounds exhausting, but its actually really nice. We talk about what we’re going to eat for the week, we explore new ingredients and recipes together, and we each have our roles in the kitchen. Orlando is the head chef, I take care of most of the raw stuff, i.e. breakfast and lunch, and the boys help us with the preparing of food (as much as they can on the days we can afford the mess!)

The process makes all of us conscious and aware of what we’re putting in our mouths.

So if you have kids old enough to help, and you want to make them a part of your health journey, invite them to the kitchen and let them get a little dirty rolling balls in sesame seeds or kneading nuts and fruits. I believe this encourages them to try new things and empowers them! DSC_0343DSC_0340DSC_0335DSC_0336

 

Ratatouille

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Friends, this is more than just a movie about a mouse who can cook. This is a delightful meal that hopefully will become a weekly staple in our home. I’m blown away by it!!! So we went back to our Annie’s box of Organics last week. At some point in November, I had cancelled my subscription. I had some issues with the box.

The cons:
1. we get berries but never enough for the size of my family so the one box of blueberries goes the first day we get the box.
2. the box can sometimes get repetitive and we get the same vegetable a couple of weeks in a row (i.e. potatoes…and we really don’t eat potatoes, so that gets annoying)
3. some of the items in the box doesn’t have to be organic so we’re paying organic prices for some veggies we really can get cheaper elsewhere (i.e. avocados)
4. we don’t get to choose what we get.

We thought we had gotten to a place where we had explored most of what the box was going to give us and really we were veggie-savvy enough to go to Whole foods, or Publix or any other market and get whatever vegetables and fruits we wanted for the week without having someone else pick it for us.

RESULTS… The variety declined. Even though we would only get one little box of berries every other week, at least we were getting a box. We’d go to Whole Foods every week and rarely can we find organic berries. At least at our store. They’re simply not available. So we’d end up not eating berries at all instead of our one little box that we all enjoy thoroughly!
And then we started falling back on the most comfortable dishes…our cabbage soup, our salmon with cauliflower and asparagus, our veggie tray…but week after week we were eating the same meals and I even found myself going back to my blog to re-discover some of our own recipes because I didn’t know what to buy at the store.

THE SOLUTION:

January 7th we went back to our box. I went online and found that in the 2 little months I had strayed they had started a new box that they call the Paleo box. (Note: we are not on a Paleo diet but what I like about the Paleo box is that it excludes potatoes, which we rarely eat and don’t care to get in our box). So that was a good solution to one of our box complaints. And I also realized I could tweek my box however I wanted. If I want to add berries, I can pay a little more for that. If I’ve gotten one veggie too many weeks in a row, I can email them and ask them to substitute it with another item for the following week. There are options, I was just not exploring them. Of course I still have to go to the store and buy certain staples that didn’t come in my box. But I just simply love having my refrigerator stocked with veggies and fruits week after week and once I have them at the house, we eat them. Whereas for the last couple of months, I was buying fruits and vegetables of course because that is the main source of our diet, but I was actually being more repetitive when I was choosing them for myself, getting less variety (meaning less sources of nutrients) and always trying to remember what we would get in the first place. I feel like I have reconnected with my greens again and it feels wonderful!

But best of all… I discovered that I love having vegetables in my home that I did not choose at the store. WHY??? Because it forces us to use that vegetable before it spoils, and therefore look for recipes around that vegetable. That has proved easier for us than choosing a recipe and buying vegetables for that recipe. With 2 kids, 1 on the way, and work…we don’t have time to sit in front of a computer and browse through random recipes. But what is easier is googling – “eggplant recipes” and finding something that fits with our lifestyle.

And that is where our Ratatouille was born!! Ratatouille is basically a baked dish of layered vegetables. Yesterday we had an eggplant sitting in the fridge from our box last week (one of the only remaining vegetables in the fridge) and I told Orlando we had to use it. He browsed some recipes and decided to make the Ratatouille. Luckily we also had Shitake mushrooms from the last box and got heirloom tomatoes in the new box…ingredients that go into ratatouille. As usual, Orlando took what he liked from different recipes and came up with this…

Here is the recipe:

1 large Onion (sliced)
1 large eggplant (skin-on and in 1/2 inch cubes)
2 or 3 large tomatoes (thinly sliced)
2 cups mushrooms (sliced)
2 or 3 zuchinni (evenly sliced in rounds)
6 cloves of garlic (chopped)
salt/pepper
olive oil
parmesan cheese
1/2 large red bell pepper (chopped)
1/2 large green bell pepper (chopped)

Instructions:
– Preheat the oven to 375
– Chop and slice the veggies
– Saute the onion, mushrooms, and bell peppers in little olive oil adding salt and pepper
Make sure to not saute for too long. We are just trying to cook them down a bit, we don’t want them caramelized. I’d say 5 min max. Then set aside in a bowl.
– Now saute the eggplant in olive oil for about 8 minutes. The eggplant tends to soak in the oil, but don’t go over-board with olive oil either. Then when the 8 minutes are up, add the fresh garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Don’t forget to add salt and pepper while cooking!
-In a baking dish arrange just over half of the eggplant mixture
covering the bottom
-now layer the zuchinni slices on top like you are making a lasagna
-lightly oil and salt the zuchinni
-Now do the same with the tomato slices. Layer them on top of the zuchinni slices covering the top like you are making a lasagna. Add Salt and pepper to the tomatoes.
-Now layer the onion, mushroom, and pepper mixture on top of the tomatoes.
– Add a nice bit of parmesan atop the mixture
– layer remaining eggplant
– layer remaining zuchinni
– layer remaining tomatoes
– layer remaining onion mixture
– Add parmesan
– Place foil on top and bake for 45 minutes

We served this on whole wheat cous cous, but I think that quinoa or millet would be great too. The texture of the cous cous was awesome with the veggies.The cooking time on this dish is 45 minutes, which is a long time…but Orlando says that its not a labor intensive meal because there aren’t that many ingredients. I would suggest, if you are pressed for time, preparing it on a Sunday night so that you only have to put it in the oven the next day. I loved it so much I can’t wait to have it for lunch today and give it to the boys for dinner!

We hope you can enjoy it as much as we did!

Superfood Monday Smoothie

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Happy Monday to all!!!!! So today is the day where the grand majority of us started our regular routines again. Kids are back in school, we are back to work and 2013 is in full effect. Orlando and I were committed to starting today with a bang. It is incredible how just a little organization and planning makes one feel so much better prepared for the day to come. For example, we made sure we went to bed early in order to get a good night’s rest, had the house clean, picked up the drycleaning, did the groceries…all those little details put us in a great mental state and that made all the difference.

As you know I’m in charge of breakfast and lunch so I wanted to power up Orlando, myself and the kids with a superfood smoothie.

We buy a superfood called PURE SYNERGY. What does it have…. almost anything healthy you can imagine from algae such as spirulina, chlorella, kelp to fruits, vegetables and herbs such as kale, collard, wheat grass, sage, rosemary… and the list goes on. It is exactly what it purports to be…SUPERFOOD! and it is a brand we trust.

So this morning I made the following recipe:

SUPERFOOD SMOOTHIE
1/2 Quart almond milk
1 tbsp of PURE SYNERGY Superfood
1 tbsp of cocoa powder
1/2 avocado
1/2 banana
4 drops of stevia

I have bought a green superfood from Whole foods also called Green Vibrance that I think is great. I know the smoothie sounded to me a bit more adventurous than most people are comfortable with but I think its totally worth trying. So I urge you to try it if you dare!!!!! Your body will thank you for it!

I finally mastered the art of making Quinoa!

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Friends, learning to make that perfect Quinoa has been a long process for me. My husband is the chef. That’s just the way things are. But I have certain responsibilities in the kitchen, simply because I have to feed my children usually before he gets home. So making Quinoa has fallen square on my shoulders. Since that is the type of food that is made in larger quantities, Orlando usually uses “my” cooked Quinoa for his recipes. And its always something. Its too bland, or  too mushy, or too hard…I just hadn’t quite tweaked it. Until now!!!! I finally figured out what I had been doing wrong!!!!!!! YAY!!!!

Here is the issue…certain quinoa boxes will tell you to add 2 cups of water per cup of quinoa, others will tell you 1 1/2. Some Quinoa recipes recommend rinsing the quinoa and others don’t. I read about it and feel that you should rinse your Quinoa because it contains Saponin – and that creates a bitter taste. When you rinse it you remove that thin layer of Saponin that it has.

But if you add 2 cups of water after rinsing the Quinoa…now you’ve got yourself some mushy quinoa!!! Too much or too little water creates a huge problem for those little grains and of course, I have fallen victim to both scenarios! Until now!

So here is my perfected Quinoa recipe. 

  • 2 cups of Quinoa
  • Rinse quinoa in water and drain the water as best as you can
  • then add about 1 cup of water or chicken broth (I like broth better) per cup of Quinoa.  When I say about 1 cup its because I put in a generous cup – more than 1 cup but less than 1 1/2. But somewhere in that range.
  • Add whatever you want – carrots, zucchini, peas, garlic cloves, cinnamon stick, raisins, broccoli …any veggie you want.
  • Bring to a boil
  • Put a tight lid on and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes – and DO NOT OPEN THAT LID AGAIN!!!!! Let it cook!!!!! When it beeps, you will have a fluffy Quinoa. AT LAST!

My husband made the Fried Quinoa with kimchee recipe the other day at home and actually told me that the Quinoa was cooked perfectly! But I didn’t make enough so he asked me to make 1 more cup… I was scared my success was a one time wonder but sure enough the second batch came out as good as the first! The recipe came out so spectacular that we may actually post a take 2 round of this recipe because Orlando tried it for the first time on video with you all and now he has really perfected it. So keep your eyes peeled!

NOTE:  I couldn’t end this post without elaborating a little bit more on adding veggies to your Quinoa. It is not necessary to do so, however, I strongly believe you should never pass up the opportunity to pile on veggies to your meals.  Especially, if you are a beginner eating vegetables, or just aren’t so crazy about them…. chopping them up into little pieces and adding them to things like Quinoa makes them an insignificant part of the meal from a taste perspective…but all their fiber and nutrients and minerals are making a significant impact in your body. So, be bold. Add vegetables any where you can. Your eggs, your pizza, your quinoa….aim to have at least 1 vegetable with every meal. You won’t regret it, and you may even start liking them if you don’t already!!!!!!!!!!!! Never stop PILING ON THE GREENS!

This veggie recipe deserves its very own post!

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I’ve mentioned this veggie recipe in two different posts but it is such a good and simple recipe that I don’t want it to get lost or ignored in the other posts. PLUS, Orlando has added a new ingredient and it must be shared!!!!!

Its simple.

Asparagus, Leeks and Onions

  • chop 1/2 bunch of asparagus into 1 inch pieces. (to avoid the stringiness of the asparagus, break off the bottom portion of the asparagus)
  • 2 small Leeks or 1 large Leek, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 an onion chopped into small pieces
  • Sautee with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 7 minutes in a pan at high heat (maybe an 8)
  • The bottom of the pan will start to crust up. Then drizzle a little bit of marsala wine (about 2 ounces or less) on to the pan. Then you deglaze the vegetables (mix in the vegetables and wine with the crust for a delicious flavor)

But last week, Orlando added Brussel Sprouts to the mix. WOW! Delicious.

Brussel Sprouts were NEVER on our grocery list. But of course they came in our Annie’s box one day and we were forced to try it. My first impression was…they’re ok…but I wasn’t inlove. That soon changed. The more often Orlando cooked them, the more I liked them. They are now a staple in our home. If you’ve never had Brussel Sprouts and are hesitant to taste them, I suggest making them in this recipe for your first try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!!!!

So the recipe remains the same except that I have incorporated the brussel sprouts in it:

  • 1/2 a portion of brussel sprouts, cut off the bottom part, and cut in quarters.
  • chop 1/2 bunch of asparagus into 1 inch pieces. (to avoid the stringiness of the asparagus, break off the bottom portion of the asparagus)
  • 2 small Leeks or 1 large Leek, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 an onion chopped into small pieces
  • Sautee with olive oil, salt and pepper for about 7 minutes in a pan at high heat (maybe an 8)
  • The bottom of the pan will start to crust up. Then drizzle a little bit of marsala wine (about 2 ounces or less) on to the pan. Then you deglaze the vegetables (mix in the vegetables and wine with the crust for a delicious flavor)
  • Last step is to put a lid on the pan for about 2 minutes. Then take off the heat and VOILA! (the reason we add this step is because those last 2 minutes steam the brussel sprouts and soften them to perfection!!)

Not only is the recipe delicious, but you are now incorporating 4 vegetables as your side dish to your plate. This means vitamins, minerals, fiber, folate, antioxidants…health!!!!!

We hope you enjoy it!!! Let us know in the comments section if you made this recipe and what you thought about it! Also, don’t forget we will be answering questions once a week so don’t be afraid to ask!!!!!!

 

Spicy Quinoa Kimchi Fried Rice

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healthy alternative to fried rice

healthy alternative to fried rice

What we used:

  • 3 cups Quinoa
  • 2 cups frozen vegetables (stir fry mix) chopped
  • 1 fried egg per serving
  • 1 tbsp ginger
  • 2 tbsp garlic
  • 3/4 of a bottle of kimchi
  • (reserve some of the liquid from the kimchi)
  • 1/2 onion
  • Sauce – 2tbsp liquid aminos, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar, dash of red pepper flake – mix well (add to taste, we probably used 1/4 of what we made)

I’m reading a new fascinating book “The Body Ecology Diet” and I’ve discovered the benefits of cultured vegetables. Cultured vegetables are vegetables that are left to “ferment” in an air tight container for several days allowing healthy bacteria to form. During this fermentation period, the friendly bacteria reproduces and converts sugars and starches to lactic acid.

They become rich in lactobacilli (what we know as “probiotics”) and enzyme, vitamins A, B, and C and turn into an alkaline-forming food. In English, this basically means it is a food for health and longevity!!!!!

Among the benefits listed for cultured vegetables are:

  • Help re-establish a healthy inner ecosystem.
  • Great for weight loss
  • Improve digestion
  • Help eliminate sugar cravings!!!!!
  • Help cleanse your system
  • Great for your skin.

The Body Ecology has some basic recipes for making your own cultured vegetables, and if you make them in batches and eat it everyday, it is a much cheaper alternative than taking probiotic supplements. We plan to make them at home, but haven’t gotten around to it yet…so I went to Whole Foods looking for some ready-made cultured vegetables that I could try in the meantime.

What I found was Kimchi. Its a Korean condiment -basically fermented cabbage and other vegetables, with a mix of salt, vinegar and other spices. It was the only cultured vegetable food I found in the store. I bought it, brought it home and a little scared, tried it! I actually liked it and since I bought have used it in my scrambled eggs in the morning, in my salads for lunch, and in the quinoa fried rice Orlando made.

I posted this video of Orlando making the quinoa mainly because it was his first time making it. I thought it would be great for you to see how he creates his meals. He’s always trying new things and changing his mind and sometimes the meal isn’t working out and he figures out how to save it! I think its pretty cool to see his process…and at the end he always comes through.

So for now, Kimchi is a big star in our home but stay tuned….we will be making our own cultured vegetables very soon!!!!!

 

Afraid my veggies will go bad Soup- a pleasant surprise.

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Talking to my cousin Stephanie the other day, she told me about some crazy concoction she invented the other day for fear that all the veggies she bought from Whole Foods would go bad. I was then reading an interesting book “The Body Ecology Diet” and it discusses the many benefits of soups and suggests getting creative with veggies that are about to spoil. What struck me the most was that the book suggests that making soup is fool-proof, meaning you don’t have to know how to cook to pull it off. Since everyone knows I can’t cook for the life of me, I had to try this.

So on Sunday, considering we were in this fake hurricane mode and I was stuck at home anyway, I gave it a shot and tried the following:

I started off by chopping up a ton of celery which was already wilting, ginger, garlic and onions and sauteeing them over some coconut oil. Then I poured in organic chicken broth that I had at home, some left over vegetable broth in the fridge that was about to go bad, carrots, cabbage, rainbow chard, squash, zucchini, and cauliflower. Its pretty much everything I had in the fridge, including leftover veggies from a vegetable tray we served at a get together we had. Instead of tossing the leftovers, I put them in the soup! I added about 5 cayenne pepper liquid drops, a little sazon completo, turmeric powder, and celtic sea salt.

I brought the soup to a boil, then simmered for 20 minutes (until the carrots were tender) and voila! I made the very first soup concoction of my own!!!!! I wanted the soup to be spicy because this pregnancy is stuffing up my sinuses, but when I tasted it I realized the cayenne pepper hadn’t spiced it up much, so I added about 5 more drops to my own personal soup and it made it spicier.

The verdict… I was pleasantly surprised!!! Orlando expected garbage and found it to be bland at first but after a few sips, he actually liked it. The next day I tried another variety and wasn’t quite as successful, it was totally bland…but that’s only because i’m learning to play with seasonings and really am an amateur!

Let’s face it, it can’t compare to the meals my husband makes and it can definitely use a lot of work, but the point is I’m proud to say my kids loved it; it was pretty good; and most importantly it was a bowl of health!!!!!

So the next time your veggies are about to spoil, think twice before you toss and try making your own soup at home. And if your kids are not old enough to drink soups yet, you can puree the leftovers and give it to them that way.

Good luck!!!! Please reply and let us know of any inventions you think are worth sharing.

Fearless Friday Pizza

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Hello all!  Sorry I couldn’t get to last week’s Fearless Friday meal, but this pizza will more than make up for it.  We mentioned the cauliflower pizza a few months ago on the blog, and I thought this would be the perfect time to give you the recipe for a weekend treat.  This pizza has no flour at all!  The crust is mainly cauliflower and fat-free cheese.  The raw “dough” is EXTREMELY sticky, so don’t even think about doing this if you don’t have parchment paper handy.  You can buy it at any store in the same section where you find the aluminum foil.  If you do it on foil (or anything else for that matter) the pizza will stick and be inedible!!!

The first time I made this pizza I failed miserably (see sticky-problem above).  Then one day Caro told me she was in the mood for some homemade guacamole.  We searched high and low for crackers or bread to dip, but we didn’t have either at the house.  I told Caro that this may be a good time to make the crust, break it into pieces, and dip in the guacamole.

I made the crust and thought to myself, “do I dare make a guacamole pizza?”  And that is exactly what I did.  You can put any toppings you want on this crust, but the guacamole pizza was awesome.  I’ll give you the recipe for the crust and the guacamole and you decide for yourself what toppings you want.

GUACAMOLE:

  •                     3 Haas avocados (peeled and mashed)
  •                     1 lime  juiced
  •                     salt and pepper
  •                     2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  •                     2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
  •                     1 teaspoon minced garlic
  •                     1 pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
  •                      1/2 a Jalapeno (optional)

Just mash it all up together.  You can use a blender, but don’t over-blend.  We still want some chunks in there.

CRUST: 1/2 LARGE head cauliflower (or 2+ cups shredded cauliflower) 1 large egg 1 cup low-fat (skim) shredded mozzarella cheese 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic (or fresh garlic) 1/2 teaspoon onion salt

TOPPINGS: The same mozzarella listed above and whatever toppings you choose (try my guacamole for God’s sakes!!!)

Directions:

1.  Shred the cauliflower into small crumbles.  You can use the food processor if you’d like, but you just want crumbles, not puree.  You want them to look like rice.  In fact, the process is called “ricing” the cauliflower.

2.  Prepare the crust:  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet and spray nonstick spray on it.  In a medium bowl, mix the cauliflower crumbles with the remaining crust ingredients.  Pat the “crust” into a 9 to 12-inch round on the prepared pan.  Spray the crust lightly with nonstick spray and bake for 15 minutes (or until golden).  Remove the crust from the oven and turn the heat up to broil.  Why, you ask?  Because the crust is already cooked.  We are broiling only to melt the cheese on top of your pizza.  Remember to leave the oven door open when broiling!!!  You want to keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

3.  Prepare the pizza:  Spread the guacamole or tomato sauce on top of the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.  Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 cup cheese on top (plus any toppings you choose)  Broil the pizza 3 to 4 minutes, or until the the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Cut into 6 slices and serve immediately.

Cauliflower crust with Guacamole Pizza

There you have it!  This pizza is awesome and isn’t hard to make at all.  The guacamole is even easier.  Enjoy the your weekend and please give us feedback to let us know your thoughts.

Fearless Friday Meatloaf

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By Orlando:

Thank God its Friday!!! And you guys know what that means…another Fearless Friday suggestion for a minor weekend cheat. Today’s recipe is one of my favorite meals. I don’t make it as often as I used to because I don’t find it healthy enough to eat every week. However, weekends are another story, and it is still an extremely health take on a home-cooked classic: meatloaf.

Instead of ground beef I use ground turkey. Use a 93/7 blend or 93% fat-free. If you use a “fat free” or 99% fat free turkey it will be extremely tough. The lack of fat will result in it turning into a rock. If you get the turkey any fattier than 93% it will be too fattening and you might as well use ground beef.

Instead of regular bread-crumbs, I toast 2 slices of Ezekiel bread and grind in a blender or food processor, thus making my own home-made, unprocessed bread crumbs. The full recipe is below.

I like to make the meatloaf with traditional sides made in an untraditional fashion. Nothing goes with meatloaf like mashed potatoes. But instead of potatoes, I make a cauliflower mash, which is much healthier and tastes really good. You get some of the texture of a mashed potato with a fraction of the carbs. I also posted the recipe for the Cauliflower mash below.

Finally, you want to have a vegetable dish. I like green beans with my meatloaf and mash. Obviously you can make any veggie you want, but I find it to be a traditional side that matches very well.

Turkey Meatloaf

  1. 1 pound ground turkey (93/7)
  2. 1/2 cup of bread crumbs (try toasting Ezekiel bread and blending/processing them)
  3. 2 eggs
  4. 1/4 cup of chopped Italian parsley
  5. 2 tbs milk
  6. 1/2 cup grated Romano cheese (Grate your own! don’t be lazy and buy that powdered garbage in a container they sell off as Romano!!!!!)
  7. 1/4 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (you can buy them in oil or normal, but I like to save the calories and don’t buy the ones in oil)
  8. salt and pepper to taste. I also add “Sason Completo”
  9. 6 or 7 asparagus chopped (did you really think I wouldn’t sneak in a veggie???)
  10. Whatever glaze you choose (more on that below)

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Mix all the ingredients EXCEPT the turkey in a large bowl. This should make a nice wet “paste-like” consistency. Now add the turkey and combine well with clean hands (yes, with your hands). Remember that the seasoning is in the paste, so mix it well. Pat the mixture into a meatloaf shape and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Before placing in the oven, I like to put a sauce on top. Some people put ketchup, but I like Asian glazes like General Tso’s sauce, Thai Chili sauce, or even a Hoisin sauce. I know that these sauces have a lot of sugar, but remember two things: 1. most of the sauce slides off the meatloaf…only a fraction of it actually forms a crust and 2. it is Fearless Friday for God’s sakes!!! Live a little!!! Place the meatloaf in the oven and remove when it reaches an internal temperature of 160-165 (about 40 minutes).

What’s that you say? Did you just ask me how you would know the internal temperature? You mean you don’t own a food thermometer? Get off my website! Ok, wait, don’t get off the website, we could really use the page-views!!! Just buy an internal thermometer please!!!!

Cauliflower Mash

  1. 2 heads of cauliflower chopped
  2. 2 tbs organic butter
  3. about 1/2 cup of grass-fed milk (in the alternative, you can try organic)
  4. salt and pepper

Boil the cauliflower in water until tender. Place in blender with other ingredients and blend until smooth. Taste it and add salt and pepper to your liking. I don’t measure the amount of milk I put in. I go by sight, so the 1/2 cup is an estimate. Start with 1/4 and add until you reach your desired texture.

Green Beans

Get a bag of green beans and snip the edges off the beans. You can buy them already snipped…makes life much easier. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. (sound familiar? I love this method). Place in the oven for about 25 minutes. Taste one, and if you think it needs more time, leave it longer. They should have nice color and lose its waxyness.