Good Old Comfort Food

With the evenings being cooler now, it's a good time to start making some comfort food! I used to not like meatloaf, but then I realized I don't like my mom's meatloaf, or lots of other people's meatloaf either... but here is my recipe. It's very similar to meatballs, so maybe that's why I like it.

Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients well and shape into an oval. Bake uncovered in a preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour and a half. Viola!

Ok, so quite often I cut this recipe in half because a giant loaf of meat is just too much for C. and I. Also, if you make a smaller loaf, it only takes about 45-hour to bake.




ps -- after I made this, I realized that we had no potatoes in the house and only enough of the instant kind to make 2 VERY small servings. Oh, and yes, we did have a salad with this, so veggies were not completely missing!

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice

Last year, around this time actually, I promised myself that I would start trying some new recipes -- I even ordered some new cooking magazines. The whim lasted for a few weeks, and then I became pregnant and my meals mainly consisted of saltines, with a side of saltines, and maybe some saltines for dessert. Oh, and a Luna bar thrown in for good measure! (Seriously, for a few months, that's all I could keep down!)

Anyway, those magazines are all stacked in my kitchen and lately I've been flipping through them and getting the urge to really start cooking again. Now is the perfect time. I'm used to having a baby in the house, I am back to work, and things are generally falling into a routine -- and I mean that in a good way!

So, here is my first cooking post in over a year. I made this a few days ago and it was a hit with both C. and I. I've added it to my recipe box and I will be making it again.

Me being me, I couldn't just leave the recipe as is -- I tweaked it!
1. The recipe makes TWELVE servings. That's way too many servings, so I cut it in half.
2. I don't own a Dutch Oven, so I used a large skillet with a lid. I affectionately refer to this skillet as my "Hamburger Helper Pan".
3. I didn't have peanut oil, so I used canola oil -- seemed to work just fine.
4. We don't really eat tomatoes, so I just used 1/2 a can of tomato paste and left out the tomatoes.
5. I didn't have any brown rice, so I just used the cheap instant white rice.
6. The grocery stores in my little town didn't have any "Greek-style" yogurt, so we went without. I can see that this would be a good addition to the recipe though, so next time I will go to the 'city' and get some. Or maybe some sour cream would work too.

Spicy Peanut Chicken over Rice
-- Cooking Light, August 2008, page 138.

1 T. peanut oil
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1 1/2 T minced garlic
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1 1/2 t curry powder
1 t salt
1 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t black pepper
1 6-oz can tomato paste
3 cups chopped plum tomato (about 6 tomatoes)
2 (14 oz) cans fat-free, reduced sodium, chicken broth
8 cups hot cooked brown rice
3/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring frequently.
Stir in peanut butter and next 5 ingredients (through tomato paste); cook 1 minute.
Add tomato and broth to pan; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Serve chicken mixture over rice; top each serving with yogurt.
Yields 12 servings. (serving size is 3/4 cup chicken mixture, 2/3 cup rice, and 1 T yogurt.)
(Calories 340, Fat 7.6 grams, Fiber 4.6 grams)

The chicken came out really yummy with just enough spice. It's a good dinner if you are looking for something different. I already had most of the ingredients, so that always makes a recipe a keeper in my book. I hate recipes where I need to buy all this crap that I will only ever use for that specific recipe.

Enjoy!


This is how I measure 1/2 of a 1/3 cup of peanut butter:

Sweet and Sour Pork Patties

So, for Christmas my dear hubby got me a cookbook from Sandra Lee, the Food Network's resident lush! There are some good recipes in there, but I had yet to actually try any of them.

When I saw that ground pork was on sale this week, I thought I would give this recipe a whirl. As I am trying to eat healthier, I altered the recipe slightly. The original recipe calls for regular fat-content ground pork that you are supposed to cook in 2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil. I instead went with the extra lean pork and eliminated the oil. Both changes seemed to work well, though I really have nothing to compare it to.

Enjoy!

ps... Have I mentioned that I HATE the word 'patties'? I don't know why, but it grates on my nerves. So, maybe I should rename this Sweet and Sour Pork Burgers or something...


Sweet and Sour Pork Patties

1 1/4 lb extra lean ground pork (97% fat free)
2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp Asian Five-Spice Seasoning
1 tsp crushed or minced garlic (I used the kind that comes in a little jar)
2 - 8 oz. cans of unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained
6 oz. of bell pepper strips (I used the frozen ones from Trader Joe's)
9 oz. Sweet and Sour Sauce

In a large bowl, combine ground pork, soy sauce, Asian seasoning and garlic. Wet hands to prevent sticking: form pork mixture into sixteen 2-inch patties.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties; cook for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate; set aside.

Add drained pineapple chunks and pepper strips to skillet. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until peppers are just tender. Add sweet and sour sauce; bring to a boil.

Return patties to skillet, turning to coat with sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve hot over rice.

Makes 4 servings (6 WW points per serving)

*Adapted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade 20 Minute Meals, page 92*

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

In my quest to cook at home more, I made this recipe last night. It was actually very good!

Easy Chicken Pot Pie

• 3 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed or shredded
  
• 1 bag of frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 can of 98% fat free cream of celery soup, undiluted
• 1 cup reduced fat, reduced sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
  
• 1 cup reduced fat Bisquick
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 3 T light stick margarine, melted
  

Preheat oven to 400. Layer the bottom of a square baking dish (8x8 or 9x9) with the cubed chicken. Cover the chicken with the veggies. In a bowl, mix together the undiluted soup, chicken broth and pepper. Pour this mixture over the chicken and veggies. In another bowl, stir together the Bisquick, the milk and the margarine. Pour this mixture over the other ingredients. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before serving. (1/6 of the recipe is 6 WW points)