Blue Plate Special
Last night for dinner, I made one of the ultimate comfort food meals (slightly altered for my gestational diabetes/low carb needs). We had good, old-fashioned meat loaf, "mock" mashed potatoes, and string beans.
I asked around for some good meat loaf recipes and more than once, was told that the recipe on the back of the Lipton onion soup mix was good. So, that's what I used, although I halved the recipe since I only had 1 lb of ground beef. Since I can't eat real mashed potatoes right now, I tried pureed cauliflower. I found and altered this recipe from the South Beach cook book.
Wow, was this a yummy dinner. Eating meat has opened a whole new world of culinary pleasure, I am afraid to say. Here are the basic recipes:
Meat Loaf (recipe adapted from the Lipton onion soup mix envelope -- serves 4)
Mix all ingredients well (bare hands work best). Place into a baking dish and mold into a loaf shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup for childhood flashbacks and/or hot sauce if you're feeling sassy.
"Mock" Mashed Potatoes (recipe adapted from the South Beach cook book)
Break up cauliflower into florettes and steam until very soft. Puree in food processor. Add milk, butter, and sour cream while being pureed. Season with salt and pepper. Some sort of cheese would be really good here, too. I'll try that next time.
String beans
Trim ends of beans and just cover with water in a pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer just until beans are slightly soft, or until desired texture. Drain and drizzle with lemon juice and salt to taste.
The verdict:
The meatloaf was great. I don't remember the last time I had real meatloaf -- probably as a kid. It's funny because I don't remember really liking meatloaf all that much when my mom made it. I would look forward to meatloaf sandwiches, except that I can't eat bread right now.
The cauliflower pretending to be mashed potatoes was surprisingly good. The texture was ever so slightly loose since cauliflower isn't starchy like potatoes, but if you add enough butter, sour cream and salt, it's a pretty darned good substitute. Like I said above, I will try adding cheese next time I make this.
String beans are sting beans, and they were fine. I wish I had taken a picture of my plate because it looked so cliche! Maybe when we have the leftovers tonight, I'll do that.
I asked around for some good meat loaf recipes and more than once, was told that the recipe on the back of the Lipton onion soup mix was good. So, that's what I used, although I halved the recipe since I only had 1 lb of ground beef. Since I can't eat real mashed potatoes right now, I tried pureed cauliflower. I found and altered this recipe from the South Beach cook book.
Wow, was this a yummy dinner. Eating meat has opened a whole new world of culinary pleasure, I am afraid to say. Here are the basic recipes:
Meat Loaf (recipe adapted from the Lipton onion soup mix envelope -- serves 4)
- 1 lb 90% lean ground beef (to slightly ease my guilt, I got all natural, ranch-raised, hormone and antibiotic free beef)
- 1/2 packet Lipton onion soup mix
- 1/2 of 1/3 cup ketchup
- between 1/4 and 1/2 cup water
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Mix all ingredients well (bare hands work best). Place into a baking dish and mold into a loaf shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve with ketchup for childhood flashbacks and/or hot sauce if you're feeling sassy.
"Mock" Mashed Potatoes (recipe adapted from the South Beach cook book)
- 1 head cauliflower
- couple tablespoons of milk
- couple tablespoons of sour cream (I use low fat)
- couple pats of real butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Break up cauliflower into florettes and steam until very soft. Puree in food processor. Add milk, butter, and sour cream while being pureed. Season with salt and pepper. Some sort of cheese would be really good here, too. I'll try that next time.
String beans
- bunch of string beans (a.k.a. green beans)
- water
- fresh lemon juice
- salt
Trim ends of beans and just cover with water in a pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and let simmer just until beans are slightly soft, or until desired texture. Drain and drizzle with lemon juice and salt to taste.
The verdict:
The meatloaf was great. I don't remember the last time I had real meatloaf -- probably as a kid. It's funny because I don't remember really liking meatloaf all that much when my mom made it. I would look forward to meatloaf sandwiches, except that I can't eat bread right now.
The cauliflower pretending to be mashed potatoes was surprisingly good. The texture was ever so slightly loose since cauliflower isn't starchy like potatoes, but if you add enough butter, sour cream and salt, it's a pretty darned good substitute. Like I said above, I will try adding cheese next time I make this.
String beans are sting beans, and they were fine. I wish I had taken a picture of my plate because it looked so cliche! Maybe when we have the leftovers tonight, I'll do that.
posted by Stacy at 9:40 AM
1 Comments:
Pureed Cauliflower can be really good, particularly if you think of it as a vegetable, and not as not-quite-potatoes. :) You can also use softened cream cheese in place of sour cream in a pinch.
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