Meatloaf with Polenta Wedges and Green Beans

With the incredibly nasty weather we're having today, it seemed like some comfort food was in order. I'm not normally a meatloaf person... but this is delicious. Jeremy loves meatloaf in general but he tells me this one is fantastic. Every time I make it the leftovers disappear quickly, usually before I get any. It's pretty simple too - just some mixing and then bake! It takes a little while to bake but once it's in the oven there isn't much to do so I usually get some work done while it's cooking.

I use venison for this (thanks to fairly regular deliveries from my parents) but ground beef would work just as well. I would recommend using a very lean ground beef since venison is very lean.

I'd never made (or eaten) polenta before tonight but I wanted a different side dish. I decided to try this... as I was making it I found the recipe I was following was a little too bland... so I added the parsley and cheese. Even with these changes, it was still too bland for us... so we added hot sauce. Next time (if there is one) I'll try making it with all chicken broth instead of water. I made the polenta and got it into the fridge before I started the meatloaf. That way the timing would work out so the meatloaf and polenta were done at the same time.

Recipe:
Meatloaf:
1 pound venison (or lean ground beef)

1 egg

1 c. milk

3/4 c. breadcrumbs (Italian style)

1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1 1/2 tsp onion powder

1 1/2 tsp granulated garlic

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tbs dry parsley

1/3 c. ketchup

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix all ingredients except ketchup until fully integrated

3. Mold into a loaf in a 13x9 inch pan (9x5x1 inch loaf)

4. Cover with ketchup, spreading evenly

5. Bake 1 hour - until thermometer inserted in center reads over 160 degrees. 

Polenta:

1 c. cornmeal

1 c. chicken broth

2 3/4 c. water

1 tbs. margarine

1 tsp. salt

1 tbs. dried parsley flakes

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

1. Bring water to a boil. Mix cornmeal and chicken broth in a medium bowl.

2. When boiling, add cornmeal mixture to water, stirring constantly.

3. Cook 10-15 minutes until thickened. Add parsley, salt, margarine, and parmesan. Mix to combine.

4. Pour polenta into a 8x8 inch glass baking dish. Cool on counter for 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

5. In a 350 degree oven, heat for 25-30 minutes. Remove, slice into wedges, and serve. 

Jerk-ish Grilled Chicken with Chili Corn

Jeremy loves jerk chicken. I've tried various recipes but this one I came up with almost entirely on my own. It's not authentic jerk but has a lot of the same ingredients. It has a nice spicy flavor (thanks to the large amount of cayenne) but that can be adjusted according to your taste. It's also very aromatic thanks to the allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This chicken will certainly be made again. There was more corn in the recipe than we needed for dinner tonight but I'm sure one of us will be happy to finish it up tomorrow.

This morning before leaving for school, I mixed the marinade and let the chicken sit in the fridge for the day. This made it very easy to make dinner. I just had to take the chicken out of the fridge and cook it and the corn side dish. From start to finish, it took me only about 20 minutes this evening until the meal hit the plate.

Since Jeremy's off of school for the week, he made a delicious Whole Wheat Cuban Bread in our breadmaking machine. It was very tasty and rounded out the meal well.

Recipe:
Chicken:
2 chicken breasts
4 tsp. orange juice
2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 scallion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, sliced, for garnish (optional)

1. Add all ingredients, except chicken, to a freezer bag. Shake to combine. Add chicken and marinate in refrigerator for 8-24 hours.
2. Heat a grill pan (or grill) over medium-high heat. Oil lightly with vegetable oil. Add chicken and grill 5-7 minutes per side until cooked through.
3. Remove from pan and let rest for approx. 3 minutes before slicing/serving.

Corn:
2 (15 oz.) cans corn, drained.
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1/2 tbs. chili powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 tbs. olive oil. Add bell pepper and onion. Saute until softened.
2. Add corn, chili powder, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Cook for 3-5 minutes then serve.

Flounder with Scallion-Ginger-Garlic Sauce

Tonight Jeremy and I decided that we wanted something healthy for dinner. We bought some frozen flounder a little while ago but hadn't used any of it yet. Since I'm still trying to find more ways to cook fish, I decided to try to come up with a recipe from what I had around. I served this with some rice - made with a bit of margarine and dried cilantro - and some steamed broccoli.

I had some scallions in the fridge and a bit of ginger in the freezer (keeping it in the freezer makes it last longer and then I can just cut off a chunk and chop it up or grate it when I'm ready to use it). I always have garlic on hand. I thought the flavors would go together and add a nice dimension to the fish, so I gave it a try. A very good result.

Overall, the fish tasted really fresh (always a good thing for frozen fish). The flavors really complimented the fish and the sauce was yummy on the broccoli and rice as well. It was delicious even though the delicate fillets didn't hold together completely in the pan. We both really enjoyed this so it will definitely be made again.

Recipe:
Fish
2 frozen flounder fillets (approx. 5 oz. each), thawed
salt and pepper
3 scallions, sliced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 tbs. margarine

1. Pat the fish fillets dry. Salt and pepper both sides to taste.
2. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 tbs. olive oil. When the oil ripples, add fish to the pan (if there's skin, skin-side down - mine didn't have skin.) Cook 4-5 minutes per side (depending on thickness). Don't mess with it too much or try to turn too early or it could fall apart.
3. Remove fish and wrap loosely in foil to keep warm. Add scallions, garlic, ginger, and chicken stock to the pan. Stir to combine. Scrape any bits off of the bottom of the pan. Allow to reduce for 4-5 minutes until about half the liquid is gone. Add the margarine and adjust salt and pepper to taste. (I only added a few grinds of pepper.)
4. Serve fish with sauce on top.

Rice (I started the rice before the fish and the timing worked out perfectly):
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 tsp. dried cilantro
1 tbs. margarine
3/4 c. rice

1. Place water, cilantro, and margarine in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. When boiling, add rice. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
3. Cook for approx. 15 minutes until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed.
4. Turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff before serving.

Chicken Pot Pie

I've been making these pies for a few years now. With the store-bought pie crusts, they're really easy to put together and taste great. I often add other veggies (frozen peas or broccoli) in addition to the ones listed. I've also made beef pot pies - substituting leftover pot roast and beef broth for the chicken/chicken broth. These are also great with leftover roast turkey or chicken but work equally well with the canned chicken I used tonight. This is also a great way to use up leftover veggies after a holiday meal. But since I want to have pot pies more frequently than I have leftovers, I make them with things I have around all the time.

I've made this using homemade pie crust - then I put it in individual pie plates so that we each get a whole pie (it makes four pies if you're using your own crust) but the store-bought crusts are so quick and delicious that I usually just use those.

Jeremy's quite a fan of this and it reheats fairly well in the microwave... the crust doesn't stay crisp but it's still delicious. We usually get two meals out of this - each of us eats for dinner and then we each get a lunch.

Recipe:
3 carrots
4 stalks of celery
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. margarine
2 tbs. AP flour
1 can (12.5 oz) of chicken, drained
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1 tbs. dried parsley flakes
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper (approx. 1/4 tsp. each... adjust to taste)
1 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. milk
1 package Pillsbury pie crust

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Chop carrots and celery. Dice onion and mince garlic.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and veggies. Saute until beginning to soften. Add margarine, thyme, parsley, cayenne, and salt and pepper. When melted, add flour and mix. Cook for 1 minute. Add milk and chicken broth. Stir to combine. Add chicken. Lower heat to maintain a simmer. Filling is done when the liquid is thickened and coats a spoon.
3. Unroll one pie crust in a 9 inch pie plate. Spread filling evenly. Top with the other crust. Cut four slits in the top.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 10-15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Teriyaki Tilapia with Sticky Rice and Tamari Green Beans

This is another of my standby fish recipes. I discovered Kikkoman's teriyaki glaze a while ago in the Asian foods aisle and really enjoyed it. This is one of the only prepared sauces/marinades I buy. But the convenience and flavor are great. It's also very good on chicken. Since I buy frozen tilapia, I just make sure I thaw the fish completely before I begin the recipe. I've found that the frozen fish is often just as good as the fresh options since I don't usually get to the grocery store frequently enough to have fresh seafood around. And the convenience of frozen can't be beat when I'm never sure if I'll have time to cook on any particular night.

Overall, this is a fairly healthy meal. I often swap out the veggie for whatever I have on hand, or whatever's in season. Snap peas are very delicious this way. And by adding tamari instead of butter it adds lots of flavor without a lot of fat. If you don't have tamari, you can substitute soy sauce and it will almost be the same. And I love sesame seeds... so I tend to use a lot of them. I buy the sesame seeds already toasted from an Asian foods store and keep them in the fridge. Both the tamari and the teriyaki glaze are the low-sodium varieties. Because of the amount of Asian food I make I try to cut down on the sodium in the sauces I make. And I can't taste a difference.

For the sticky rice, any short gain will work but I've found that arborio or sushi rice works best. And the addition of the vinegar, sugar, and salt adds a delicious flavor and texture. This makes a little more rice than is necessary for 2 people... but Jeremy and I love our rice.

Recipe:

3 tilapia (or other white fish) fillets

3 tbs. Kikkoman teriyaki glaze

1 c. arborio (or sushi) rice
1 c. water
1 tbs. rice wine vinegar
1 tbs. sugar
1/2 tbs. kosher salt

2 c. green beans (mine were frozen)
1 tsp. tamari
1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse rice in a strainer until the water runs clear. Place in a small sauce pan with the water. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the water is absorbed. When water is absorbed, turn off heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
2. While the rice is cooking, place fish fillets on a sheet tray and brush teriyaki glaze over them, spreading it evenly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until fish flakes. (Time will vary depending on the thickness of the fish.)
3.  Place green beans in a microwave safe dish. Add 1/2 c. water. Cover and microwave on high for 8 minutes. (My microwave isn't very powerful... adjust accordingly.) Drain and add tamari and sesame seeds.
4. While the fish and veggies are cooking, mix vinegar, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add cooked rice. Using a spatula, make cutting motions down into the bowl, rotating the bowl to coat grains. (I also stir every once in a while just to try to distribute it a little more evenly.)
5. Place rice into a mound on the plate. Top with fish and green beans. Sprinkle with a couple dashes of tamari and extra sesame seeds.