What is more classic than a couple of slices of delicious, ketchup-covered meatloaf served up with some green beans and a fluffy baked potato? Not much! My version is a healthier, somewhat funky, interpretation of the traditional meatloaf and veggie sides. Try switching it up with this spicy turkey meatloaf, steamed green beans with red wine vinaigrette and roasted organic white sweet potatoes. This meal looks so homey and comforting on the plate…not to mention in your belly…and it’s also a snap to clean up.
Spicy Turkey Meatloaf
The spicy turkey meatloaf is a Cooking Light favorite of mine – it comes out juicy and full of flavor every time! The sriracha, a Chinese hot chili sauce, gives the meatloaf a little bit of kick and a unique “this ain’t yo mamma’s meatloaf” kind of flavor. If you’re feeding this to kids, I would cut back on the sriracha or omit entirely, unless they like spicy foods.
1 tbs olive oil or butter
1 small onion or ½ of a large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
¾ cup panko breadcrumbs
¼ fat-free, low sodium chicken broth (I use the Swanson organic chicken broth)
small handful of chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tbs low-sodium soy sauce
1 tbs Sriracha
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 ½ pounds ground turkey breast (you can substitute ground chicken, if you prefer)
cooking spray
½ cup ketchup
1 tbs brown sugar
½ tsp dry mustard (if you don’t have any on hand, don’t worry about it, or substitute with a small squeeze of regular yellow mustard)
Preheat oven to 350°.
Melt butter or heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook 8 minutes, or until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool 5 minutes.
Combine onion mixture, panko, and next 8 ingredients (through egg) in a large bowl; stir well to combine. Shape turkey mixture into a 9 x 5–inch rectangle on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray.
Combine ketchup, brown sugar and mustard in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Spread ketchup mixture evenly over top of meatloaf; bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 160°. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
Steamed Green Beans with Red Wine Vinaigrette
Now let me tell you about a current obsession of mine – steamed green beans doused in red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and lots of salt and pepper. I make this side dish at least once a week, if not twice, which is really out of food character for me because I’m not really a vinegar person. I typically drown my salads and vegetables in ranch dressing and just prefer the creamier things in life in general. But these green beans are simple and completely delicious. If you have some fresh grape tomatoes around, throw them in! Try them once and I bet you’ll get hooked on them too.
1 package of fresh steam-in-the-bag green beans (found in the produce section)
red wine vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steam the green beans according to package directions. You can buy green beans by the bulk and steam or boil them yourself but they taste just as fresh and crisp right out of these steam bags so I would take help from the store where you can get it.
Once the green beans have cooked, pour them into a mixing bowl and add about 3 or 4 tablespoons each of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. I don’t really measure the amount. I just drizzle on as much as it takes to make plenty of vinaigrette to coat the green beans. Add two big, healthy pinches of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Toss together well. Taste for seasoning, enough salt and pepper are key to this dish. If the green beans taste a little bland, add more salt.
Simple Roasted Organic White Sweet Potatoes
As Elliott and I were going through the produce department at our local Publix a few weeks ago we came upon a small barrel of organic white sweet potatoes. They looked a little different than your standard sweet potato – the shape was the same but the skin was lighter in color or less rough looking. We decided to give them a try and change things up a bit. We were pleasantly surprised! The white sweet potatoes are less sweet in taste and have a texture more similar to a russet potato than a classic orange sweet potato. If you are trying to get your kids to expand their veggie horizons, this may be a good option. The white variety still contains a lot of the same great nutrients and vitamins of a regular sweet potato (with a little less beta-carotene) but tastes and looks more like a russet potato. The greatest thing about this side dish…if you can turn on an oven, you can make this.
organic white sweet potatoes
butter for topping
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Rinse potatoes and pat dry. Pierce potatoes with a fork in several places to help the cooking process. Place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet coated in cooking spray. Bake the potatoes for one hour or until a fork can be inserted into the middle and pulled out easily. Remove potatoes from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Cut a slit down the middle of the potatoes and open them up. Top with a small pat of butter and some salt and pepper.
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