January 20th, 2014
You can tell there is snow in the forecast….the grocery stores were having a white sale: bread, eggs, milk
Following some of the restaurants that are offering meatless Monday dishes, I decided to try a recipe given to me by my friend, Kathy. I have had the recipe for some time. But tonight was the night.
Like any of the recipes that I prepare, I usually add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. To this particular recipe, I changed a few things, and it was still very good.
The original recipe was vegetarian and gluten free. Usually, I would prepare it that way, using short or long grain brown rice, but I do have 50 pounds of pearl barley so I used the barley instead of the rice, and therefore, the recipe as I prepared it was not gluten free. All you have to do is to use the rice instead. Here it goes….I hope you love it just as much as I did.
PEARL BARLEY (OR, SHORT/LONG GRAIN BROWN RICE) AND WALNUT LOAF
1 1/4 short or long grain brown rice (I used pearl barley.)
1/4 cups walnuts, roasted and chopped (I bought the ones already chopped and roasted them.)
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly roasted
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 cup minced celery
6 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard (Plenty of gluten free ones on the market, like Emeril’s.)
1 teaspoon salt is optional (I did not use it since there is cheese in the recipe.)
1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 cup grated cheddar cheese ( I bought an extra sharp cheddar block and did the grating at home.)
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Roast the walnuts for about 5 minutes then add the sunflower seeds for another few minutes. Watch them so they don’t burn.
In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well.
Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned and pulling away from the sides a bit. I will take about 60 to 90 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the Gravy. Once again, the original recipe called for 3/4 cup of Cashew Butter. Never have seen it, and never found it. So, I decided to replace it with Almond Butter. I also replaced the 2 1/2 cups of water for unsalted chicken broth. If using chicken broth make sure it is gluten free. This gravy is gluten free. It is so good, you might want to use this gravy for everything. It makes about 4 cups.
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, diced
3/4 Cashew Butter if you find it. If not use the Almond Butter…..very good.
1/2 cup wheat-free and reduced sodium soy sauce
2 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon sage
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until caramel in color; about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the onions become browner, stir more frequently. Add the cashew or almond butter, gluten free soy sauce, broth, and spices. Cook until heated through.
Place in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. I did this in batches, placing the already blended sauce in a saucepan and repeating the process. Be careful while blending since hot liquids tend to foam up. Warm up the gravy while you wait for the loaf to cook.
Once the loaf is ready, cut it and serve it with gravy drizzled on top. You may add your favorite veggie or salad to this dish. Enjoy!!
Have a good one!!
April 17th, 2013
I have expanded my friends with an added group of individuals that get together once a week. Our goal is nutrition, lifestyle changes, health, and shedding some pounds along the way. That’s all I can say….what we say in our meetings, and we say plenty, stays in that meeting.
But, Pat did bring a recipe that is worth sharing. If I say Turkey Meatloaf in my house…the answer is hmmm. Nothing else. I decided to get some meatloaf history.
Meatloaf is usually made from ground beef, lamb, pork, veal, venison, poultry, or a combination thereof is often used, as well. With European origins; meatloaf of minced meat was mentioned in the Roman cookery collection, Apicius, in the 5th century. Apicius is the term that has long been associated with the excessively refined love of food.
It is a traditionally German and Belgian dish; a cousin to the Dutch meatball.
But, my biggest surprise was to learn that the American meatloaf has its origins in scrapple. Are you kidding me? That’s my favorite! Anywhere I find scrapple, I try it. I also cannot wait for the Apple Scrapple Festival in Bridgeville, Delaware. Scrapple is a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal. I can see the resemblance.
American meatloaf did not show up in cookbooks until the later part of the 19th century.
The reviews are good for this turkey meatloaf. I made this recipe my own by replacing the breadcrumbs with gluten free breadcrumbs made from scratch. I also used low sodium Heinz ketchup, and low sodium chicken broth.
So, he (my husband), asked tonight? What’s for dinner? He was so excited. Suddenly his face crumbled as I mentioned Turkey Meatloaf…ha ha.
Turkey Meatloaf
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, chopped to make 1 1/2 cups
2 garlic cloves, minced (I think I put 3)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup fat free, less sodium, chicken broth (I used low sodium)
3 tablespoons ketchup, divided
1 3/4 pounds ground turkey, 97% lean
3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper; cook, stirring for about a minute. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, broth, and 1 tablespoon of ketchup. Transfer mixture to a large bowl to cool off.
Then, add turkey, breadcrumbs, egg, egg white, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to mixture in bowl. Mix well; the mixture will be very moist.
Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and coat lightly with cooking spray. I used a little bit of oil instead because cooking sprays usually have gluten. Place turkey mixture on the baking sheet and form into a loaf. Brush the mealoaf with the remaining 2 tablespoons of ketchup.
Place in the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until the thermometer measures 170 degrees. Let it rest a bit, slice, and enjoy with your choice of sides.
My husband still was skeptical. He had acorn squash and greens beans as his sides. Once he tried it. he agreed that it was definitely moist and tasty.
I just wanted my meatloaf on top of broccoli cole slaw and plain acorn squash. Sort of boring, but that’s all I wanted..watching the calories!!
I will make it again, that’s a given…..I really enjoyed it. And, my husband? Well, he is having a gluten free meatloaf wrap tomorrow to take for lunch. He just does not know it yet.
Thanks Pat. Good choice!!
Talk to you later!!
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