Italian Meatloaf with Spinach

To me, meatloaf is the epitome of comfort food. This meatloaf is based on the recipe that I grew up eating. For the recipe below I have decreased the amount of cheese and added spinach, but other than that this is the meatloaf that I remember my mom making for us. Even people who say they don't like meatloaf like this one. And little kids love it. Between bites, Naomi kept telling me it was "yummy," which is a rare complement from her when it comes to dinner food.

If you didn't want to use any cheese in this meatloaf, you might try placing thin slices of prosciutto on top of the spinach layer instead of the 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Italian Meatloaf with Spinach
serves 6 adults

Ingredients:

• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup Gillian's Foods bread crumbs (which contain white rice flour, water, yeast, salt, and raw cane sugar) or another brand of rice-based bread crumbs with similar ingredients.
• 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce. Check to make sure it does not contain any corn syrup or soybean oil.
  
• 1 pound of meatloaf mix or ground beef
• 1 10-ounce package of frozen chopped spinach
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Use either 4C Imported All Natural Grated Parmesan or a block of Parmesan that you grate yourself. Most other pre-grated Parmesan contains cellulose powder, which could come from corn.
  
• 3 or 4 thin slices of mozzarella purchased at the deli counter of your grocery store
  

Instructions:

I usually start making the meatloaf about 2 hours before I want to serve dinner, or I prepare it earlier in the day and don't put it in the oven until 1 hour before dinnertime.

Chop the onion. Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium frying pan and heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Transfer the onion to the pan and saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Set half of the sauteed onion on a separate plate, and keep the other half in the pan. Add the garlic to the pan and stir for 30 seconds. Add the basil, oregano, salt, and pepper, and stir. Then take the pan off the heat for the onion mixture to cool.

In a large mixing bowl combine the egg, bread crumbs, and 1 cup (8 ounces) of the tomato sauce. Reserve the rest of the tomato sauce for later. When the onion mixture in the pan has cooled slightly, add it to the bowl and stir. Then add the ground meat and stir with a spoon or mix with your hands until it is well combined. On a large piece of waxed paper, spread out the meat mixture until it is about 12 inches long and 8 or 9 inches wide (depending on the length of your loaf pan).

Defrost the chopped spinach in the microwave. When it is fully defrosted and not too cold to the touch, place all of the spinach in a cloth dish towel and, holding it over the sink, wring out as much water as possible. Place the spinach in a medium-size bowl and add to it the reserved onion mixture. Stir to combine and then scatter the spinach-onion mixture over the top of the rectangle of meat mixture. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top of the spinach-onion mixture. Then use the waxed paper to carefully roll the entire rectangle of meat, spinach, and cheese width-wise and place it gently into your loaf pan.

Here is what the rectangle looks like before you roll it up.

Place the loaf pan in an oven preheated to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and pour the remaining tomato sauce over the meatloaf so that it covers the meatloaf completely. Place the slices of mozzarella over the tomato sauce. Return the meatloaf to the oven for 15 more minutes.

I usually serve the meatloaf with rice pasta and marinara sauce (that is free of corn syrup and soybean oil).

Lentil Soup

The first cookbook that Michael and I bought together after getting married was entitled Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen. That pretty much summed up my feelings about cooking, so I thought the cookbook would be a wise investment. One of the first recipes we tried in the cookbook was for lentil soup. I was so excited when the soup turned out well that I have been making it ever since. Over the years I have tweaked the recipe a bit, and below is the current rendition of our hearty lentil soup.

Lentil Soup
serves 3 or 4 adults as a main dish

Ingredients:

• optional: 4 slices of bacon. To find a corn-free bacon, look for one that has just these ingredients: pork, salt, sugar, celery powder, and spices. I recommend a bacon I find at Trader Joe's called Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon. Another corn-free bacon is Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon. Be sure that the bacon you use does not have any dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, or lactic acid starter culture.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
  
• 2 medium celery sticks, chopped
  
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
  
• 1 or 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/3 tsp. sea salt
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes. Try to find a can with only tomatoes, salt, and water, and without citric acid.
  
• 1 32-ounce box of Imagine Organic Free Range chicken broth, or 4 cups of homemade chicken stock

Instructions:

If you would like to use bacon, cut the bacon into 1/4 inch wide slices. Put the cut bacon in a 4-quart pot and cook over medium heat until browned and crispy. Remove the cooked bacon from the pot and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. While the bacon is cooking, chop the onion, carrots, and celery. After removing the bacon from the pot, put the onion, carrots, and celery in the pot and saute in the bacon drippings until the vegetables begin to soften. If you did not use bacon, heat 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the pot over medium heat and then saute the vegetables in that.

When the vegetables have begun to soften, add the minced garlic, basil, oregano, thyme, pepper, and salt to the pot and stir for a minute. Rinse the lentils in cold water, add the lentils to the pot, and stir the lentils in with the vegetables. Turn the heat down to medium-low, cover the pot, and let the lentils steam in the pot for about 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Then add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and bacon to the pot, stir, and increase the heat to bring the soup to a boil. Once the soup is simmering, turn the heat down to low or medium-low, cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Test the lentils to see if they are fully cooked; if they are still hard, cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. When the lentils are done, if the soup is too thick for your liking, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water. Before serving add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.

Carrot Cake

I hadn't made this carrot cake recipe for quite a while because I had it in my mind that peeling and grating a couple of carrots would take a long time. Finally my desire for carrot cake overcame my laziness, and yesterday I made the cake. And do you know what? I realized that peeling and grating a couple of carrots really doesn't take very long at all. And the resulting carrot cake is so good that it's more than worth spending the couple of minutes it takes to prepare the carrots.

This recipe is adapted from the recipe for Spiced Carrot Cake in my Bride and Groom, First and Forever Cookbook.

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
makes an 8"x8" cake

Ingredients for the Cake:

• 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1 1/4 cups and 2 Tbsp. white granulated sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp. (1 1/2 tsp.) baking soda
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract without corn syrup and preferably alcohol-free
• 3/4 cup peeled and grated carrot (about 2 or 3 medium-size carrots)
• 1 jar (4 ounces) baby food carrot puree
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut. Do not get sweetened shredded coconut because Michael has started reacting to it, probably to the propylene glycol. If you cannot find unsweetened shredded coconut, just omit the coconut from the recipe.
  

Instructions for the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate medium-size bowl whisk together the 2 eggs, canola oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mixture into the large bowl and mix on low speed for 1 minute until the ingredients are fully combined. Add the grated carrot, baby food carrot puree, and shredded coconut to the large bowl and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into a greased 8"x8" baking pan and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When the cake has cooled completely, spread on the cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients for the Frosting:

• 4 ounces of cream cheese (not low-fat)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup of superfine granulated sugar. I use Domino's brand. This is different from powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch.
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be made from corn or wheat.
  

Instructions for the Frosting:

Let the cream cheese and butter soften at room temperature. Then put the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla in a bowl and mix at medium-low speed for several minutes until the frosting is well combined and creamy.

Broccoli Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette

This is my favorite mayonnaise-free broccoli salad. I made it for our church small group this week, and this time I finally made enough so that there was a little bit left in the bowl for Michael to eat the next day as leftovers. I started with the following broccoli salad recipe; however, I have modified it because our friends and family like to eat a lot of broccoli, and because the vinaigrette in the original recipe was too sweet for my taste.

Broccoli Salad with White Wine Vinaigrette
serves 2 adults

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of raw broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces (about 2 broccoli crowns).
  
• 1 or 2 slices of bacon. To find a corn-free bacon, look for one that has just these ingredients: pork, salt, sugar, celery powder, and spices. I recommend a bacon I find at Trader Joe's called Classic Sliced Dry Rubbed All Natural Uncured Bacon. Another corn-free bacon is Hormel Natural Choice 100% Natural Original Uncured Bacon. Be sure that the bacon you use does not have any dextrose, sodium erythorbate, sodium lactate, or lactic acid starter culture.
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 Tbsp. granulated sugar, depending on how sweet you prefer it
  
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
  
• 2 tsp. olive oil
  
• 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion or shallot
• 1 or 2 Tbsp. of raisins
• 1 or 2 Tbsp. of sunflower seeds or toasted almond slivers

Instructions:

Put a large pot of water over high heat to bring to a boil. Wash the broccoli crowns and cut off the florets into bite-size pieces. While the water is coming to a boil, cut the raw bacon into 1/4 inch wide pieces and cook in a pan over medium heat until the bacon is browned and crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and place on a plate covered with a paper towel. To make the vinaigrette, mix together in a small bowl the white wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Then slowly pour in the olive oil while constantly whisking the vinaigrette, so that the liquid emulsifies. Finely chop the onion or shallot and then add it to the vinaigrette.

When the water in the pot has come to a boil, place the broccoli florets in the boiling water and set the timer for 1 minute. After exactly 1 minute, remove the broccoli from the water using a slotted spoon and place in a colander to drain all of the water from the broccoli. Then transfer the broccoli into a bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Leave the vinaigrette-coated broccoli in a bowl at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving. Immediately before serving add the raisins, sunflower seeds, and bacon to the broccoli and toss again to combine.

Spinach and Asparagus

Spinach

In the winter I crave warm vegetables. Tonight I wanted to make something with the spinach in my refrigerator, but I didn't want to go to the effort of making creamed spinach. I did a quick search and found this recipe for spinach sauteed in olive oil and garlic. It's so simple: a bag of fresh spinach, a couple tablespoons of olive oil, and a clove or two of garlic, sauteed over medium-high heat for just a couple of minutes. Yet it was so delicious, especially with the roast chicken and root vegetables that we ate with it. This other sauteed spinach recipe is very similar, except it suggests garnishing the sauteed spinach with a squeeze of lemon juice and some pine nuts. Perhaps I'll add those next time.

Asparagus with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I was running behind on dinner tonight and the girls were hungry, so I gave them some leftovers, including steamed asparagus. Neither of them is fond of plain asparagus. They make that very clear. However, everything changes if I make what I refer to as a "special sauce" to go on the asparagus. I drizzle some olive oil and apple cider vinegar over their asparagus and sprinkle on a dash of salt, and the girls' reaction is amazing. They gobble down every last piece in their bowls. Praise God for apple cider vinegar and "special sauce!"

Banana Brownies

Since trying to make brownies without butter, I've been having a hard time finding a recipe that doesn't result in brownies that crumble all over the place. This week, in my quest for a better brownie, I stumbled upon a recipe for banana brownies. It sounded intriguing, and I thought that perhaps the banana would help to hold the brownie together. Eureka! When I made the brownies today, they turned out just as I had hoped: they held together perfectly, and they were rich and chocolately with just a hint of banana flavor. If you don't like bananas, then I wouldn't recommend the recipe. However, to everyone else, I highly recommend this as the best dairy-free and wheat-free brownie recipe that I have found so far.

Here is the banana brownie recipe that I followed. However, please refer to my modified ingredient list below.

Banana Brownies
makes an 8"x8" pan

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
• 1/4 cup Spectrum Organic All Vegetable Shortening (this is the only soy-free shortening I have found), or 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. Trader Joe's alcohol-free vanilla extract or another vanilla extract that does not have corn syrup and is preferably alcohol-free, since the alcohol could be derived from corn.
• 2/3 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free flour
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (approximately 1 large banana)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips. The two kinds I have found that do not contain milkfat are Trader Joe's semi-sweet chocolate chips and Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt the unsweetened chocolate and shortening in a small sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently so the chocolate doesn't burn. (If you are using canola oil, wait and add it later, as indicated.) After the chocolate and shortening have melted, set the pan aside for the chocolate mixture to cool slightly. In a small bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, and sea salt, and set aside. Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and stir in the sugar (and the canola oil if you did not use shortening). Then stir in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla extract. Next pour in the flour mixture and stir until no traces of flour remain. Thoroughly mash the peeled banana on a plate, measure 1/2 cup, and add that to the large bowl. Stir until the banana is completely mixed into the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips and then pour the batter into a greased 8"x8" pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least an hour before cutting into pieces.

Cooked Red Cabbage

Cooked red cabbage. I don't think I would have gotten near the stuff before living in Germany for a year and forcing myself to try it so that I wouldn't offend my host family. Surprisingly, considering what a picky eater I was, I actually liked it. And then, somehow, in the midst of four years of eating at college dining halls, I forgot about it entirely.

I don't know why I suddenly started thinking about cooked red cabbage again, but this month I decided to try to recreate what I remembered liking 15 years ago. Although I made a couple of red cabbage recipes in January, tonight was the first time that I offered the cabbage to the girls. Sabrina liked it, but that isn't too surprising. What shocked me a bit was that Naomi liked it, too. She was quite hesitant before the first bite -- I'll admit that it's kind of weird-looking and purple -- but after that first bite, she kept eating! And Michael liked it enough to go back for seconds. I was so elated that I felt like the four of us should suddenly have started singing something from "The Sound of Music." So the moral of the story is, even if you don't think you like cooked red cabbage, you should try it. Perhaps you'll like it. Perhaps you'll like it so much that you'll burst into song, or at least want to go back for more.

Cooked Red Cabbage
most recipes say that this serves 4 as a side dish, but Michael and I could probably eat all of this just between the two of us

Ingredients:

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
  
• 4 cups of shredded red cabbage (which is about 1/2 small red cabbage)
• 1/2 tsp. caraway seeds
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. granulated white sugar
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water

Instructions:

Heat the canola oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Chop the onion and saute in the frying pan until the onion is soft. While the onion is sauteing, cut half of a red cabbage into thin strips. I recommend going to this webpage for instructions on how first to cut the cabbage in half and then in half again, and to thinly slice one quarter of the cabbage at a time. When the onion has softened, add the caraway seeds, sea salt, pepper, and sugar to the pan, and stir for a minute to combine thoroughly. Add the shredded cabbage and vinegar to the onion mixture and stir for a minute or two until the onion mixture and vinegar have thoroughly coated the cabbage. Then add 1/4 cup of water to the pan and stir briefly. Cover the pan with a lid and let the cabbage cook for five minutes. Then stir and cover again. Cook the cabbage over medium-low heat (or medium heat if you are in a hurry) for 10 to 20 more minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage softens to the degree that you prefer.