Meatless Meatloaf

I really dig cooking outside the box.... taking something familiar and flipping it on its ear. I get so tickled when I make something like pasta sauce out of cantaloupe, "ravioli" from globe zucchini, and pie crust with just nuts and dates.  It's really fun to look at food in a new, different way.

I'm lucky to spend one day a week with my friend Francesca, who is a fellow graduate of Bauman College's Natural Chef Program - where I learned all about cooking outside the box.  Francesca runs one of the Ceres projects where they teach teens how to cook, and the meals they make are then delivered free of charge to people suffering from life-threatening diseases in the county.  I'm always inspired by the creative dishes we prepare and love the fact that they are both health supportive and out-of-this-world delicious.  Last week we made a walnut loaf for one of the vegetarian clients, and as expected, the kids thought it sounded "weird" and therefore wouldn't be tasty.  Boy, were they wrong! And you KNOW I made them admit it!

 

Instead of ground meat, the base of this loaf is made from whole grain bread and walnuts.  Pulse them up in a food processor and transfer to a large bowl.  Then add onions, tomatoes, carrots, celery, and lots of herbs and spices.  Once it's well blended, mix in a couple eggs to bind the loaf and you're done (well except for cooking it - don't eat it yet!)

If you've got a loaf pan, lightly grease it with oil and press the mixture into it.  If you don't have a loaf pan (or if you're like me and just don't want to wash one more thing), you can easily form the mixture into a loaf on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.  Don't make it too thin, be sure to build it up as if it were in a loaf pan.  If you're not sure how big to make it, you can trace the size of a loaf pan on the parchment paper - most are 8" X 4" or so - then flip the parchment over, so the pencil in on the reverse, and mold the loaf into that size.

Pop that into a preheated 375⁰ oven for an hour until the loaf is lightly browned and set.  While it's baking, you can whip up a savory sauce to drizzle (or pour!) on top.  Start with a roux....

A roux is simply equal parts fat and flour, and is used to thicken sauces.  For this sauce, start by melting 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I like unsalted, so I can control my own level of salt).  When butter is melted, whisk in the flour, stirring constantly until it begins to bubble and thicken, just a couple minutes.

Next, add the broth, wine and tamari.  be sure to stir or whisk constantly when adding the liquid to prevent any flour lumps from forming.  Let it come to a gentle boil, and simmer if for about 3-5 minutes continuing to stir to keep the sauce smooth and creamy.  The sauce should reduce slightly and thicken beautifully. 

You can do this when you pull the loaf out of the oven, because you want the loaf to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into it.  Plenty of time to make your sauce.  The sauce will coagulate as it cools, so making it right before serving is best.  For leftovers (if there are any!) you can reheat the sauce to loosen it up again.

This is such a tasty treat that I ended up eating the whole thing myself over two days...for breakfast, lunch and dinner!  Trust me..... you want to give this a try.

Walnut Loaf

Serves 6

8 oz. whole wheat bread

8 oz. walnuts

2 cups minced onion

10 oz. canned tomatoes in juice

2/3 cup grated carrot

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 rib celery, minced

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

¾ teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon sea salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 ¾ cup vegetable broth

¼ cup red wine

2 ½ tablespoons tamari

Sea salt and pepper to taste

·         Preheat oven to 375⁰ and grease a loaf pan.

·         Place bread in a food processor and pulse until consistency of bread crumbs.  Place in a large bowl.

·         Place walnuts in food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.  Add to bread in bowl.

·         Add onion, tomatoes, carrot, parsley, celery, poultry seasoning, thyme and salt.  Mix to combine then blend in the eggs, incorporating them into the mixture.

·         Pack mixture into loaf pan (or form into a loaf on a parchment paper lined baking sheet) and bake 1 hour, until lightly browned and cooked through.  Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

·         Meanwhile, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

·         Add wine, tamari and stock and bring to a low boil, stirring frequently.  Simmer 3-5 minutes until thick and creamy.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

·         Plate loaf slices and top with sauce.

Cook Happy!

Pantry Pasta

Every once in a while my fridge and pantry get a little over-loaded.  So many recipes to test, so many dinner parties, so many cooking classes.  Next week I've got a lot of classes, so I need to make some room.  It's time to do a little "pantry cooking."  It's instinctive cooking at its best.  I just pull out what I've got and turn it into culinary magic.

Today it's Pantry Pasta.  I had some authentic Italian orrechiette.  It's so authentic that there's not a lick of English on the package.  I was able to at least figure out "12 minuti" for the cooking time, but the rest is lost on me.  I love these little pasta "ears."  They're nice and chewy, and the cup shape holds sauce beautifully.

When you cook pasta remember a few things:

1) Don't try to speed it up by using hot water from the tap; it leaches lead and other materials from the pipes.  Always use cold water and let it run a bit before putting it in your pot.

2) Use a large pot, much larger than you think you might need.  Pasta needs a lot of room to bounce around; that helps keep it from sticking and clumping.  Maybe this is where "go big or go home" comes from??

3) Your water should be salted generously - it should taste like the sea.  And always save some of the cooking liquid to help make a healthy sauce.  In this recipe I only used about a tablespoon of olive oil, 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and some spices to make the sauce.

4) The healthiest way to cook your pasta is just to al dente - so it still has a bite to it.  Pasta cooked this was, rather than boiled too long, provides you with a slower, even release of glucose into your bloodstream, which gives you longer, sustained energy.

So now for my non-recipe recipe....

Cook pasta according to directions, on the lighter side of cooking time.  While the pasta cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet and add sliced onion and a few minced garlic cloves.   

When the onions are soft and starting to brown, add roasted red peppers and pepperoncini.

After a few minutes add chopped baby spinach, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes (I'm a spicy girl!  Not  to be confused with a Spice Girl.)

Stir just until the spinach wilts, only a minute or two.  When pasta is cooked, drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid and toss orrichietti with the vegetable mixture.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 - 1/2 cup pasta liquid.  Add shredded parmesan cheese and salt & pepper to taste.  Bellissimo!