Quinoa Meatloaf

If you aren't comfortable replacing all of your ground beef with quinoa, I would highly recommend this recipe for meatloaf...it's about 2/3 beef and 1/3 quinoa and most people can't even tell it's not all meat. This recipe makes a medium sized loaf. 

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa (I have used leftover quinoa from Quinoa Taco night) or 1/2 cup dry quinoa if it's uncooked

3/4 of a pound of ground beef (or ground turkey)

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped (I used red, and only half)

2 cloves garlic, chopped (I used more like 5 cloves)

2 TBSP ketchup

2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

1 egg (forgot this... ha!)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Topping: 2 TBSP packed brown sugar, 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp water

Directions:

If your quinoa is not already cooked, then measure out 1/2 cup dry quinoa and 1 cup water into a small pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

In a pan, heat the Olive Oil over medium-high heat and add the onions. Stir and cook for a few minutes, or until they are softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.

Mix up the topping in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the uncooked meat, the cooled quinoa, the cooked onions and garlic, and all other remaining ingredients. It is best if you can mix this all together with your hands.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with tinfoil. Fill with the mixture and pour the topping over the entire meatloaf. (Or do as I did and use a cookie sheet and form a loaf mound... this gets you more of the yummy meatloaf edges.)

Bake for 50 minutes, making sure the meat is no longer pink and totally cooked. I like to pour a little of the grease out when I remove it from the oven. Let it cool a little before serving because it will be very hot.

Sausage and Bean Ragout

Finally, I'm posting a recipe that isn't a dessert or bread! Feels nice to cook real food again. :) A coworker gave me some fresh basil which inspired an internet search for a dinner recipe. This was delicious, and super easy. I altered it a bit to use what I had... I put the changes in parentheses. (From Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I skipped this)
• 1 pound ground beef (I used ground turkey)
• 1 pound hot Italian pork sausage, casing removed (used Jimmy Dean ground Italian sausage)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 cups Swanson® Chicken Broth (regular, Natural Goodness™ or Certified Organic)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic, oregano and basil (I just had plain... still really good)
• 1 (16 ounce) can white kidney beans (cannellini), rinsed and drained (I used 2 cans)
• 1/2 cup uncooked elbow pasta (I used penne because that's what I had)
• 1 (6 ounce) package fresh baby spinach leaves, washed
• 1/3 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions

1. Heat oil in saucepot over medium-high heat. Add beef, sausage and onion and cook until meats are browned, stirring to separate meat. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add broth, basil, tomatoes and beans. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pasta and cook until pasta is done.
3. Add spinach and cook just until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Serve with additional cheese.

Tri-tip sandwiches

Another man-pleasin' meal. Although this is about the only shredded beef (or any beef) sandwich I truly think is delicious! Sooo simple. 

tri-tip roast (triangle roast, sirloin roast)*
Lawry's auj jus seasoning packet
water

For every ~2 lbs of roast add 1 packet of auj jus and 2 cups water to crock pot.
Cook on high for ~6 hours or low ~8-10 hours.
Take beef out, shred. Meat should fall apart easily with a fork.
Ladle off extra fat from liquid (or use gravy separator). Use liquid for dipping.

Eat with kaiser rolls, avocado slices, tomato, lettuce, provolone cheese (or any combination).

*I have no idea what kind of roast I've purchased in the past. Sometimes I find sirloin, sometimes I don't. You want to make sure the meat is well-marbled (fatty) to keep it moist & tasty. If there's a thick layer of fat on one side, just remove that before shredding. I spoon some juice onto the meat/bread as well as dip.