Meatloaf is one of those comfort foods that we never grow tired of. Finding a good gluten free AND dairy free recipe is hard, without tomato is even harder. The recipes I have tried in the past have been too tough and just dense meat without much flavor. When I saw this recipe on Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa I was inspired again to make meatloaf seeing how moist it turned out. She got the recipe from the chef of a restaurant in the Hamptons. I wish I could remember which restaurant it’s from; I was too focused on how to make it gluten and dairy free. So I went ahead and bought all the ingredients for my experiment. Off into the oven, fingers crossed.
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Creamed Spinach
We had this “creamed” spinach with our meatloaf last night, along with roasted okra for a simply delicious weeknight dinner. Perfect anytime. Goes well with chicken, pork, tofu, beef. This dish can be made a day in advance, just strain in a colander before serving. Enjoy!
Lentils with Fennel and Mint
Here’s the recipe for the lentils w/ fennel and mint, which we made to go with our Mediterranean night, along with chicken skewers w figs, and rice chips with delicious babaganoush.
Serves 8-10
Ingredients:
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils
4 scallions, half of the dark green stems removed, thinly sliced
1 fennel, quartered and thinly sliced, including stem and fronds
1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 handfuls fresh mint leaves, stems removed, finely chopped
juice of 3 limes
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 1/2 teaspoon crushed black pepper, or to taste
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Babaganoush with Rice Chips
Dinner last night was a Mediterranean themed night, which we all enjoy around here. I just love how Mediterranean food consists of just a few ingredients using bold spices with simple, fresh ingredients. Healthy gluten free, dairy free eating at it’s best. I prepared grilled chicken and fig skewers, a gluten free lemony-fresh tabouleh (usually made from bulgur), hearty lentil salad with fresh fennel and mint, and this creamy babaganoush recipe with homemade crispy baked rice chips.
Chicken and Fig Skewers
Healthy gluten free, dairy free eating at it’s best. I prepared grilled chicken breast with fig skewers. If you are vegan a wonderful meat substitute is cubed portobello mushrooms, it goes so well with figs. I would use the same spices on the mushroom to give it that bold flavor with additional oil to make them moist and delicious. The sweet fig should pair nicely with the spice on the earthy mushroom. I never combined figs with chicken before, I thought it would pair well with the spices on the chicken and it sure did, very nicely. Giving me more ideas on using figs for savory dishes as they are in season now. Hooray! Can you tell I love figs?
Lemon Raspberry Bars – Adapted Thomas Keller recipe (gluten free, dairy free, soy free)
This Lemon Raspberry Bar recipe was inspired by Chef Thomas Keller’s Lemon Meringue Bar from the French Laundry Cookbook. I love fluffy, marshmallowy meringue (known as Italian meringue) as he presents it in the cookbook, but I couldn’t resist adding a raspberry layer thinking it would be a nice pairing to the lemon and a great use of the sweet raspberries before the season dwindles down, not to mention the gorgeous color.
Sweet and Spicy Chicken Wing Drummettes (gluten free, dairy free, soy free)
Ready for some football?? Football season is back! With my house being filled with boys (five), football is big around here.
We kicked off the season with this sweet and spicy chicken wing drummettes as an appetizer for our game eats. One of our favorites. You will love these, they are so tender with the right flavors, and that honey…finger licking goodness. It’s never enough around here!
Peach Raspberry Crumble (gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, vegan)
If you live in Southern California then you know how hot it was today, WOW! It was 103 degrees today. 103 degrees on October 1st. By the way Happy Vegetarian Day to all the vegetarians out there!
Fortunately, there wasn’t any homework for the kids today so I made this quick Peach Raspberry Crumble. I decided to add frozen raspberries to give it a little tartness; blueberries or cherries are other delish options. You can also either make it all peaches, it’s so versatile.
Sustainable fish and mercury levels in fish
Monterey Bay Aquarium has a great comprehensive list of which fish are sustainable and which we should avoid eating due to over fishing. If you are ever on the central coast of California, you must visit the Monterey Aquarium, it is just spectacular with the largest amount of marine life displayed in the country. For an additional fee, you can also go scuba diving. Worth the trip!
Fried Chicken Sandwich with Spicy Blueberry Sauce
What an amazingly flavorful combination this experiment was! So when I told my family we’re having fried chicken sandwiches with spicy blueberry sauce, well, most of them thought, once again, she’s pushing it. But my oldest son and I couldn’t wait to try this combination. Purely experimental yet worked so so well. It may be my new favorite sandwich. The blueberry sauce spiked with sriratcha over the crispy fried chicken on a toasted bun made me crave more messy bites when it was gone. Messy is good.