You win some, you lose some

I had a total craving for Shepherd's Pie, but alas had no meat. I figured lentils make a good stand-in in meatloafs, so why not?

I sauteed an onion and pepper until soft, added lentils and water and cooked until the lentils were soft. Tossed in a ton of seasonings, topped with some mixed veggies, and some mixed mashed potatoes and spinach.

Covered the whole thing with lots of cheese and baked until it looked delicious.

But, unfortunately....

It didn't hold together. At all.

Meat Muffins

Oh wow, that sounds disgusting. Meat muffins. Hey lady, maybe try the next size up, I can see your meat muffins.

Anyways.....Here's one of my absolutely favorite, blow your mind with its simplicity, cooking tips.

Instead of the typical meat loaf, make them tiny in muffin tins. I'm sure the regular kind will work nicely, but I use the silicone type, and the mini loafs pop out like perfect little spaceships.

These is my basic turkey meatloaf recipe. I start with Ground turkey, and beef it up (lol) with black beans and dry oatmeal. Add an egg, garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes and oregano, and mix well. I like to top it with the classic ketchup/mustard mix, with a little Sriracha thrown in if I'm feeling spicy.

Add mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed spinach and voici, you have dinner!

Spaghetti Stir Fry

I wanted something quick and healthy, and I guess I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in...So I went everywhere at once.

Italian, Indian and Asian: here you go:

Whole wheat spaghetti, with tofu sauteed in coriander, garlic and ginger, with steamed snap peas.

Rise and Shine

I love me a savory breakfast! Here's a "hash" of potatoes, kale and bacon (turkey of course), topped with a fried egg.

Now that it's Summer, I should probably be moving on to lighter breakfasts--fruit, yogurt, air, whatever skinny people eat for breakfast--and away from things like this. Of course, there's still lunch and dinner =)

Lemon Pepper Salmon

So I was searching for a new way to cook salmon, and came across a pretty decent sounding recipe. Why'd I pick a recipe for sounding "decent", not amazing, or outstanding, or even delish? One, I had the ingredients, and two, I found it on a blog called..... Erin's Food Files.

How could I not go with it? So here you are, Lemon Pepper Salmon with sauteed kale.

Of course I don't measure anything, so for the specifics, go to that other neat, organized Erin. If you cook like the Swedish chef, feel free to follow mine.

SALMON:
2 salmon fillets, thawed
lemon juice
fresh thyme
lemon pepper seasoning
2 cloves garlic, minced

KALE:
kale, rinsed, chopped, and thick stems removed
extra virgin olive oil
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
chicken or vegetable broth
salt & pepper

Directions:


SALMON:

Rinse fish and pat dry. Place in a shallot baking dish, and top with remaining ingredients (juice through garlic).

Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, or when fish is done.

KALE:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until it just begins to golden. Add kale to skillet, and saute for 2-3 minutes. Pour in broth and reduce heat to medium or medium low. Season with salt & pepper, and continue to cook another 10-15 minutes until kale is softened to desired texture.


I served with a baked potato. Want to know my super secret method to the perfect potato? Microwave a whole potato (with a few fork stabs in it) for 5 minutes, until almost done, then wrap in foil and bake at 375 for another 20 minutes. Trust me, perfect. Crispy on the outside, but not dried out at all.

Sausage and Broccoli Raab

Here's another, no explanation needed meal. It's one of my favorites for a last minute throw-together.

Whole Wheat Pasta + Broccoli Raab + Trader Joe's Chicken Sausage + Parmesan Cheese

BBQ Chicken

I'm sorry, there isn't much needed to say about this meal.

Chicken drums + BBQ Sauce + Crockpot
easy and pretty dang good.

Served with Mashed Sweet Potatoes (with Cinnamon and Cayenne) and Sugar Snap Peas.