Mini Meat Loaves

Mini Meat Loaves
-Heather W.

Ingredients
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup purchased pasta sauce
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped if large
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (4 oz.)
1 12-oz. pkg. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to boiling. In large bowl combine egg, 1/2 cup of the pasta sauce, bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons of the basil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add beef and 1/2 cup of the cheese; mix well. Divide beef mixture in four equal portions. Shape each portion in a 5-1/2x2-inch oval. Place on 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spoon on remaining pasta sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until internal temperature registers 160 degrees F.

2. Meanwhile, cook green beans in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain; toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil and red pepper. Serve with meat loaves. Sprinkle all with remaining basil leaves. Serves 4.

Change for green beans:

Season pot of water with celery salt, pepper, garlic powder. Bring to boil. Turn off heat (but leave pot) and add green beans. Let sit until almost ready to eat. Drain and re-season with celery salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add 2 squirts of honey. Stir and serve!

I also made double the meat loaves and froze 5. (Mine must have been mini-er)

Roasted Vegetables with Linguine

Roasted Vegetable Linguine
-Heidi P.

I made this last night, a take off from another recipe, and loved it.  So good!

2 cups peppers, sliced into strips (I used yellow and red.)
1/2 lb. fresh or frozen asparagus, cut into 11/2-inch pieces
2 small zucchini, sliced into strips
1 small onion, sliced into strips
1 cup carrot, sliced into strips
3 Tbs. olive oil
Garlic powder, to taste
1/2 13.25-oz. pkg. whole-wheat linguine
Rosemary, Basil, and Oregano, to taste
1 cup Mozzarella

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place oil in a large roasting pan and add vegetables. Add garlic powder to the top. Roast 20 minutes, or until  onions begin to brown, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

2. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta.

3. In bowls, place the noodles and add vegetables on top.  Season with rosemary, basil, and oregano, adding a 1 - 2 tsp of oil as well.  Add cheese to the top.  Microwave for 30 seconds.  Serve.

Taco Soup

Ingredients:

2lbs ground turkey
2 (15.5oz) cans pinto beans, drained/washed
1 (15.5oz) can pink kidney beans drained/washed
1 (15.5oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14.5oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (28oz) -or- 2 (14.5oz) diced tomatoes
2 (4.5oz) cans diced green chilies
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper


Directions:

Brown the ground turkey in lg. skillet; drain excess fat. Put into a stockpot. Add beans, corn, tomatoes, green chilies, cayenne pepper, and chili pepper. Cook on low for 45 minutes (or until desired).

Can serve with sour cream, cheese, and corn chips.

Meatballs & Rice - Two Ways

I have two recipes for this dish - one I found online and one that my grandmother makes.  Both are delicious and simple - just different ways to prepare the dish. So I thought I'd pass both along!

Meatballs & Rice
-June B. (Heidi's grandma)

1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup shortening
12 fluid ounces tomato-based chili sauce
1 1/4 cups grape jelly
1-2 cups rice

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, onion, milk, egg, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and ground black pepper. Mix together, and shape into meatballs.

Cook rice according to package directions.
In a large skillet, heat shortening over medium heat. Add meatballs, and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from skillet, and drain on paper towels.

Add chili sauce and jelly to skillet; heat, stirring, until jelly is melted. Return meatballs to skillet, and stir until coated. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
 
Waikiki Meatballs
-Heidi P.
 
Meatballs (or use premade frozen meatballs)

1½ pounds ground beef
⅔ cup crushed saltine cracker crumbs
⅓ cup minced onion
1 egg
¼ cup milk
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks or pieces - drained, with juice reserved
⅓ cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper
Pinch of ginger
1-2 cups rice

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, cracker crumbs, onion, egg, milk, ginger and salt. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoonfuls into meatballs. (Skip this step if using premade.)

Cook rice according to package directions.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place meatballs in skillet and cook until evenly brown, and meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, brown sugar, reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, ginger, and soy sauce. Mix until smooth, then pour into the skillet with meatballs. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green pepper and pineapple chunks. Heat through. Serve with rice.

Easy Chinese Stirfry

-Heidi P.

Tried this one a few days ago and really enjoyed it.  The flavors are good, it's easy to put together, and I actually had most of the ingredients on hand.  The recipe calls for pork, but I only had chicken, so that's what I used.  I also added some yellow bell pepper for a little more color.

Ingredients:
1 tsp. oil
1 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into thin slices
3 carrots, sliced
1/3 cup KRAFT Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup brown rice

Directions:
Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat and carrots; cook and stir 5 min.

Meanwhile, begin cooking the rice according to package directions.

Stir in dressing and hoisin sauce; stir-fry 7 min. or until carrots are crisp-tender, stirring frequently.

Add onions; cook 1 min.

Calzones

Calzones
-Heidi P.

This recipe is a favorite in our house because it's versatile and easy.  You can mix it up and use whatever ingredients you have on hand and whatever flavor combination you want  Plus, if John is in the mood for ham and cheese and I'm in the mood for feta and spinach, we can each have what we want!

1 can (13.8 oz.) refrigerated pizza crust
16 slices  Deli Honey Ham
1 cup Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese
1/4 cup Ranch Dressing
1 tomato, cut into 8 thin slices

Other great combinations taste-tested include:
Pepperoni and Cheese
Spinach and Feta
Bacon and Onion

Heat oven to 400°F. Unroll pizza dough on lightly floured surface. Pat out dough to form 16x12-inch rectangle. Cut into quarters.

Top dough with ham to within 1/2 inch of sides. Mix cheese and dressing; spread on ham. Top with tomatoes. Fold each rectangle in half; seal edges with fork. Put on baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake 16 to 18 min. or until golden brown.

Serve with a side salad and some pasta/pizza sauce for dipping.  Delicious!

Linguine with Peppery Beef Strips

-Christine B.

I like to make this dish from leftover sirloin steak I'd grilled earlier in the week.

Tip: this recipe calls for 1 c. beef broth. If you use canned broth, and need to store your leftover broth for the long term, place remaining broth in a Ziploc sandwich bag and store in your freezer. This also works well for when a recipe calls for only the whites or yolks of the egg, simply freeze the unused portion.

Ingredients:
1 pound lean beef steak
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. coarsely ground pepper (or if you only have regular pepper on hand, use 1 1/2 tsp)
3 tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. thinly sliced green onion
1 tbs. cornstarch
1 c. beef broth
8 oz linguine
1 c. julienned carrots (to save time, buy the "matchstick" carrots in your grocer's produce case)
optional: 1 c. green pepper, seeded and sliced thin; 8 oz sliced mushrooms

Directions:
Slice steak into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Mix oregano, basil, pepper, olive oil, garlic and green onions in a shallow dish. Add steak; toss to coat. Heat water for pasta.

Dissolve cornstarch in broth. Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add steak; stir fry for about 3 minutes.

Remove steak. Stir broth mixture into skillet. Boil, stirring continually, for about 1 minute. Return steak to skillet. Add carrots and optional items, if desired; cook for 5 minutes.

Drain pasta and add to skillet; toss with steak and vegetables. Serve immediately.

Chad liked this dish with some red pepper flakes. I personally think the black pepper added enough heat on its own. Joe (my 7-year-old) likes to add Parmesan cheese to his.