Meatless Loaf

Recipe: Meatless Loaf Cupcakes with Butternut Squash Puree

Source: http://www.thesweetlifeonline.com/2012/10/22/meatless-loaf-cupcakes-with-butternut-squash-puree/

Time: 1 1/2 hrs

Ease: 7

Taste: 4

Leftover Value: 5

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain

This is one of those recipes that after making it all I could think was: if you are going to choose to be a vegetarian, why on earth would you try to replicate something in which its very name involves meat?

Meatless meatloaf.  It just doesn't quite make sense.

I had bookmarked quite a file of recipes for my Daniel Fasting, before I punked out and went vegetarian.  I decided I still needed to sprinkle in a few of my pre-selected recipes and this stood out as one that I needed to give a try.*

*It also stood out because I had put it on my dinner calendar** and purchased all the ingredients necessary to make it.

**Yes, I have a dinner calendar.  Perhaps a post on that in the upcoming future?

I made this on a night that Hubby was working late.  The process is all rather tedious and time consuming.  Much more than I had hoped for, in fact, much more tedious and time consuming than any MEATloaf I have ever made has ever been.  To me it is such a waste of time in order to avoid using meat.  First, the lentils need to be boiled and the butternut squash baked.  That takes 45 minutes.  The lentils are then put in a food processor with an onion mixture, tomato paste, and a flour/walnut mixture.  

The butternut squash puree is also supposed to be made in the food processor.  I'll give it this: it made it very smooth.  However, unless you are independently wealthy and/or you collect food processors, it means you need to wash the food processor out in the midst of your cooking.

Not cool.

The recipe calls for something called "liquid smoke".  After investigating it a little, and learning that ultimately it is used to give a smoky flavor to food, I decided against purchasing it for the sole purpose of this meal.

I'm going to say it if you won't.  These mini meatless loaves look like throw up.

The butternut squash on top definitely gives it a cupcake look.  Now if only it had a cupcake taste.

At first I thought I could live with this recipe.  The outsides were crispy, and mixed with the butternut squash puree it had a familiarity of meatloaf.

Of course, it certainly was far from the real thing.  Especially since the real thing for me is coated in bacon and dripping with a delicious ketchup and brown sugar mixture.  Mmmmmm....

When I reached the center of the "cake" I was pretty much ready to be finished with my dinner.  Rather than the semi-appealing crunch that the outside had given, I was faced with a mushy warm center.  I tried to cover it up with more butternut squash puree and zucchini, but it was no use.

I managed to finish my dinner and, perhaps because I hadn't eaten anything of substance all day, told myself it hadn't been that bad.  I felt full, and I guess my stomach was satisfied.

Then Hubby came home and had some of it leftover.  I find I can only get an opinion from Hubby on dinners I make if they meet one of two extremes: 1. Really delicious or 2. Really disgusting.

You can guess which category he told me this recipe fell under.

Pumpkin Gnocchi with Butter Walnut Sauce

Recipe: Pumpkin Gnocchi with a Butter Walnut Sauce

Source: http://www.foodrecipeshq.com/pumpkin-gnocchi-with-a-butter-walnut-sauce/

Time: 20 minutes

Ease: 2

Taste: 3

Leftover Value: 4

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain*

*Note: I made an adjustment to the recipe.  I plan to try it again without the adjustment.  My hopes are high, but perhaps too high.  Sigh...

I have made gnocchi once before.  You might remember from this post.  While the taste was delicious, it was a laborious task, which outweighed any delight I may have experienced.

Considering that this gnocchi was not one made of potatoes, I didn't anticipate the same struggle.  However, considering that I was using whole wheat flour per the guidelines of the Daniel Fast that I was semi-somewhat-kind-of-in-a-way following, I decided that I would be good and use whole wheat flour. 

I knew by using whole wheat flour that I was already marking this recipe to be a loser.*

*Note: I'm sorry to those whole wheat lovers out there.  But as I've stated before, I know cardboard that is tastier than whole wheat flour.

These were stupidly simple to make.  In fact, it was about as easy as: mix all the ingredients together, roll them into a cylinder, and slice.

From there, the gnocchi was tossed into a pot of boiling water.

Let me take a moment to tell you how much faster water boils now that I am using All Clad pots.  I have the fastest boiling water in the nation.  My water boils so fast, I have to tell it to slow down so I can catch up.

Okay, I'm done.

I just thought you might like to know.

Here was a promising part to this recipe: butter.

Then again, butter didn't quite meet the guidelines of the fast I was supposed to be sort-of-kind-of following.  Then again, Hubby (who was strictly following the fast) was still away in LA when I made this recipe, so I decided I'd let the butter part of the recipe stay.*

*Which makes me wonder why I couldn't have just let the white flour part stay too.

The gnocchi fried with crushed walnuts in butter until they were crispy and delicious---looking.  Key word: looking.  

One point of major annoyance is that the pumpkin flavor didn't come through at all.  The recipe's author even states that, making me wonder why we even bothered to put it in in the first place.  She does recommend serving the gnocchi with tomato sauce, which I didn't need to read twice to do.

Though I found the gnocchi to be heavy and bland, I would have found it to be absolutely unbearable without the tomato sauce and broccoli I served on the side.   

After eating a small serving I found myself to be full.  

This is a ground breaking, earth shattering comment.  I was full.  I had hardly eaten anything, or so I thought.  But apparently, all that whole wheat goodness packed together brought cause for my stomach to actually say, "I''m good."

I haven't totally written it off yet, but I'm pretty sure that even with white flour the consistency of gnocchi made this way is still going to be much heavier than the light and moist delight of sinking your teeth into a piece of gnocchi made with the starchy goodness of potatoes.

************

If you haven't noticed, Orange Strainer has an "Index" section now.  Hopefully this will help in finding specific recipes you might be interested in or looking for.

Noodles Made of....Zucchini?

Recipe: Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

Source: Two Peas and Their Pod

http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/zucchini-noodles-with-pesto/

Time: 15 minutes

Ease: 5

Taste: 5

Leftover Value: No leftovers

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Down the Drain!

I warned you that I wasn't doing very well with my vegetarian eating.  This said, try not to be surprised by the Down the Drain rating on the next couple of recipes that I post.  I will do my best at the end to offer some suggestions that could possibly have converted the recipe from Down the Drain to Keep in the Strainer.

Zucchini noddles.  I love them.  In fact, I thought I had already posted about a fantastic recipe I make with zucchini noodles, but sadly I realized as I began searching for it that the pictures are still in the "Not Posted Orange Strainer" file on my computer.

This means you'll have to trust me.

Photo proof of my previously made zucchini noodles.  Again, you'll have to trust me...

When I found another zucchini noodle recipe that involved pesto, I knew I needed to try it during my vegetarian days.  I have to admit, from the get go I was a little apprehensive.  A quarter cup of Parmesan cheese seemed far too little for a pesto sauce.  But I followed the recipe (as I always do) regardless.

I liked the idea of slicing the zucchini with a mandoline slicer.  My other zucchini noodle recipe uses a vegetable peeler to slice the zucchini into thick strips, which is also fun and reminds me of egg noodles.  The mandoline slicer allowed for a thinner strip which appeared much more noodle like.

The recipe's author states the meal was eaten cold.  I couldn't imagine doing that, so I pan fried the noodles in the sauce for about three minutes.  Topped with tomatoes, it certainly looked like a masterpiece.  It tasted, well, just okay.  I was able to eat the entire thing, however, it left more to be desired.

Now for the negatives.

The sauce was too thin, clearly lacking extra necessary cheese.  While most pesto sauces call for pine nuts, I've found that they are not essential for the flavor.  Parmesan cheese is.

The recipe states to use four small zucchini and also that the recipe should serve four.

Oh me, oh my.  I don't know what kind of sized tummies the writer and lunch guests had, but I used one rather large zucchini and if Hubby had been home to enjoy this meal, we both would have been starving our brains out after splitting the portion that this recipe made.

What would I do in the future?

For starters, of course, more Parmesan (as if you haven't heard me say it enough yet).

My natural urge is to coat some chicken, fry it, and toss it in the bowl with the noodles.  However, in addition to the added protein that I am dying for these days, I would also add a small portion of linguine or fettuccine in with the zucchini noodles to make the dish a little more filling.  Let's face it, eating a zucchini and a tomato for lunch or dinner isn't going to fill any bellies for a long period of time.

First Times, Daniel, and Tomato Soup

Recipe: Easy Creamy Tomato Soup
Source: http://southernfood.about.com/od/soupandstew/r/bl60708b.htm
Time: 30 minutes total
Ease: 4
Taste: 8
Leftover Value: 5
Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!

My church recently began what is known as a Daniel Fast.  It isn't really a "fast" per the terms of a typical biblical "fast" which involves giving up food for a decided amount of time in order to pray and seek the Lord.  I would define it as a diet, one based on the scripture Daniel 10:3 where Daniel did not eat any "delicacies", meat, or wine in order to seek vision from the Lord.  Here are the basic guidelines:

I had personally been interested in starting 2014 with more veggies in my diet.  Not necessarily eating differently, just adding more of the green stuff to the things I usually eat.

Knowing my body, or my belly, as I do I knew the traditional Daniel Fast was not going to happen.  Hubby and I tried it before and I failed miserably.  (Miserably meaning it's amazing we are both still alive today after the crazy personality disorder I suffer when attempting to eat like a rabbit for more than eight hours straight).

This time around, while Hubby tried to follow the diet to the guidelines, I decided I would go vegetarian for the time of the fast and also try to avoid anything with preservatives (basically, food items that have been overly preserved and have a list of ingredients ten feet long on their label).

Aside from my breakfast of an apple and peanut butter and the yummy salads I managed to tempt myself with at lunch time, my first dinner was the only meal I actually enjoyed.

First, I have to admit something that may seem impossible, inconceivable, and improbable, but it's the truth.

I have never had tomato soup.

There, my secret is out.

Get over your shock before I go on.

Since Hubby was away in LA (again!) it was okay for me to make something that met my vegetarian guidelines without interfering with his Daniel Fast ones.  My brother, Jonathan, comes over every Monday for dinner and usually picks out the recipe we use.  He brought over a recipe book he made at school and picked out "English Muffin Grilled Cheese".  I thought tomato soup would be a perfect addition, considering I always hear of people combining the two.

Now, I know these guys have preservatives.  I've dealt with it, I hope you can too.  In case you missed these English muffins during Thanksgiving, I'm sorry.  There was also a Pumpkin Spice bagel too which I also have stashed in my freezer.

This was the only type of English muffin I had on hand, but regardless, I could only speculate that it would pair perfectly with my tomato soup, and I was so glad that I did.

  
Once you have a grilled cheese on an English muffin, your life will never be the same again.  Ordinary bread won't live up to what you've experienced in an English muffin grilled cheese.

The soup was ridiculously easy.  However, I did make a few changes/additions.  I do not like, nor did I have any, celery.  I replaced it with diced carrots.  Everything else remained the same, except when I told Jonathan I was making tomato soup he asked if it would have noodles in it.  Of course, to make Jonathan happy, we had noodles in it and from now on there will always be noodles in it.  I used whole wheat penne, but I think in the future I will use an even tinier pasta like orzo.

For a first ever experience with tomato soup, it was divine.  I loved everything about it, including the noodles, but more importantly the blend of delight that occurred when I dipped my English muffin grilled cheese in it.

The only note I would make is that the next day it didn't taste quite as wonderful.  It was still good, but not the thrill I received the night before.*

*This statement, of course, comes from a leftovers snob.  My apologies.

Chock Full of Beef Chuck

Recipe: Chunky Beef Chili

Source: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chunky-beef-chili-10000001108275/

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Ease: 2

Taste: 9

Leftover Value: 8

Down the Drain or Keep in the Strainer: Keep it in the Strainer!!

I can't remember ever eating chili before I was in my twenties.  Now, don't get shocked, blame my parents, and presume that I was sheltered as a child for never experiencing the wonder that is chili.  By no fault of their own, my parents raised picky eaters.  The type of eaters that complain when they taste something crunchy whether it be onion or lettuce in a stew or on a sandwich.  Some of us remained picky well into our adult years, ahem--Justin, while others managed to venture out and explore the world of all things food related.

This chili is by far the best I have ever eaten.  The star of the recipe, boneless chuck roast, would be enough to win me over, but the real reason I love this chili is this: there are no beans.

 Though I've managed to eat and enjoy foods I never expected to eat, let alone enjoy, somehow beans have not even made it into the category of "foods I am okay with going into my mouth".  When I eat anything with beans, I pick around them or hide them underneath other parts of the meal in hopes that I won't taste them if I end of actually eating them.

I know, I'm strange.  

Back to chili.  If you are a bean lover, you won't even miss them in this chili.  And if you think you will desperately miss them, go ahead and throw them in.  It certainly won't hurt.

Something as beautiful as this doesn't need beans to balance it out.  

The recipe calls for four pounds of boneless beef chuck roast.  I knew that would be an obnoxious amount for me to make for my little family of two, so I cut everything in half.    

There are certain pieces of the roast that when I am cutting it up jump out at me.  They are pieces that I know, without a doubt, will be one of the many, when cooked, that will melt in my mouth.

Here is the most difficult part of the recipe: browning the beef.  Not because browning cubes of beef is difficult.  It's actually rather easy.  The difficult part is resisting popping every single cube into your mouth and completely disregarding any plans for making a real recipe with the meat.

Please tell me that I'm not alone in having this temptation.

After browning the beef, add chili powder, then tomato paste, to the dutch oven.  Make sure that your tomato paste can has an Italian village and a presumably Italian woman on it.  It makes it much more authentic.

Just kidding.

If the store brand is cheaper, go for that.  It's all the same thing after all.

This next picture is horrible, so prepare yourself.  This is the point in the recipe that I was almost certain I had just ruined two pounds of gloriously succulent boneless chuck roast.

It is for your sake I allowed that picture in this post.  To me, it is the most unappetizing picture of all.  Perhaps it is the fault of the photographer, or perhaps it is the fault of this step in the recipe.  

Note to self: chili powder + tomato paste + boneless chuck roast cubed does not equal a pretty picture.

Two cups of beef broth make the drastic difference.

That, and of course, a picturesque bowlful of spices.

Look how much more beautiful that pot looks already!

This chili is chock full of all the good stuff: beef.  Every bite contains a juicy piece of heaven.

Sprinkled with a little cheese, and it's heaven on earth.*

*Note: Sorry for my corniness.**

**Note to the note: I'm not really sorry, because the cheese did make it that much better.

Sometimes I'll make white rice or pull out tortilla chips to go with chili (especially if beans have managed to work their way into it).  This chili seemed like it needed the big guns: cornbread muffins.  They were the perfect addition that balanced out the subtle spicy bite of the chili.  On a cold night, especially like the cold nights we've been recently having, this meal hits the spot.