Taco Meatloaf

Last night’s dinner was something definitely different than my usual “creations”.  The dish I made did get a little messy at times- so if that is not for you stop reading now!!!  I made “taco meatloaf”.  When I told Mom about the dish she said it wasn’t any meatloaf she has ever tasted…it was more of a taco casserole. Well, since I am the one cooking I will call it what I want! She missed out on a good meal.  It is a pound of ground beef that baked in the oven, so to me it is meatloaf! I found a few similar recipes, but since I have been watching what I have been eating I wanted to make it a tad healthier!  You can always change it to your own liking!

 What all do you need?  You need: 1 lb. ground beef (I used extra lean), fat free refried beans, whole wheat tortillas, Rotel diced tomatoes (mild), low fat shredded cheese (whatever kind you like!), and taco seasoning. Turn on the oven and preheat it at 400.

 In a bowl, take the ground beef and add the packet of taco seasonings, garlic powder, and cumin.  Make sure you mix it all together very well.  Then, add the can of Rotel- make sure you drain all of the juice first or it will be too runny (I learned from experience). I am not a huge fan of onions, but you can always add diced onions to the meat as well.  Mix it all together.  On a long piece aluminum foil, put the meat mixture on it and flatten it into a rectangle.  Make it about a ½ inch thick. Put about three tortillas on the meat mixture (depends on what kind you have).  Make sure the meat mixture is completely covered.  Heat up the refried beans and layer on the tortilla.  Next, take about a cup of shredded cheese and sprinkle all over the beans.  At this point, you can also add diced jalapenos or anything else you would like to add to tacos! It would have been too spicy for my girls or I would have added them. This is where it gets a little hard… pick up the end of it and roll it up.  You may need to use a spatula to get it started or lift the foil up to get it going. Then, wrap the aluminum foil around it and close the edges.  Put it on a cookie sheet or cake pan to bake in the oven.  Let it bake for about 45 minutes.  When you take it out of the oven, there is a lot of juice.  You may want to poke the bottom of it to let some of the juice out.  For my daughters, I added a little extra cheese on top.  Next time, I will probably throw some lettuce on top when I serve it for more vegetables! 

Happy cooking!

Eggplant Parmesan

 I attempted something I have never cooked with before.  I made eggplant parmesan, plus I made the healthy version (baked not fried)!It is fun trying new recipes.  I have to admit I tried a new recip last week that didn't turn out so well.  It wasn't the recipe, but the fish tasted like dirt! NOT FUN! I am glad this one turned out great.  I did some reading of quite a few recipes before I started today.  Of course, I made it my own way!  I was very pleased with the results when my three year old said, “yummy” and my one year old cried when it was gone from her plate!!  I have heard that when cooking with eggplants it can be bitter in taste.  After reading a few different people’s recipes, I found one that sounded as if it would work the best.  I took the eggplant and sliced it into thick slices.  Then I used sea salt on both sides and put them in the colander for a half hour.  While they are in there, they begin to “sweat” out the bitter stuff and it looks like drops of water are coming out of it.  Next, I put them on a paper towel and patted the top with a paper towel to dry them all off.  While they were drying off, I had the oven preheated at 425F and I set everything up that I would need to coat them.  I put about 1 ½ cups of flour in a bag (it’s a lot easier to shake them to coat them).  I put three eggs with 1/3 cup of water and some garlic powder and mixed it.  Then in a third container I put about a cup of Italian bread crumbs.  Plus, I sprayed Pam on two cake pans. Once the eggplant was ready, I shook all of them in the bag of flour.  One at a time I dipped them in the egg mixture, then the bread crumbs, and placed them in the cake pans (spread out).  I baked them for about ½ hour until they were crispy.  Then I poured marinara on each eggplant, sprinkled parmesan cheese, and just a little of low fat mozzarella cheese.  I baked them until the cheese has melted and crispy on top.  It was served on a bed of whole wheat pasta with marina sauce. I used a little spicier marinara sauce this time that added to it.  The eggplant turned out delicious! 

Happy Cooking!

Vodka Spaghetti (my version)

Dinner was so much fun tonight.   Originally, leftovers were going to be for dinner tonight, but that isn’t what we ended up eating.  Today, we got a box in the mail and I received more Italian Seasonings from my mom from Graziano’s in Des Moines….. I just had to use them!  I decided I wanted to try something new.  I looked up a few recipes with zucchinis, but nothing was sounding good.   Then, I saw a vodka sauce recipe and it sounded pretty good.  I decided I would make it with my spin! 

I diced four fresh mushrooms and about ¼ white onion and added to a pound of Italian sausage to brown.  I seasoned it with garlic as it was cooking.  Once it was browned, I added a ½ cup of vodka. Let it cook until about ½ of it cooks off.  Then, I added ½ cup of whole milk (sorry, I didn’t have cream).  I stirred it all together and added garlic powder, Italian seasonings, and a little basil.  Next, I added one can of tomato sauce, one can of zesty diced tomatoes, and one can of basil garlic diced tomatoes (no juice).  I decided to drain the juice of the second can of diced tomatoes because I didn’t want it too runny.  Serve it over a bed of pasta and top with a little parmesan cheese. 

You may think this recipe may be a little crazy, but it was delicious!I It's a tad zesty, but definitely yummy!  My daughter asked to call my mom because she loved the spaghetti so much and wanted to tell her.  My husband wasn’t home for supper tonight, but I can’t wait to make this recipe for him.  It was very easy and quick to make! 

Happy Cooking!