Lemon Pasta

Absolutely delicious, simple, lemony pasta.

Lemon Pasta

adapted from Love & Lemons

Ingredients:

8 oz spaghetti

1.5 oz grated Parmesan (about 1/2 cup) + more for garnish*

4 Tbs butter

2 Tbs lemon zest + more for garnish*

1 Tbs lemon juice  (or more, to taste)

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

basil or parsley, minced to garnish*

*garnish is optional

Instructions:

1. Boil pasta until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter on medium-high heat, until foamy.

3. Turn heat to medium-low, and saute garlic and lemon zest, stirring frequently for 2 minutes until fragrant.

4. Add pasta and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to the skillet. Stir well until a sauce starts to form.

5. Add 1/2 of the Parmesan, and toss well until completely incorporated and sauce starts to thicken.

6. Add lemon juice and remaining Parmesan and toss until sauce is silky smooth. Add more pasta water as needed to get desired texture.

7. Salt and pepper the pasta to taste. Plate, garnish, and enjoy!

Thick Soy Sauce Chicken

This absolutely delicious chicken dish goes down easy - packed with flavor, creating extremely tender and flavorful chicken due to the longer cook time.

Thick Soy Sauce Chicken

from Home Cooking with Somjit

Ingredients:

3 whole chicken legs (9 pieces broken up) - or equivalent pieces of chicken

3 shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water then halved

3 medium potatoes, peeled & halved

4 dates

2 large onions, roughly chopped

3" ginger, peeled & sliced into thin circles

1 full head of garlic, peeled

3 Tbs. oil (for frying)

3/4 cup water, as needed

marinade/sauce:

6 Tbs thick soy sauce

1 Tbs oyster sauce

1 Tbs Chinese cooking wine

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all marinade ingredients and toss well with the chicken pieces. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients, stirring the chicken every 5 minutes to ensure good coverage. 

2. In a large pan with a lid, heat the 3 Tbs. cooking oil over medium-high heat. Once at temperature, cook onions until softened.

3. Add remaining ingredients to the pot and stir well to combine. Lower heat to medium-low, cover pan, and cook for another 45 minutes - stirring every 15 minutes or so. 

Note: If the chicken does not release enough juices, add water as needed so the ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pan.

4. Serve over rice, and enjoy!

Spanish Rice for Instapot

This is a delicious, simple Spanish rice recipe that's one-post with the Instapot.

Spanish Rice for Instapot 

adapted from the almond eater

Ingredients:

1.5 cups rice (long preferred, but short works here)

2 cup broth (chicken or veg)

1.25 cups tomato sauce (any smooth tomato sauce will work)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs butter

2 Tbs oil

1 tsp chili powder 

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt (more or less depending on how salty the broth you use is)

3 Tbs cilantro, chopped fine (optional)

Instructions:

1. Set Instapot to saute mode for 5 minutes (it will take a couple minutes to heat up) and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the oil, rice, and garlic. Saute until the timer clicks off, stirring frequently.

2. Add broth, tomato sauce, and dried spices to the pot. Stir together, place lid with the valve on seal, and cook on rice mode (disable keep warm).

3. Once rice mode has completed, and the seal has dropped - open lid, fluff rice, and let stand for 5 minutes.

4. Serve & enjoy!

TomatenSalz (German Tomato Salts)

Delicious herbed salts that bring out the best in ripe tomatoes, or any salt-sprinkling applications you may have.

TomatenSalz (German Tomato Salts)

Ingredients:

4 Tbs salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp thyme

2 tsp basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients into a coffee/herb grinder. Pulse a couple times to get an even consistency. Do NOT over grind, or you will end up with salt powder. If you do not have a suitable grinder, use a mortal & pestle to achieve the same effect or just break down the mixture with your fingers.

2. Store in an air tight container out of direct sunlight.

Chermoula Sauce

This is the Middle-Eastern version of Chimichurri sauce, major changes being half & half parsley/cilantro instead of just parsley as well as some additional Middle-Eastern spices. Also, the red wine vinegar is swapped for fresh lemon juice and zest.

This also differs from Chimichurri sauce in that it is run through the food processor. So, while the sauce should remain textured, it is more of a finishing sauce than a braising & finishing sauce.

Chermoula Sauce

adapted from The Mediterranean Dish

Ingredients:

1 bunch parsley (1 cup chopped)

1 bunch cilantro (1 cup chopped)

1 lemon, juice & zest

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp. ground coriander 

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. paprika 

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. saffron threads (optional)

3/4 cup olive oil 

Instructions:

1. Remove stems from parsley, and roughly chop using the food processor. Scrape out into a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Remove stems from the cilantro, and roughly chop using the food processor. Scrape lut into the medium bowl and leave aside. 

3. Add garlic cloves to the empty food processor bowl and mince using the pulse setting. 

4. Re-add herbs to the food processor bowl along lemon juice, lemon zest, and all spices. Do not add olive oil yet & pulse to combine.

5. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil slowly.

6. Serve overeat, tish, vegetables, pasta salad, etc. Enjoy!

Chimichurri Sauce

Absolutely incredible, authentic Chimichurri recipe from Uruguay. Use it to baste your steak while cooking, then drizzle over top to serve.

This sauce can  can be prepared earlier than needed, and refrigerated for 24 hours, if needed.

Chimichuri Sauce

from Santiago in Uruguay

Ingredients:

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup parsley, finely chopped

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

4 small red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped  (~1 tablespoon chopped)

1.5 tsp. dried oregano

2 tsp. coarse salt

1 tsp. pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes to release flavors into oil before using. Ideally, allow to rest for 2 hours if time allows.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

 

This is a delightful take on a carrot salad, no mayo involved. Flavorful, bright, and good enough for a main! Maybe throw on a piece of grilled chicken.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

from Aunt Janet

Ingredients:

1 lb. carrots, scrubbed and shredded (about 3 cups)

3/4 c. golden raisins

3/4 c. peanuts

1/4 c. chopped cilantro (1 bunch)

2 green onions, thinly sliced (whole stalks)

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbs. harissa (dry or wet)

1 tsp. cumin

1 Tbs. honey

1 lime, juice and zest

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced 

2 tsp. ginger, finely grated 

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the carrots, raisins, peanuts, cilantro, and green onions. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, harissa, cumin, honey, garlic, ginger, salt and pepper. Combine with carrot mixture. Add additional salt and pepper to taste as needed.

Easy Crab Imperial

 

Saw this viral recipe on Instagram and had to try it out. Was a PERFECT accompaniment to a salad for dinner. If making more than 1 serving just multiply the ingredients, but I'd recommend cooking each portion in it's own ramekin.

Easy Crab Imperial

based on good.vibes.cooking

serves 1

Ingredients:

6-oz. can or package of real crab meat

2 tsp. minced garlic

2 Tbs. minced shallot

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. Worcestershire 

1 heaping Tbs. mayonnaise 

1/4 tsp. Tony's seasonings (or any other salt-based seasoning mix you'd like)

1 Tbs. butter

For serving:

crostini, crackers, crudite, etc.

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 F.

2. If using canned crab, drain and you can cook right in the can. Otherwise dump crab into an 8 oz. ramekin or dish.

3. Add all other ingredients (except butter) and mix well to combine.

4. Place butter on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until bubble.

5. Serve with desired accompaniments and enjoy!

The Best Mashed Potatoes

 

The Best Mashed Potatoes 

slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients:

5 lbs potatoes (I used yellow but you can use virtually any type or mix of types)

1 Tbs. salt (for boiling water)

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 Tbs. butter

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp. salt

4 oz. cream cheese

Optional garnishes:

chives or green onion, chopped fine

cracked black pepper

Instructions:

1. Scrub and dice potatoes. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water. Add 1 Tbs. salt.

2. Bring potatoes to a boil on high-heat. Once boiling, reduced to medium-high heat and cook until fork tender. Drain into colander in sink and set aside.

3. In a microwave safe bowl, combine garlic, butter, milk, and 1 tsp. salt. Microwave until butter is just melted. 

4. Pour strained potatoes back into the boiling pot. Add half of the butter mixture into the potatoes and mash until combined. Add last half of butter then mash again until combined. Add the cream cheese and mash again until well incorporated.

5. Serve immediately with optional garnishes.

Green Goddess Butter Bean

Found this delicious healthy, vegan/vegetarian meal on Instagram. Made it a couple times, and highly recommend!

Green Goddess Butter Bean

from #itsvegansis

Ingredients:

drizzle of olive oil

2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced or minced

~4 oz. spinach (2-3 cups, packed)

1 cup fresh basil, packed

1 cup cream (coconut or regular)

2-15 oz. cans (2 cups) butter beans, drained and rinsed

salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

drizzle of olive oil

lemon juice

plain yogurt (vegan or regular)

basil, rough chopped or chiffonade

cracked black pepper

toasted multi-grain bread or cooked rice

Instructions:

1. In a large pan on medium-high heat, cook zucchini, onion, and garlic until soft. Add spinach, and cook until wilted.

2. To a blender, add cooked vegetables, basil, and cream. Blend until smooth.

3. Add puree back to pan on low heat. Add beans and cook until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drizzle with additional olive, lemon juice, dollops of yogurt, and cracked black pepper. Serve with toasted bread or rice and enjoy!

Nuevo Latino Shrimp and Grits

My aunt sent me this recipe. and it's absolutely fire. 10/10 will make again. The hardest part is finding the tomatillos, which apparently do NOT come in cans! So I had to cheat a little bit and use a can of salsa verde and a cup of green hatch chilies.

Nuevo Latino Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients:

Shrimp:

3 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice

1/2 jalapeno, trimmed, sliced

1 Tbs chopped fresh oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tsp ground annatto seeds (or 2 packets of Sazón Goya)

1/2 Tsp kosher salt

1 lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

chopped fresh cilantro for serving

Salsa verde:

1/2 lb. tomatillos (≈5) rinsed, quartered

1/2 bunch cilantro, stems trimmed off

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 medium cloves garlic

1/2 jalapeno, trimmed and sliced

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

kosher salt

1/4 cup olive oil

Grits:

1/2 cup grits, white and stone ground

1 cup manchego, coarsely grated plus more for serving

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs unsalted butter, chunks

2 small poblanos (or 1 large one), roasted, peeled, seeded, chopped small

Instructions:

1. Marinate the shrimp: whisk oil, lemon juice, oregano, garlic, annatto seeds, jalapeno and salt. Cover and refrigerate 2-4 hours.

2. Make the salsa: put tomatillos, cilantro, onion, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice salt and 2 Tbs water into food processor. Pulse until combined. With machine running, slowly add the oil and blend until combined. If very thick, add up to another 2 Tbs water.

3. Make the grits: Bring 2.5 cups water with 1 Tsp salt to a boil in 3 qt. saucepan. Add grits in a thin stream and cook until the grits start to thicken a bit, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, adjusting the heat as necessary, and adding more water as needed 1/4 cup at a time, until grits are thick and tender, 40-50 minutes. Stir in the cheese, cream, butter and poblanos. Season to taste with salt, and keep warm.

4. Cook the shrimp: Heat just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook, flipping once until just pink throughout, 4-5 minutes total. Remove immediately and keep warm. 

5. Serve: If grits have thickened, add a little warm water to loosen them. Divide the grits among shallow bowls, and top with 2-3 Tbs of salsa verde and shrimp. Garnish with cilantro and more grated cheese and serve.

Ham and Bean Soup

Delicious and dead simple meal. Perfect to use up your Easter or holiday ham leftovers.

Ham and Bean Soup
from Genius Kitchen

Ingredients:
- 1 lb. smoked ham or ham hock
- 1 lb. dried beans
- 1 large onion, chopped coarsely (optional)
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 Tbs. parsley, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
- 6 cups. broth

Instructions:
1. Soak beans overnight.
2. Rinse beans, and add to crockpot along with all other ingredients.
3. Cook for 8 hours on low, or until beans are tender.
4. Skim fat, if necessary, before serving.

EveryPlate Gravy Lover's Meatballs

Review
     This was by far my least favorite meal of the 3 recipes. I'll even go as far to say I didn't really like it. The gravy was good, the meatballs were fine if very plain, but the mashed potatoes were way too much better and cream and unbalanced richness. I was satisfied with the amount of food, particularly the broccoli but it's way too unbalanced and rich because of the mashed potatoes. I would make this dish again but use a different recipe for everything, and cook the broccoli with another technique.
     The direction, like I found with the previous two meals, are very confusing to follow and very particularly inefficient on this recipe. I have completely rewritten them here to have a logical flow. The recipe was the most off on estimated cook time of any of the recipes. It took me about two times the estimated cook time which is unreasonably inaccurate. I'm sure you can get the cook time down if the instructions were in a more logical order but not down to 35. The left overs kept fairly well on this one too but overall this recipe was two thumbs down.

Estimated cook time: 35 minutes
Actual cook time: 61 minutes

EveryPlate Gravy Lover's Meatballs

Ingredients:
- 5 small Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 head broccoli
- 8 oz. ground beef
- 1/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
- 1 small cube beef stock
- 1 oz. sour cream
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 1 Tbs. flour
- drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450F.
2. Dice potatoes into 1/2" cubes. Place in medium pot, cover with 2 inches of water and add a hearty dash of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Save 1 cup of boiling water before draining. Drain and return potatoes to pot.
3. Finely chop onion. Mince 1 clove of garlic, and wrap the other two in aluminum foil. Cut broccoli into florets.
4. In a medium bowl, combine beef, breadcrumbs, minced garlic, 3 Tbs. onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and lots of cracked black pepper. Mix until just combined.
5. Roll beef mixture into 1" balls. place on one side of baking pan. Put broccoli florets and garlic foil pouch on other side. Drizzle olive oil on broccoli, and sprinkle some salt and pepper. Bake until meatballs are fully cooked, broccoli is starting to brown, and garlic is soft; about 15-20 minutes.
6. Melt 1 Tbs. butter in skillet over medium-high heat.
7. Mash baked garlic cloves. Add to potatoes along with 2 Tbs. butter and sour cream. Mash together to desired consistency, adding some reserved potato for extra silkiness.

EveryPlate Zesty Pork Tacos

Review:
     This is the second recipe from EveryPlate I have made. These pork tacos were tasty, though they didn't blow me away. The recipe was much quicker than the Tuscan chicken pasta. From start to end photo, it took me 36 minutes so dead-on for estimated time.
     Some of the terminology and instructions on the recipe cards I again found confusing, so I have translated them into how I would do my own recipe post here. I could definitely see myself making these again, but adding some actual hot spice as there was none whatsoever. Due to the poor quality of the lime, I did not have enough lime zest for the  lime creme step and just used straight sour cream. I recommend doing the step as it would probably help make these tacos pop.
    I took the second portion of these to work the next day, and neither the tomato salsa nor the radishes held up and it had a bad odor. I think this was partially due to the poor quality of the tomatoes and the radishes. See picture of how smushed the tomato was, and note the rot on the red onion in the ingredients picture below as well as the very blemished skin on half of the lime.

Estimated cook time: 35 minutes
Actual cook time: 36 minutes

Zesty Pork Tacos
from EveryPlate

Ingredients:
- 10 oz. ground pork
- 6 tortillas
- 3 radishes
- 1 roma tomato
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion
- 7 g. Fajita spice
- 2 oz. sour cream
- 1 lime
- salt, pepper, sugar

Instructions:
1. Small dice tomato. Peel and thinly slice red onion. Finely chop enough red onion to get 2 Tbs. minced.
2. Thinly slice radishes. Zest lime for 1 tsp. lime zest, then quarter lime. Mince garlic.
3. In a small bowl, combine tomato, chopped onion, half of the lime zest, and half of the juice from the lime, salt, and pepper.
4. In another small bowl combine raddish slices, rest of the lime juice, a large pinch of both salt and sugar.
5. Heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium high heat. Add sliced onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Add pork and Fajita seasoning to pan, separating pork until fully cooked, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
7. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, 1 Tbs. water, and remaining lime zest. Wrap tortillas in a slightly damp paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds until supple.
8. Add pork, tomato salad, and raddish pickle to a tortilla. Tip with lime creme.

EveryPlate Tuscan Herbed Chicken

So for the first time, I tried a meal box. This had a good deal on FB so I got 6 meals, 3 recipes for $20 including shipping. Even with the severe discount, this is more than I generally pay for food. I hit the Hy-vee deals pretty hard! I quite enjoyed the experience. But due to cost, poor quality of ingredients, and the wastefulness the thing I doubt it's an experience I will duplicate. But: here is my experience and review of it.

I have put the instructions as they came with my personal notes in parentheses.

Review:
     So this was my first meal box ever. It came in a box, which was lined with a shiny foil bubble wrap bag. At the bottom were 2 big reusable ice packs, then the meat, and on top of that another big reusable ice pack, and on top of that was everything else. If I was doing this as a regular thing, the waste alone would probably kill me but since I think this will be a one time experience, I am keeping the ice pack to reused for coolers in the future.
     Most of the produce and meat looked okay, though the red onion has a very bad rotten spot on it (you will see in next post) and the tomatoes are very weak in color. All in all, everything seemed fine.
     With this first recipe, I do think it made a decently sized meal. More like a lunch than a dinner, though. I was hungry enough the first night to eat both servings (which I regretted!). I actually put the whole thing into MyFitnessPal item-for-item (based off the original recipe measurements) to get an exact calorie count. The meal itself was quite tasty! Something richer than I would make for myself, definitely but I think with my modifications and an added vegetable side or salad added this is a meal I see myself making again.
    I found the instructions confusing at times. They seem to jump around from task to task and it's just hard to follow. I have not copied the instructions below but put down my, slightly more logical, interpretation of them. I would consider myself a decent home cook in terms of technique and speed of prep and I think their time estimate is simply inaccurate having followed all the instructions on the card in order.

Estimated cook time: 40 minutes
Actual cook time: 55 minutes

Tuscan Herbed Chicken
by EveryPlate

Ingredients:
- 6 oz. linguini
- 10 oz. chicken breast, boneless skinless (half breasts, and pound flat)
- 1 roma tomato
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4.5 g. Tuscan heat spice
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 oz. cream cheese
- 4 tsp. olive oil (you can get away with half of this just for on the chicken directly)
- 2 Tbs. butter (I recommend leaving out)
- salt

Instructions:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat a large skillet on medium head with a light drizzle of olive oil.
2. Small chop tomato. Slice 2 cloves of garlic, finely mince the remaining clove.
3. Pat chicken breast dry with a paper towel. Put breasts into a bowl and add drizzle of olive oil, minced garlic clove, salt, pepper, and half of the Tuscan heat spice. Combine well.
4. Once pasta water is boiling, add pasta. Cook for 9-11 mins. Reserve 1/2 cup of liquid, then drain.
5. Add chicken to heated frying pan. Cook until browned, about 7-10 minutes a side (if not flattened. Otherwise, less)
6. Once cooked, transfer to a cutting board to rest.
7. In chicken skilled, melt the 2 Tbs. butter (or skip!). Add the sliced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Add tomato, remaining seasoning, a pinch of salt and pepper and cook together for another 2-3 mins.
9. Stir in cream cheese, half of the Parmesan, and 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Bring mixtre to a simmer and add pasta. If pasta seems dry, add more reserved water and stir together until creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
10. Divide pasta between 2 bowls, and thinly slice chicken breast and divide between two bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan.

Shredded chicken

This recipe I've used several times now for my enchiladas and I keep coming back to it. I'm sure this recipe would be great in other Mexican-style cooking.

Shredded chicken for enchiladas
from genius kitchen

Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts, halved
1/2 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbs. salt
water
2 Tbs. butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. majoram
2 Tbs. cilantro, chopped
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 cup salsa
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 cup chicken broth (reserved)

Instructions:
1. In a pot, place the chicken breasts, sliced onion, smashed garlic cloves, and 1 Tbs. salt. Cover with just enough water to cover chicken
2. Bring pot to a slow boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes until done.
3. Remove chicken from the pot (reserving 1/2 cup broth), leaving behind onion and garlic. Shred the chicken.
4. In a large pan, melt butter over low heat. Saute garlic until fragrant. Then saute onion, pepper, and tomato with black pepper, majoram, and cumin until veggies are soft, ~5-10 mins.
5. Stir in shredded chicken and briefly saute.
7. Add salsa and 1/2 cup reserved broth and salt to taste.

Meatloaf Formula

This is one of the first things I learned how to cook post-vegetarianism. It's easy, delicious, and highly flexible.

This recipe scales well to a 1/2 recipe using: 2 lbs. meat, 2 eggs, and half of all other ingredients (including the sauce) & a 1 hour cook time. A full recipe is a quite large, so I recommend starting with a half.

Meatloaf Formula

makes 12 meal-sized servings

Ingredients:

Loaf:
3-4 lbs. ground meat*
0-3 cups vegetables, diced small**
6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 cups grains***
3 eggs

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

2 Tbs. herbs and spices****
8-16 oz. cheese***** (optional for cheese-stuffed)

Sauce:
1/2 cup onion puree (~1 onion)
3/4 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 cup mustard
1/4 cup sweetener (honey, agave, maple syrup)
1/4 cup hot sauce (sriracha, valentina's)
4 Tbs. tomato paste

Pan:

vegetables for bottom of roasting pan******

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Combine ground meat, diced vegetables, garlic, grains, eggs, s&p and herbs/spices. Combine well with hands or sturdy wooden spoon.
3. In a 11" x 9" pan (large roasting pan) spread Pan vegetables to cover bottom of pan.
4. Dump meatloaf mix onto counter.
- If stuffing with cheese: flatten into a rectangle shorter than long side of pan, 1" thick. Place cheese filling in the middle, and gently roll up sides of  loaf and pinch seam together. Carefully transfer to pan, flipping so seam side is down.
- If NOT stuffing with cheese: form loaf that is several inches shorter than long side of pan.

5. Make sure the meatloaf is centered in the pan, not touching any of the sides. This will create better texture on the meatloaf and prevent sticking to the pan. Flatten the top to give maximum surface area for the sauce.

6. Combine all sauce ingredients. Pour over loaf, trying to keep sauce from dripping over side of loaf and down onto pan.
7. Cook for 1.5-2 hours, until internal temperature reads 165F. Let rest 10-15 minutes before cutting into after taking out of oven.

* Ground Meat Examples:
- Traditional: 2-3 lbs. ground beef + 1 lb. ground pork
- Premium: 2-3 lbs. ground bison + 1 lb. lardons
- Poultry: 2-3 lbs. ground turkey + 1 lb. bacon

** Loaf Vegetable Examples:

Vegetables need to be diced very fine so they don't compromise the structural integrity of the meatloaf. I recommend using raw veggies but you can use cooked.
- Traditional: 1 onion + 1 green bell pepper
- Summer Garden: 1 cup shredded & squeezed zucchini + 1 cup onion + 1 cup shredded kale

*** Grain Examples:
- Traditional: oats (any) or bread-crumbs
- Alternatives: rice, barley, quinoa

**** Herb & Spice examples:
- Traditional: Italian seasoning
- Indian: garam masala, turmeric, chili powder, toasted cumin and mustard seeds
- French: oregano, rosemary, thyme

***** Cheese examples:

- Cheddar, mozzarella, herbed goat cheese log, brie chopped with cranberries, cream cheese mixed with chopped pecans

****** Pan Vegetables:

You want, at minimum, a thin layer of veg at the bottom to prevent burning and sticking of the meatloaf to the pan. The meatloaf drippings also make the vegetables delicious. You can go heavy here on the veg though if you'd like it to be a built-in side dish. Do not slice or chop your veg too small, as the meatloaf has a long cook time and you may run the risk of burn and over cooked veggies.

- minimum; 2 lbs. onion, cut into big slices/wedges/half moons or large diced

- heavy: 5 lbs. potatoes, large cubed and 2 lbs. onions