Monday, January 17, 2011

Sunday Cooking Extravaganza - Meatloaf, biscuits, chard, turnips

Well, with two parties on Saturday (lunchtime kid's birthday and dinnertime BBQ), I didn't have to cook at all. But I made up for it on Sunday. A bunch of new (to me) recipes:

First up: beef and lentil meatloaf. I bought ground beef because I always seem to find recipes that call for it. But when I buy it, I never remember what they are. So I told my mom that I was going to make meatballs, and she said "meatloaf is easier". So I decided on meatloaf, but also wanted to stretch it with lentils. A search for "meat and lentil meatloaf" turned up a lot of recipes for lentil loaf, but absolutely nothing for a combination of the two. So, I made this up, starting with the meatball recipe.


Beef and Lentil Meatloaf
1 lb ground beef (free range): $5
1.5 c. cooked lentils: 0.20
1/3 c. oats: 0.10
1 carrot, shredded: 0.15
1/2 onion, diced: 0.15
2 cloves garlic: 0.10
1 T canola oil: 0.03
1/2 tsp italian seasoning: 0.05
S&P to taste
Total: $5.78 for 12 slices, or $0.48 per slice.

I sauteed half the onion in canola oil. Then I decided that it wasn't enough onion. So when I assembled the meatloaf, I added another 1/2 onion raw.

After sauteing the onion, mix all ingredients in a bowl. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray. Put meatloaf in the pan. Bake at 350F for one hour.

I should have added an egg, because it did fall apart a little bit. Still, very tasty. And frugal!


I made Martha Stewart's soda biscuits (thanks to my neighbor Michelle for serving them to me last week. I had to google the recipe as soon as I got home.)

Soda biscuits:
1 3/4 c. AP flour: 0.22
1 tsp salt: 0.01
1 1/2 T sugar: 0.02
1 1/2 tsp baking soda: 0.05
2 tsp baking powder: 0.15
5 T butter: 0.31
3/4 c. buttermilk: 0.48
Total: $1.24 for 8, or $0.15 per serving.

I also made sauteed chard with bacon, courtesy of Perfect Vegetables. (Only one slice of bacon.)
1 bunch chard: 2.00 (approx)
1 slice bacon: 0.28
1/2 onion: 0.15
1 clove garlic: 0.05
Total: $2.48 for 4 generous servings, or $0.62 per serving.

And finally, turnip chips, inspired by Mark Bittman. I cut the oil by 2/3. They weren't sliced thin enough (mostly they were 1/4 inch). I really hate turnips, unless they are baby turnips. But these weren't so bad. Best turnip recipe I've found that doesn't include a pound of bacon.


Turnip chips:
4 large turnips: 1.50
1 T canola oil: 0.03
s&p to taste
Total: $1.53 for three large servings, or $0.51 per serving.

Slice turnips 1/8 inch thick. Toss with oil, S&P. Bake on parchment lined sheets at 400F for 10 min. Flip. Bake another 10-15 min.

Total for the meal per person: $1.76



I love the CSA, but it does make for some interesting meal combinations from time to time.

Oh, and I burned the bacon. I got distracted. It happens.

3 comments:

Biz said...

The poor bacon! I love burnt bacon, but I don't think I would eat that!

And I've tried to make meatloaf more healthy for my husband, um, turns out when I tried to add pureed carrots and celery to his meatloaf mix, two bites in he was like "Is there effin vegetables in my meat loaf?!"

He prefers his meatloaf wrapped in bacon! :D

Marcia said...

Ha! That's pretty funny. He can taste the veggies...

Joanne said...

Whoa you really did do some serious cooking! I love that you bulked the meatloaf up with lentils. My kind of comfort food.