We have learned over the years not to tell our families that we are preparing a “healthy” dinner. We have watched them wince as their minds drift to something that resembles tasteless cardboard with a side of salad.
So skip the desire to even mention the word “healthy”, and just serve the following dinner. When they clean their plates, you can
congratulate yourself — quietly.
Meatless Meatloaf with Mushroom Gravy
Food Network Kitchens
Loaf:
1 pound Japanese eggplants (about 3)
1/2 cup walnuts
1 pound firm tofu
8 ounces shiitake or button mushrooms, stemmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 large egg, plus 1 egg white
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
Mushroom Gravy:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 ounces shitake, cremini, or button mushrooms
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Marsala or sherry
1 cup vegetable broth, homemade or low sodium canned
2 sprigs fresh thyme, plus 1 teaspoon leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
For the loaf: Over a gas burner or under an electric broiler, char the eggplants until the skin is black, turning as needed to cook all sides evenly. Wrap in foil and set aside to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from the foil and gently brush the skin off or rinse under warm water.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl. Pulse the eggplant, tofu, and mushrooms into small pieces. Add mixture to the walnuts along with the remaining loaf ingredients. Mix together until evenly combined. Transfer the mixture into a 1 1/2-quart loaf pan or casserole dish and bake for 1 hour.
For the gravy: Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Season mushrooms with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the flour over the mushrooms and stir until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the marsala and broth and bring to a boil, cooking until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and fresh thyme leaves and season with salt and pepper.
Unmold the meatless loaf, slice, and serve with the mushroom gravy.
Download this recipe.
Sicilian Harvest Salad
Recipe courtesy Michael Chiarello
Serves 4
The fruit in this salad makes a wonderful little "chutney" to serve alongside a piece of grilled chicken or swordfish or to scatter across the top of focaccia before baking. The dried fruit adds richness, so don't leave it out. In the autumn and winter you can use figs, apples, pears, or persimmons in place of the grapes, while in summer you can use plums, apricots and peaches.
1/2 cup raisins
Boiling water
1 cup halved large seedless grapes
1 tablespoon diced dried apricots (1/4-inch dice)
1 1/2 tablespoons fried rosemary, recipe follows
1/4 large red onion, cut into small slivers
1 large lemon, juiced
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large head radicchio, about 3/4 pound
2 cups loosely packed baby spinach
12 thin slices prosciutto or 1/4 pound sausage, grilled and cubed, optional
1 tablespoon pine nuts, toasted
Put the raisins in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them to cover. Let stand until plump and soft, about 10 minutes. Drain.
Put the raisins, grapes, apricots, rosemary and onion in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice and stir in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Separate the radicchio into leaves, saving the heart for another use. Tear into bite size pieces and add to the dried fruit mixture along with the spinach. Toss well. Divide among 4 plates and top with the prosciutto, if using. Scatter the pine nuts over the top.
Fried Rosemary
Rosemary sprigs
Oil, for frying
Frying rosemary on the branch removes its slightly soapy, bitter flavor so you can use more. Heat 1-inch oil in a deep saute pan to 350 degrees F. Deep-fry the rosemary for 30 seconds and drain on paper towels. Strip the leaves off the stems and crush the leaves in the paper towels to remove any excess oil. Mince and store in a clean, tightly sealed container. Use the fried rosemary to make a seasoned salt by adding it to a mixture of black pepper, dried lemon zest and salt.
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