Meatloaf, no, not the one on Celebrity Apprentice

Individual meatloaf with a well formed in the top to hold gravy and whipped potatoes

There is nothing I like more than a good meatloaf. It's of my favorite comfort foods. The problem has always been that I have never had a real recipe. it's always been a little of this and a little of that… it's usually not the same  from one time to the next.  So to fix that, I have been trying to really find the ingredients and methods I like the most from all the recipes I have tried to make mine more consistent. For a turkey meatloaf, I found that Ina Garten's simple recipe of sautéed onion, dried thyme, worcestershire sauce and tomato paste to be a winner. I have seen recipes for meatloaf with 20 ingredients or more.  They are complex and silly, over done and unappealing. I like simplicity  and Ina's basic recipe is  even a great carry over for a beef meatloaf.  The only additions I make are tons of fresh garlic and to spice mine up just a bit, I roast a large red bell pepper over a gas flame;  peel and dice it up and add it to the mix. Then of course you have the usually additions: a bit of bread crumbs and a egg or two and salt and pepper. I never really measure anything, just play it by ear and by eye. To be sure that I have the seasoning just right, I usually sear off a small piece to taste. Once I know its perfect, i free form shape the loaf on a sheet tray, slather on a glaze of brown mustard, ketchup, brown sugar and… well, whatever looks right at the time and then bake it. 


I always make at least double of what I need. There are few left overs that I like. I am not a big fan of day or two leftovers. But with meatloaf, I make it more for the cold leftover meatloaf sandwiches on the following day than I make it for the meal the night its fresh and warm.

Champagne mangos with Sriracha sauce and fresh lime.

Mangos are my favorite fruit. From fresh to sorbets and salsas, I eat tons of mangos throughout the year. I recently saw this recipe on a television show and I knew that I had to try it.  I found the smaller Champagne Mangos at Sunflower markets, and they were fully ripe and delicious.

I peel the mango first, then take off the meat with a sharp knife. I cut the fruit into thin strips and then dressed it with Sriracha sauce and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. The flavor is incredible. I sat and ate the whole bowl with my fingers. The next day I made this recipe again but this time I used the mango salad when I made rice paper wraps. I  filled the wraps with the mango and grilled chicken, veggies, mint and rice noodles.  They were absolutely delicious. The mango was spicy and sweet. Combined with the chicken and the crisp veggies… it was perfect.

Fresh citrus salad

The Citrus fruit at the market today looked so wonderful. I knew that I wanted to send a plated salad to the house.
With tangelos and blood oranges still in season, it certainly made the salad colorful and tasty.
I made a tangerine lime simple syrup to dress tanned glaze the fruit.

Cod Cakes

Trying to find healthy food for work is often a challenge. Neither person I cook for will eat pork, outside of the occasional piece of bacon. But that has to be so over cooked that its almost blackened and I can get away with sending bacon maybe once or twice a year.
We we have a pretty set routine for menus. Monday is "X". Tuesday is "Y" etc.. So I often have to find new ways to present the same proteins. This cod cake recipe was a very simple recipe. I try to use only the best fish and natural, flavorful ingredients.
I found beautiful "True Cod"  fillets at Whole Foods and I knew I wanted to do something special with them.

I took the skinless fillets and processed them lightly in a food processor. Then in a mixing bowl I combined the fish with fresh lemon juice and zest, fresh parsley, a touch of mayo to hold them together, a small amount of homemade bread crumbs, thin sliced green onions salt and pepper and just a pinch or two of Old Bay seasoning and one small egg yolk. I formed the patties. Gently shaping them without compacting them to much. I lightly tossed them in seasoned flour and then set them aside for about an hour in the fridge. I wanted them to rest and become a more cohesive mass.

I made one small cake, and I sautéed it in a nonstick skillet to assure that the flavors were correct and to make sure I didn't need to adjust anything. Once I knew that the flavor was perfect, I sautéed the rest of the cakes. medium low heat. A pat of butter and a little bit of olive oil.

I made a light sauce for them by combining mayo with fresh parsley, lemon juice and zest, black pepper and salt and a couple cloves of garlic. I put them all in a food processor and just gave it a few short pulses.  It's a light, fresh sauce. Packed with flavor and compliments the fish very nicely.

I served the Cod cakes on a bed of sautéed baby spinach and a warm lentil salad. The lentils were cooked al dente and then tossed in a light olive oil and lemon juice vinaigrette.

A perfect dish for a light meal or served as a first course.