Category Archives: recipes

Apple Meatloaf

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This was an experiment I just tried – usually we make a plain and simple meatloaf, but  figured it would be fun to try something new!  The basic concept came from this recipe.

Apple Meatloaf

  • 6 lb ground beef
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 eggs
  • 3 c. applesauce (I used homemade chunky applesauce from apples we harvested:))
  • 1 15 oz can tomato puree
  • 2 T. prepared mustard
  • 1 T. dried parsley
  • 1 t. pepper

Saute the onions and garlic in oil of your choice until translucent (I used rendered chicken fat).  Mix the sauteed vegetables into the ground beef.  In a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, tomato puree, mustard, and spices – this is done now so that all the ingredients are evenly mixed in and will combine well with the meat mixture.  Mix applesauce mixture with ground beef mixture, and mix well.

Place mixture into two deep 9 x 13 pans (it can fill up to four pans, depending how full you want them to be), and smooth the top with a spoon.  You can also use loaf pans, if you prefer.  (I like 9 x 13 pans since that’s the only size I have that is stainless steel, so I try to use them for everything!  :lol:) Bake at 350 degrees for an hour.

The meatloaf has an interesting (and tasty!) flavor, and a texture that is firm enough to slice but slightly looser than your typical meatloaf.  It’s grain-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free.  It’s also suitable for the GAPS diet; I made it now to feed my freezer so I’ll have it on hand when I hopefully introduce GAPS to my family next week.

(This recipe is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.)

Avivah

Three Color Vegetable Kugel

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We made this kugel for the first time four years ago.  At that time, I was in my ninth month, and had just finished turning over the kitchen for Pesach (Passover), when I went into labor two weeks early.  The baby was born (at home, as planned), and after the kids finished holding and cooing over him (that took a couple of hours!), my older daughters (then ages 9 and 11) asked me for the list I had prepared the night before.  On it, I had made lists of food we’d need to make for the shalom zachor if we had a boy, as well as other Pesach foods.

They went right into the kitchen and together with their 12 year old brother, got busy cooking for our shalom zachor that was held the next night, and continued to do the cooking for the bris, which was held in our home the first day of Pesach.  They did an incredible job – I didn’t do anything but answer questions when they periodically came in to my room to ask about how to prepare something.

This was one of the dishes they made for the bris – it’s not only visually appealing, but everyone who tasted it loved it!  I slightly adapted the recipe from Passover Seders Made Simple, by Zell Schulman (she uses margarine, matza meal, egg substitute, and sugar).  It’s a little labor intensive since each layer has to be prepared separately, but I maximize the time spent by preparing several times the recipe – it’s not much work to make a much larger recipe than to make just one.

Three Color Vegetable Kugel

  • 1 lb cauliflower, steamed until soft
  • 1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cooked until soft
  • 1 lb carrots, sliced
  • 1 lb yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 1 c. orange juice
  • 12 oz broccoli, chopped and steamed until soft (spinach is also good)
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 t. cumin
  • 1/4 t. tumeric
  • 1/2 t. nutmeg
  • 1/2 t. cinnamon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 1/2 T. potato starch (or arrowroot, if you’re not making it for Passover)
  • 6 eggs

Put carrots and yams in a pot with the orange juice and a cup of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until soft.  Drain.

Saute the onion and garlic in oil and saute until the onion is translucent.  If you have a food processor, process the cauliflower and 1/2 of the cooked potatoes together until somewhat smooth; if you don’t, then mash them as well as you can with a fork or potato masher.  Add 1/2 the sauteed onions and garlic, cumin, tumeric, and 1/2 T. potato starch, and process a little more.  Add 2 eggs to the food processor and process for 1 minute, then add salt and pepper to taste.   This will be your first layer – pour it into loaf pan (9 “x 5 1/2″ x 3”) lined with parchment paper or make sure it’s greased well.  It should fill the pan about a third of the way; smooth the top.

Now take the cooked carrots and yams and put them in the (rinsed out) food processor.  Process, then add cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add 2 eggs and process again.  Add 1 T. potato starch, process.  Pour this mixture on top of the potato mix in the pan, and smooth the top again.

Rinse the food processor container again.  🙂  Put the steamed broccoli, the remaining half of the cooked potatoes, and the other half of the sauteed onions and garlic into the processor, and blend.  Add 2 eggs, process for a minute, then add 1 T. potato starch and salt and pepper to taste.  Pulse one more time.  Pour the broccoli layer on top of the carrot layer and smooth it evenly.  Now you’ve finally finished with the food processor and can wash it and put it away.  🙂

Cover the pan of kugel lightly so that it’s still open at the edges (you don’t want it to brown on top but you don’t want it to steam, either), and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.  This refrigerates well, and should be sliced and reheated before serving.

I don’t usually buy any exciting spices for Passover since I know I won’t really use them, so when I make this for Passover, I don’t use cumin, tumeric, or nutmeg.  It’s still delicious!  Just be sure to add enough salt and pepper so it won’t be bland.  Also, if it seems like you need more thickener for any given layer, you can increase the potato starch – if that’s necessary will depend somewhat on how well-drained your veggies are.

Enjoy!

Avivah

Baked Winter Squash with Apples

Pesach, recipes,

I can’t think of a catchy name for this recipe, but it’s really yummy!  It’s ideal as a side dish for meat or chicken but tasty any time.

Baked Winter Squash with Apples

  • 6 c. winter squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4″ thick slices)
  • 6 c. Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4″ thick slices)
  • 1/2 c. raisins
  • 1 t. cinnamon or nutmeg
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/3 – 1/2  c. honey
  • 1/4 c. oil (coconut oil, rendered beef/chicken fat, or butter)
  • 1 1/2 T. lemon juice

Cook squash slices in boiling water for several minutes until tender; drain.  Combine squash, apples, and raisins and put in greased pan.  Mix in seasonings.  Put the honey, lemon juice, and whatever oil you’re using together in a small pot; heat on low until honey and fat are both liquid.

Pour the honey mixture over the squash and apple, and mix in well so that all slices are well-coated. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until squash and apples are very tender, stirring occasionally.  Serve warm.

(This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.)

Avivah

Pesach Granola

Pesach, recipes

We made a large batch of this (three times the below recipe) to have for breakfast some of the days of Pesach.

Pesach Granola

  • 1 lb. matza farfel or matza, crushed into very small pieces
  • 2 c. dried coconut (you can double this but I only had enough coconut for this measurement :))
  • 1 c. cashews
  • 1 c. sliced almonds
  • 3/4 t. cinnamon
  • 1/2 c. honey (we don’t like our food very sweet so you might want to increase this to your taste)
  • 4 T. butter or coconut oil, melted
  • 2 c. cold water
  • dried fruit (I used raisins)

Combine matza with dry ingredients, except almonds and dried fruit.  Mix thoroughly.  Combine the melted butter/coconut oil with the honey, and warm slightly so that it’s liquid and pours easily.  Mix into dry ingredients.  Drizzle water all over, mixing well.

Spread the mixture on greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 225 degrees for two hours, stirring every 15 minutes.  Add almonds and bake 15 minutes more until almonds are toasted.  Let granola cool, and then add in dried fruit according to the amount you prefer.

Note: I wanted this to be non-dairy so I didn’t soak the matza overnight in an acidic medium.  However, if you’re concerned about minimizing the phytic acid content, then I’d recommend using thinned yogurt for part of the water measurement, and mix the matza with half of the water called for the night before, mixing in everything else the night before.

This is really yummy served with raw milk or even dry as a snack! (Ask your LOR about if it’s necessary to wash for this, not me!)

Avivah

Savory Calabaza Tian

Pesach, recipes,

Though I generally don’t post more than one recipe a week (and often not even that), for the next few days I’ll be sharing recipes that will be suitable for Passover.  Because so many Passover cookbooks use ingredients that I don’t use (for nutritional reasons), I’ve created or adapted a number of recipes to suit my needs, and realize that some of them may be of interest to some of you. You can also check the ‘recipes’ or ‘Pesach’ category and you’ll find other recipes there that are suitable; many need very small adjustments or no adjustments at all for Passover use.

When I did my monthly shopping a couple of days ago, I lucked into three large calabaza squash for 1.49 each!  I’ve never had calabaza before, so I set out to find a way to use them.  🙂

Savory Calabaza Tian

  • 8 c. calabaza squash (or any winter squash like butternut, acorn, pumpkin), peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 c. whole wheat flour, matza meal, or potato starch (omit flour for Passover use; omit flour and matza meal for gluten-free recipe)
  • 1/4 t. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 1/2 t. dried parsley or basil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/3 c. shredded cheese (swiss, mozzarella, or cheddar)
  • 1/3 c. butter or coconut oil, melted

Mix flour/matza meal with salt, pepper, and parsley/basil.  Dredge squash chunks in this mixture.  Place coated squash pieces in greased pan, then stir in the minced garlic and sprinkle the cheese on top.  Drizzle oil on top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes.  When it’s done, the chunks should be slightly firm on the inside and soft on the inside.

Avivah

Colcannon

Pesach, recipes,

Cabbage is a great vegetable because it’s so versatile, inexpensive, and stays fresh a long time (good for someone like me who buys vegetables every two weeks or less); there are so many things you can do with it!  I’m making colcannon for lunch today, and thought it would be a good time to share this frugal and tasty recipe.

Colcannon

  • 4 c. green cabbage, chopped
  • 2 c. water
  • 1 T. oil

Simmer chopped green cabbage in 2 c. water and 1 T. oil. Drain.

  • 1 c. onions or leeks, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
  • 1/2 c. butter
  • 4 c. cooked potatoes, quartered (can be baked or boiled – I boil them because it’s faster)
  • 1 c. milk (I use raw)
  • salt, pepper to taste

Saute the onions or leeks in butter (add garlic now if you’re using it) until translucent. Add cooked potatoes and milk to the potato mix and simmer it all until it’s warm.  Then mash it all together, and add the cooked cabbage to the pot with the potato mixture and heat for a few minutes until its thoroughly warmed through.  Mix it all together, season with salt and pepper and top with some more butter if you like.  Filled with protein, carbs, healthy fats, and veggies – a balanced meal and cheap to boot!

(This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday.)

Avivah

Chickpea Cheeseburgers

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I made these chickpea cheeseburgers for dinner last night; they were very frugal and very much enjoyed!  For those who are avoiding gluten, they’re also gluten-free.  I served them with sour cream, red pepper strips, and snow peas.  Since everyone enjoyed them and they were very frugal, I thought you’d appreciate if I shared it.  I’ll post my costs at the end.

As always, I make recipes up as I go along so I’ll try to estimate how much I used of each ingredient as accurately as I can.  This made enough as a main dish for our family of 11, about 50 4-inch burgers; you can either cut it in half (or 1/4!), or make the full recipe and put some in the freezer to use at a another time.

Chickpea Cheeseburgers

  • 2 lb dried chickpeas,  soaked, sprouted, and cooked
  • 1 large onion or 3 small onions, minced
  • 12 eggs (I used pastured eggs)
  • 1  c. arrowroot flour (if you want it to be gluten-free) or bulgur (cooked with 1 c. water or yogurt – I meant to soak this ahead but forgot)
  • 1 lb mozzarella or cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 T. salt
  • pepper to taste

(If you decide to use bulgur for this recipe as the thickener, start it cooking while you prepare the rest of the mixture.)

Blend the chickpeas in a food processor until they are somewhat smooth (they don’t have to be pureed, but you want them pretty well broken down).  You’ll probably find it helpful to add some liquid to this so they can blend easily – either water or the juice the chickpeas cooked in is good.  Add in the minced onion, garlic, and eggs.  Mix, then add the shredded cheese and spices.   Mix well, and add either arrowroot powder or cooked bulgur as the thickener.

Drop onto parchment-lined or greased baking pan into the size you desire.  We made them about 4 – 5 inches across.  Bake at 500 degrees until they are browned, about 10 – 15 minutes (smaller ones will cook faster).  They should stay in a burger form when they’re cooked through – if they’re falling apart, you need to cook it for longer.  Serve warm.

Here are my costs (remember that I buy almost everything on sale and if I didn’t the costs could be double what I’ve listed – but still would make for an inexpensive dinner!):

  • chickpeas – .59 lb – $1.18 total
  • onion – .28 lb (bought in 50 lb bag) – .28 total (I’m overestimating since one large onion was less an a pound but I prefer to overstate costs than to understate them)
  • eggs – 1.75 dozen – total $1.75
  • organic bulgur – .79 for 24 oz – .20 total
  • mozzarella/cheddar (bought in 5 lb block) – 4.69 lb – $4.69 total
  • garlic – 5 lb peeled organic garlic was $7 – .20 total
  • spices – not significant, but I’ll add another .15 for that

Total cost for burgers – $8.45 – since this served 9 people (not including dh and baby), it works out to .84 cents per person, and each person had enough for 5 – 6 burgers.  I think that served with more sides, three would have been enough per person.

The sour cream we served it with was 2.29 for a large container, sliced red peppers were .99 lb and used about 2 lb, and the snow peas were 1.99 lb (used 1 pound).  I meant to chop up a large head of napa cabbage but got busy with something else and forgot about it until halfway through dinner – that would have only been an additional .50 since I bought a case with 20 heads for $7 from the Asian grocery (but we would have ended up eating less of the other things!). So $6.29 total for the add-ons.

The total cost for the entire meal was $14.61, which works out to $1.62 a person.  Most of our kids have adult appetites, with the exception of the 2 and 3 year olds.  I love figuring out these kinds of things! 🙂

(This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays , Real Food Wednesdays, and Pennywise Platter Thursday.)

Avivah

Twice Baked Potatoes

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I’ve made these a number of times, always varying the recipe according to what I have on hand.  It’s very inexpensive, easy to adapt, and it always tastes great!  We make double this amount for a lunch meal, but a smaller family would probably do better to halve it.  🙂

Twice Baked Potatoes

  • 8 medium potatoes
  • 1/4 – 1/2  c. butter or coconut oil
  • 1 c. chopped onion (any kind – white, green, or red)
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • optional – 2 c. shredded vegetables (carrots, broccoli, spinach, napa, cauliflower, zucchini or whatever you have on hand)
  • 1/2 c. milk/cream/sour cream
  • 2 c. cheese (hard cheese or cottage/ricotta, or combination of )
  • salt and pepper to taste

    • Wash the potatoes well, prick them with a fork, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until tender.

    While the potatoes are baking, saute the chopped onions and garlic in butter.  When they are soft and translucent, add the finely chopped/shredded vegetables of your choice.  Cover them and continue cooking on low until they are soft.

    When the potatoes are done, scoop out the insides, and mash them with milk, cream, or sour cream.  Mix in the sauteed vegetables, then the cheese.  (If you’re using hard cheese, reserve some to sprinkle on top at the end.)  Add salt and pepper to taste, mix well.  Then add the mixture to the empty potato shells – it will be overflowing, especially if you add the optional vegetables.

    Sprinkle some hard cheese on top, then pop them back into the oven for another 10 or so.  Serve warm.

    (This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Pennywise Platter Thursday.)

    Avivah

    Delicious Cabbage Soup

    frugal strategies, Pesach, recipes

    Cabbage is a wonderful winter vegetable – it’s inexpensive, stores well in a cool room, and can be made into a huge variety of tasty dishes.  I created this soup a couple of days ago, and though I thought the twelve quarts I made would be enough for two lunch meals, it got gobbled up at one sitting!  The amounts below should work well for a smaller family than ours  – I made about three times this amount.

    Delicious Cabbage Soup

    • 2 medium onions, chopped
    • 2 – 3 cloves of garlic, diced
    • 2 – 4 T. oil (I used rendered chicken fat)
    • 1 – 2 lb leftover turkey or whatever meat you have from making broth (you can use ground meat instead if you don’t have any leftover meat to use up)
    • 1 large head of cabbage (purple or white)
    • 1 T. sweet paprika
    • 2 t. thyme
    • 8 c. broth
    • salt to taste

    Heat the oil in a pot, and add the chopped onions; cook until translucent.  Add the soup chicken and saute it until it’s warmed through.  Then add the cabbage, spices, and broth.  Cover the pot and cook on medium until the cabbage is so soft it’s almost melting.  Taste it and add salt according to your personal taste – I’d estimate I used about 3 T. sea salt for my large pot full (12 quarts).

    This recipe is super inexpensive and it’s a great way to use up your leftover chicken from making broth.  The cost for me to make 12 quarts was under $5: the onions were .29 lb (I used approximately two pounds – .60), the cabbage was .39 lb (I used about 8 – 10 lb/3.90), and since I got the turkey carcasses for free, the broth and turkey were free.  It’s packed with flavor and nutrients, and is very digestible.  Perfect to warm you up on a cold winter day!

    (This post is part of Pennywise Platter Thursday and Ultimate Recipe Swap.)

    Avivah

    Coconut Rice – gluten free

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    I made this last week for breakfast and the kids really liked it, and when I made it again this week they still were very enthusiastic.  So I guess it’s a keeper!

    Coconut Rice

    • 1 c. coconut milk (unsweetened)
    • 1 c. water
    • 1 c. brown rice (I soak it overnight in an acidic medium – did something different this time that I’ll share about later this week)
    • 1 thin slice of peeled fresh ginger
    • 3/4 t. sea salt

    Bring the coconut milk and water to boil, then stir in the remaining ingredients.  Cover and cook on a low heat until all the liquid is absorbed.  When the rice is finished, you can sprinkle 1/3 c. shredded coconut over it.

    This can be a nice side dish or a light breakfast when served with a piece of fruit.

    This post is part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.)

    Avivah