Meatloaf, by Carrie

1 1/2 lbs ground beef,
mixed with 1/4 c bread crumbs,
2 eggs, 1 can of green chilis,
1/2 c blue cheese crumbles,
garlic powder, and pepper.

Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak, suggested by Heather

Soba-Edamame Salad with Flank Steak
Cooking Light, JULY 2005

You can substitute whole wheat spaghetti for soba, if desired.

2 quarts water
12 ounces uncooked soba (buckwheat noodles)
2 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
2 cups thinly sliced Basic Grilled Flank Steak (about 8 ounces)
1 cup (2-inch) julienne-cut red bell pepper
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup (1-inch) slices green onions
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add soba; cook 4 minutes. Add edamame; cook 2 minutes or until soba is done. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain. Place soba mixture in a large bowl. Add Basic Grilled Flank Steak, bell pepper, carrot, and onions; toss well to combine.

Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle over soba mixture; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 389(25% from fat); FAT 10.8g (sat 1.6g,mono 4.2g,poly 2.4g); PROTEIN 22.8g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 60mg; SODIUM 417mg; FIBER 5.4g; IRON 4.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.3g

My Notes:
I didn't do their flank steak - I just broiled a sirloin steak. I didn't read the recipe that carefully and did a 1 lb steak, but I don't think it was too much at all. I used the wrong noodles and they stuck together too much... maybe buckwheat noodles don't do that, but next time I will break up the noodles into maybe like 2" pieces before boiling them. I would also cut the green onions smaller than 1". I put more chili garlic sauce than a tsp, and that still was hardly noticeable. Next time I will try a combo of sesame oil and chili sesame oil instead of vegetable and add toasted sesame seeds if I have time. Also, the dressing was very light - I think you could up it by probably half and it would not at all be overwhelming.



Here's the flank steak directions:

1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Place steak in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Sprinkle each side evenly with half of Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper; rub mixture into steak. Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

Prepare grill.

Place steak on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Place on a cutting board; cover loosely with foil. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces)

There are a bunch of recipes to use with this flank steak. If anyone plans on making a big steak and use it with a couple of different recipes, I can post. Here they are:

Penne Rigate with Chicken, suggested by Angie

We had whole wheat penne with chicken tonight. I thought they were rotini noodles, turns out they're penne. I used a jarred alfredo sauce, and it turned out pretty dang good!

Here's the recipe (from the back of the pasta box)

Penne Rigate With Chicken

1 box Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Penne Rigate
2-3 TBS olive oil
1/2 each: yellow pepper, green bell pepper, onion and garlic clove, chopped
1 jar (26 oz) prepared pasta sauce (your favorite flavor)
3 grilled or cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley or basil

1. Cook pasta according to package directions
2. Saute peppers, onion, and garlic in oil until tender
3. Stir in pasta sauce, chicken, and parsely or basil. Simmer 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve sauce mix over pasta.

Hint: We threw the chicken breasts into a bag with olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Then we shook it all up, and cooked the chicken on the grill. Shake & Grill! Tasted yummy!

Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breasts, by Dani

1/2lb land o frost cooked ham(NOT smoked ham)
3 bonless skinless chicken breasts, flattened
3 slices white american cheese
Butter
3-4 Potatoes

Melt butter in skillet(just a random amount. Cut up ham, unwrap cheese and break in half. Put both halves of piece of cheese inthe middle of the chicken breast, top with some of the ham and a tiny bit of melted butter. Fold up and put in a baking dish, repeat with other chicken. Peel and chop potatos and put in pan around chicken, pour a little melted butter over it all. Bake at 400ish until chicken and potatos are done.

I'm not sure how long it took to cook because I had to take off to my moms to borrow some laundry detergent and left DH to watch it.

Also, I think it might have been better with swiss cheese, or maybe just more cheese. I dunno, but it was pretty yummy.

Bulgur Chili, by Jenifer and Jan

needed to post a recipe we use for chili- it calls for bulgur which many have mistaken for ground meat when we serve it. We like to serve it with homemade cornbread:

1 tsp olive oil
2 med onions, chopped
1 med green pepper, chopped
1 med red perpper, chopped
3 garlic clove, minced
2 c fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 c red kidney beans, cooked (you can get canned)
2 c chickpeas, cooked (again canned will do)
1/2 c bulgur (or you can use COUS COUS!), rinsed
26.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c salsa (we use hot- but to your liking)
1/2 c water
1 tbs chili powder
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp sugar
1 c corn nibblets (frozen works very well)
1. Heat oil in large pot- saute onions, peppers & garlic for 5 minutes on med
2. Add mushrooms; saute 4-5 mintues
3. Add remaining ingredients except corn
4. Increase heat to high- bring to boil
5. Decrease to medium and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
6. Stir in corn- simmer until heated through

Faboo Turkey Meatloaf, by Carolyn

Faboo Turkey Meatloaf

1 lb ground turkey
1/2-1 small onion, diced or chopped
2 slices of bread (about 1/2 cup), broken into crumbs
1 egg
1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
garlic powder (or fresh chopped garlic)
parsley
Italian seasoning
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix turkey, onion, bread, egg, and 1/2 can of tomato sauce in a loaf pan. Add seasonings as desired. Pour remaining tomato sauce on top of loaf and sprinkle with additional seasonings as desired. Bake in 350 degree oven for about an hour.

A tip I'll add that I use whenever I make meatloaf is this: Before adding sauce to the top, I make little channels in one or more corners to collect oils from the meat. I just stick a finger down along the corner of the pan so that none of the meatloaf mixture is touching the actual corner. Then when I pour the tomato sauce on top I am careful not to pour any down the channel(s). When it cooks, all the grease collects in the corners, and you can drain it off.

I'm in the mood for broccoli with my meatloaf, but I suspect we'll also be having some peas and carrots, since my daughter hasn't been touching broccoli lately.

Toss It In An Oven and See What Happens, by Sue

I think I'm going to throw leftover flank steak, rotisserie chicken, cheese, tomatoes, avocado and black beans into a glass dish and then toss it in the oven for a while and see what happens.

(I couldn't resist!!)