Vegetarian Meatloaf with Sweet Potatoes and Asparagus

I love the vegetarian meatloaf in this recipe and wanted to pair it with a vegetable and a starch dish to make a full meal.  Usually, I just use frozen veggies and mashed potatoes or bread, but I wanted to try something new.  I found recipes for Orange Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes (I really like sweet potatoes) and Cheesy Miracle Asparagus.  Overall, the meal was okay, with each component adding or detracting from the whole thing.

The meatloaf was tasty as usual even though I forgot the ketchup (of which, I am a huge fan).  I followed the recipe (except I used Morningstar Farms burger crumbles).  I think that I have added more BBQ sauce in the past - which tastes good.  This time, no flavor was overpowering and it had a really good texture to it.  In terms of consistency, it did fall apart a little, but that certainly does not affect the taste!

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/bbq-meatloaf-bake-66208.aspx

I used frozen asparagus since fresh is still a tad expensive.  They were still crisp and tender.  I used Sargento Cheddar Cheese (a mixture of different types of cheddar) and had to add about 1/2 cup additional cheese because it tasted too much like Miracle Whip.  Some people may like that, but not me.  Next time, I may try mayo.  With the additional cheese, though, the dressing tasted good.  I may also try over other veggies.

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/cheesy-miracle-asparagus-92082.aspx

I hate to give a bad review, but the Sweet Potatoes were not good.  This a big disappointment since they took a pretty long time to make - and peeling them after they are cooked adds even more time because you have to be careful not to burn yourself.  I'm not sure what exactly caused the unpleasant taste (it wasn't the Jim Beam bourbon that I used), but it may have been the orange zest.  I do not plan to make these again since there are so many other sweet potato recipes out there.

Charleston Rice

Needs more flavor!  I added more Tabasco after it was cooked and my fiancée added salt and pepper.  Next time, I'll try red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.  


After adding the additional Tabasco, the dish tasted pretty good - the veggies (green pepper, celery, and green onions) stayed crisp.  The tomatoes were not chopped, so next time I will do that too - they aren't distributed evenly throughout the dish.  I used vegetarian ham - "lunch meat" in the dish and it was good - I also used brown rice to make it a tad healthier.  Even though it was lacking on the flavor, I'll give it another try with some spice enhancements :-)


http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/charleston-rice-52852.aspx

Easy Cheesy Frittata

I was going to make a meal with polenta, but then realized that we didn’t have cornmeal when I went to make dinner.  I found this recipe (http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/easy-cheesy-frittata-95167.aspx) and thought that it would be great to use up our eggs before we left for vacation.  I didn’t have 1 cup of mozzarella, so I used Mexican cheese – the only shredded cheese on hand.  Since I was using the Mexican cheese, I didn’t want to use basil, so that just led to changing the whole meal! 

I subbed a can diced tomatoes with green chiles for the tomato and did not use water with the eggs (because of the juice from the tomatoes).  We do have vegetarian bacon, but I decided to “Mexi” it up and use 1.5 Morningstar Farms Black Bean burgers (I could have used two).  It turned out great!  None of the Mexican flavors overpowered the frittata (or quiche, which is what it looks like) and it has a little bit of a kick.  I served with pancakes (made from the Fiber One mix, not homemade).  I like this recipe because it easy to play around with and try your own thing!

Polenta & Beans

This is a good dish that doesn't need many enhancements. The black bean and tomato mixture was spicy, but the taste was calmed down by the polenta.  My only "complaint" is that the polenta needs more taste to it - next time I make this I may add cumin, chili powder, and/or cayenne pepper to the mix.

The method of cooking the polenta results in a thick mixture that holds up well to the black bean/tomato mixture.  Just be sure to keep stirring it or the outside of the pot will get a bit crusty.  For the bean and tomato mixture, I used diced tomatoes with green chiles to add a bit more zip.  I also used taco cheese because that's what we had in the refrigerator.

Overall, a tasty dish that presents well.  Also, a good source of carbs and protein - and that means a winner in my book!


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