Meatloaf, tomato zucchini casserole, and mashed taters

Cravings. They can be such a downfall. However, when it's comfort food, it satisfies those cravings. In my case, it makes up for a little homesickness. I can go to my parents whenever I like, however, I rarely get to eat dinner there and tonight I pulled from two things that my mother cooked well and didn't mind eating as a child.

Of course, it wouldn't be my kitchen if I didn't change the recipe and add flavor. I was raised on bland. I hate bland and I hate heavy seasoning. So, the trick is to split the difference. I think that I got it tonight. I am proud of myself as I made probably my best meatloaf to date and my tomato zucchini casserole turned out almost like a vegetable lasagna. Yummy!!

I am going to do my best to pass on my recipes from the evening, but as a typical PA Dutch cook, my measurements are not precise. It's a spoonful of this and a drop of that. Hopefully the few pictures I have will help put things into perspective for you and I'll guesstimate as best I can. I hope you attempt the recipes and I would love to have some feedback.

Moist Meatloaf (my attempt at a somewhat lowfat, low calorie loaf)

2 pounds of 90/10 or 80/20 ground beef...the fat cooks out if you put it in the proper baking dish so fat content isn't as big a deal
2 egg whites
2 slices of multigrain bread pulsed into bread crumbs (I used Arnold's Health Nut)
1 1/2 T yellow mustard
2 T ketchup
1T Worchestershire sauce
dash or two of salt
couple dashes of ground black pepper
1/2 to 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
1T chopped garlic (I used a small spoonful from a jar)
1 teas celery seed

topping amounts to another 1/3 cup ketchup, 1 1/2 T yellow mustard, and 2 1/2 T brown sugar (packed)

Basically mix all your wet ingredients together minus the egg. I mixed my meat and the eggs together first to make sure the egg was dispersed all around the meat. This helps because the egg is your glue to hold the loaf together. Then I added the seasonings and wet ingredients and onions. Finally I added the bread crumbs. Mix thoroughly to try and even out ingredients as much as possible.

For the baking dish I took a 9x13 baking dish and lined it with aluminum foil so that when the loaf was done I could move it out of the fat and then let the remaining fat congeal on the aluminum foil for easy cleanup.

Finally I mixed the topping ingredients (ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar) together and put them down the middle of the loaf on the top so that as it cooked it could spread on it's own. It was a good decision because that's exactly what it did.

I baked the loaf uncovered in a 350 degree oven for one hour and it came out moist and super tasty.

Next were the side dishes. I'll start with the tomato zucchini casserole.

1 large or 2 small zucchini, peeled and sliced thin
1 1/2 large tomatoes, any variety will be good; no need to peel
1 cup or more (as you desire) grated parmesan cheese
1/4 quarter cup shredded cheese that includes cheddar...would not advise swiss cheese
1T dried oregano
1T dried basil
1 teas dried parsley
dash or two of ground black pepper
dash of salt

Topping to casserole is one slice of multigrain bread pulsed into bread crumbs, a little more parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup diced yellow onion (diced very small).

My mother's recipe that I was raised with was just layers of sliced zucchini, tomato, grated Parmesan cheese, and ground black pepper. I first buttered a Pyrex loaf dish. Baked on cheese can be such a pain to clean out and most dishwashers struggle to get it clean in one wash, so greasing your dish is a must. First I sliced the zucchini (after pealing it) and then sliced the tomatoes. Then I put together a separate dish with the cheeses and seasonings. I would not advise using more than a quarter cup of the shredded cheese. It will make the casserole too greasy.

Then you start with a layer of zucchini, sprinkle on your cheese and seasoning mixture, then a layer of tomatoes, and a layer of cheese and seasoning. Keep layering until you are near the top of your dish. Leave room for the water to cook out of the vegetables and for a topping. Your last layer should be zucchini.

Finally, dice your onion and mix it with the pulsed bread crumbs and cheese. Cover the whole thing with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour. I kept it in with my meatloaf the whole time.

Finally came the easiest dish. I bought a bag of Ore Ida russet potatoes. The nice frozen ones that you steam in the bag in the microwave for 10 minutes. In the meantime I put 1/2 cup of sour cream in a mixing bowl with 2 Tablespoons of lowfat milk, 3 T of dried chives, and 2 T butter. I dumped the hot potatoes in and mixed with my hand mixer until it was smooth. Phenomenal! Even my five year old who refuses to eat mashed potatoes liked them and ate her whole serving.

Final result!! I apologize. I wish my pictures were rotated and will edit that at a later time.

For dessert I took a box of Duncan Hines Decadent Peanut Butter brownies and instead of adding the typical oil and egg I substituted one egg white, 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce and 1 T of water to the mix. It's what Duncan Hines considers their "lowfat" version of the brownies. I have done this before with other cakes and it just changes the consistency of the brownies to make them more cake like. Just a suggestion if you are looking to make things more low fat. Unsweetened applesauce is awesome.