I was invited to a small soiree last week, the first gathering in over a year with a couple of friends. There was absolutely nothing that would stop me from going. I even wore a zippered skirt. Dinner was a delicious No-Meat-Loaf. For you, I Clio-fied it, and amp it up a bit. And like I said a few weeks ago, I’ve added an occasional egg to my diet. 🙂
No-Meat Loaf Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup farro
- 2 ½ cups water
- 1 Tsp salt
- A medium size bunch of broccoli
- 1 Bunch green onions
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 Tbsp. garlic infused olive oil
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup Dairy-free parmesan, or parmesan cheese
No-Meat-Loaf Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 min
Preheat oven: 350
Bake: 1 hour
- Preheat oven to 350
- Well grease a 9’’ inch loaf pan
- Rinse the farro under running water.
- Bring 2 ½ cups water to boil with the salt
- Add the farro, cover with lid and turn to simmer for 15 minutes
- In a mixing bowl, whisk eggs
- Wash broccoli and finely chop with stem into bite size pieces
- Chop finely the green onions
- Mince the parsley, add all the vegetables and chopped walnuts along with parmesan to the bowl with the eggs.
- When the farro is done, spread out on a plate to cool it down some, you can even put it in the fridge and add it to the egg mixture when at room temp.
- Pour into a loaf pan and smooth out by pressing with a spatula.
- Bake for 1 hour.
- Let rest for 10 minutes
- About 20 minutes before it’s done, whip up the wine/mushroom sauce.
Mushroom Wine Sauce Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Miyoko’s Vegan Butter or butter
- 1 Tsp Garlic infused olive oil or (1) mince garlic
- 8 oz. whole white mushrooms or sliced
- 2 Tbsp. minced green onions
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
- A pinch of fresh thyme, or oregano
- 11/2 Tbsp of flour
- ⅛ Tsp black pepper
- ½ Tsp salt
- 1 Cup white wine
Mushroom Wine Sauce Recipe
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
- In a smallish sauté pan on medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon butter, with 1 Tablespoon garlic infused olive oil.
- Clean mushrooms and slice, when butter is melted add the mushrooms, green onions, parsley, thyme or oregano, and sauté for 5-7 minutes.
- With a slotted spoon, scoop out mushroom mixture and set aside.
- Add 1 more tablespoon of butter to the pan and melt.
- Sprinkle the flour, salt and black pepper.
- Stirring constantly until flour turns a roasted color and into a paste.
- Pour wine over stirring constantly until thick.
- Add mushroom mixture cooking until taste test is awesome! : a couple minutes
- Serve on top of the No-Meat-Loaf
- Garnish with a little parsley if you have some (I forgot and didn’t have any)
I know I’ve written about the benefits of farro before, but take a second and check out a comparison between farro and brown rice. Only one-fourth cup (47 grams) of organic grains emmer farro contains;
Calories: 170
Carbs: 34 grams
Fat: 1 gram
Fiber: 5 grams
Protein: 6 grams
Vitamin B3 (niacin): 20% of the RDI
Magnesium:15 % of the RDI
Zinc: 15% of the RDI
Iron: 4% of the RDI
Brown Rice: 216
Brown Rice: 44
Brown Rice: 1.8 grams
Brown Rice: 3.5 grams
Brown Rice: 5 grams
Brown Rice: 15%
Brown Rice: 21%
Brown Rice: 8%
Brown Rice: 5%
Adding some farro to your diet will give you a healthy dose of zinc. Zinc is essential for a healthy immune system and wound healing, as well as breaking down carbs during digestion.
Just one cup of whole grain farro can provide a whopping 20% of the daily recommended fiber intake. This is similar to quinoa, but higher than a lot of other popular grains such as brown rice, pasta and couscous.
It contains a wide range of healthy antioxidants, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, phytosterols and selenium. A review of 16 studies found that three servings of whole grains daily reduce risk of diabetes by 32%! Another larger review of 45 studies found consuming 3 servings of whole grains daily reduced heart disease by 22% and stroke by 12%” —Healthline
Personally, I have added around ¼-½ cup three times a day of some whole grain, and not only do I go longer without feeling hungry, my stomach is flatter than it has been for eons. When I asked Rick, he said “yes it is.” 🙂
Lastly, “It’s a great source of protein. One-fourth cup of whole grain farro contains 6 grams of protein. When combined with other plant-based foods like legumes, farro offers a complete protein source. This is good news for vegetarians, as well as anyone looking for plant-based high protein food sources.” —Healthline
So back to that absolutely delicious “no-meat-loaf” I made last night where I put in a half cup of chopped walnuts for the 4.3 grams of protein and 1.9 grams of fiber bringing our total to, drum roll please: 10.3 grams protein and 6 grams precious fiber. This is real folks, the power is in our own hands to feed ourselves an optimal diet for our wonderful bodies. You can order a 24 oz bag of Bob’s Red Mill Farro for $11.78 cents. By the way farro is gluten free, so there’s that. When I make a batch, I always set aside some to sprinkle on my lunch salad.
I’m so excited/relieved about serving the leftovers from last night tonight for dinner. I mentioned to Rick, “You remember how much you used to love meatloaf sandwiches? Well, I think I could do the same with last night’s loaf, just a little mayo and some good bread.” Either he didn’t hear me or heard me and wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about having a vegetarian “not-meat-loaf” sandwich or both 🙂 Never answered, just kept walking.
Well, the no-meat-loaf has proven to be one of those dishes that is even better the second night! Along with a tossed green salad and a side of yogurt and cantaloupe, it couldn’t have been better. I know I go on and on about eating healthy clean foods, but it’s so much more than that. I was raised in a house to feel satiated, we stuff ourselves. And consequently, within hours, starving. A cycle of either being hungry or worrying about being hungry prevailed.
So, It’s wonderful for me to experience some real ‘food peace’. Which brings me back to my blog. Over the last month, I’ve asked myself, what is it I hope to achieve? Is there more purpose here than sharing fun recipes and a little bit of entertainment? Well, I’d like to think there is. I wish I could bottle up and sell 🙂 I mean to tell you how great it feels to know you’re on the right track, really know and be confirmed daily by feeling good in every way; body, mind and spirit.
A million years ago, when the kids were preteens, I stumbled onto a quote that inspired me so much I painted it above our dining room table. So, since this is a food blog, I’ll leave you with some food for thought.
“The glory of God is a man fully alive.” —St. Jerome
I just remembered another quote I saw painted above my sister-in-law’s Linda’s kitchen sink. She had her hands full too, along with her family she was teaching a classroom of kids… So, I copied her and painted it above the sink in the house where we raised our three kids. These were the years where squabbles could occur in moments over putting the dishes away, whose turn it was clearing the table, taking out the garbage etc… I hoped they would look up and be inspired before something was thrown or a screaming match ensued.
“These many beautiful days shall not be lived again. But, I take them compounded in equal measure, in my flesh and spirit to whatever lies ahead.” —Daniel Berrigan
Okay, thats a wrap…Ciao for now 🙂