5 | Home Is Where the Food Is

1 |   Main Dish

Lovin' In the Oven Loaf

Meatloaf is one of those dishes that brings me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen. Over the years, I’ve tried quite a few meatloaf style recipes. This one is based on meatloaf a friend made while my husband and I lived in Australia. During our time there, I began to use nuts in all kinds of dishes that I hadn’t thought of before.

3 |   Side

Mashed Couch Potatoes

Potatoes straight from grandmother’s garden are one vegetable I could eat almost any way they can be cooked. In this simple recipe, I use Yukon gold potatoes, because they are rich and buttery even before you add anything to them. I’ll also tell you the secret to the fluffiest potatoes you’ve ever had.

2 |   Salad

Light and Lemony Green Beans

Steamed green beans can be a bit ordinary, but they don’t have to be boring. By adding almonds and a few other simple ingredients, you can change them from bland to something to write home about.

4 |   Dessert

"Just Peachy" Pie

After a big meal, dessert doesn’t always seem like a good idea, but life without pie won’t be much of a life. With this pie, I discovered what I think is a perfect combination, ginger cookies and peaches. It’s such a simple crust that you’ll want to make it every time you see peaches.

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

1 tomato, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds or 3/4 cup almond meal

1 cup cooked brown rice

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 cup cheddar cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

Chunky Tomato Sauce:
1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove minced

1 can diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Want to make this dairy or gluten-free? This whole recipe is already gluten-free. To make it dairy-free, substitute 3 tablespoons chickpea flour mixed with 3 tablespoons water for the egg. For the cheese, either omit it or replace it with your favorite vegan cheese.

Make ahead option– This sauce can be stored in a jar in the fridge for a week. Make a double batch of the sauce and enjoy on other meaty dishes.

The Simple Steps...

1. Preheat oven to 350˚.

2. Lightly oil a loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.

3. Heat the oil in a medium pan and cook the onion, pepper, and tomato for 4 minutes.

4. Blend cashews and almonds until fine. If you have a food processor, use it to chop the nuts very finely. You can also find ground nuts or nut meal at a health food store, which would work very well for this recipe.

5. Combine sautéed mixture with the nuts, carrots, rice, basil, oregano, cheese, egg, and salt. This step can easily be combined in a food processor. Be sure all the ingredients are incorporated.

6. Press the mixture into the loaf pan. Bake at 350˚ for 40 minutes. While this is cooking, make the sauce for the top and the rest of the meal.

Chunky Tomato Sauce:

1. In a medium pan, sauté onion and garlic for five minutes.

2. Add all the other ingredients. Bring it to a boil then turn down the heat and let it simmer uncovered until the loaf is out of the oven.

3. Serve up a slice or two onto a plate and top with the chunky sauce. It’s ready to enjoy!

16 ounces fresh green beans

1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds

1/4 cup butter

2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Want to make this dairy or gluten-free? Tonight it’s easy; this side is already gluten-free. For an amazing dairy-free option, just substitute olive oil for the butter.

Make ahead option– There’s no need to make these beans too far in advance. They take less than 10 minutes to make!

The Simple Steps...

1. Place beans in a sauce pan and cover with a little water. Cover and cook for 6 minutes until crisp-tender.

2. While the beans are cooking, place the almonds and butter in a sauce pan and toast them over low heat.

3. Remove almonds from heat.

4. Stir in lemon juice and salt.

5. Drain beans and toss them in almond-butter mixture to coat. Enjoy immediately.

4 medium potatoes

1/2 cup cream

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 teaspoons dried or fresh chives

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Want to make this dairy or gluten-free? This recipe is gluten-free. For a delicious dairy-free option, use coconut cream instead of the regular cream. Use Earth Balance Original as a dairy-free substitute for the butter.

Make ahead option– These potatoes keep for 5 days in a sealed contained in the refrigerator.

The Simple Steps...

1. Pour four cups of water into a medium to large pot. Bring the water to a boil while you peel and chop the potatoes into inch pieces.

2. Place the potatoes into the pot and bring it back to a boil. Cook on medium-high heat for 10 minutes or until they are tender.

3. While the potatoes are cooking, pour the cream into a small pan. Cut the garlic cloves in half and add that to the pan. Heat the cream on medium-low heat. Do not let the cream boil.

4. When the potatoes are cooked, drain the water out. Use a potato ricer to rice all the potatoes into a medium sized bowl. A potato ricer is my secret to light and fluffy potatoes. It’s an inexpensive tool that mashes the potatoes evenly so you won’t have lumpy potatoes any more!

5. Gently stir the cream, butter, salt, pepper, and chives into the potatoes.

For the crust:

1 1/4 cup ginger cookie crumbs

5 tablespoons butter, melted

3 tablespoons sugar

For the filling:
1/2 cup water

1 cup sliced peaches

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup sugar

6 fresh peaches

Want to make this dairy or gluten-free? For a simple dairy-free option, use coconut oil instead of the butter. For a simple gluten-free option, look for gluten-free ginger snap cookies and use them!

Make ahead option– The crust can be made as much as four days ahead and stored in a sealed container on the counter. Once peaches are peeled, they begin to brown so try to use them within an hour or two.

The Simple Steps...

For the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚.

2. In a medium bowl, mix together ingredients for the crust.

3. Press the mixture into a 9” pie plate making sure to cover the bottom and up the sides. This crust works well pressed into mini tart or individual pie pans too.

4. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack while you make the filling.

For the filling:
1. Place the water and 1 cup sliced peaches in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat after about 4 minutes.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons cornstarch together. Add this mixture to the peach mixture and stir continually for about 1-2 minutes or until the mixture is clear.

3. Stir the sugar into the peaches, break the peaches into very small pieces, and simmer for two minutes.

4. In a large bowl, pour the filling over freshly peeled and sliced peaches, and gently mix to coat.

• My Method for peeling peaches: In a large pot, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil.
• Cut a small “X” on the bottom of each peach. cut the skin, but don’t cut into the flesh.
• Dip the peaches into the boiling water for 20-30 seconds each. The riper the         peach the less time it needs in the water. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peach from the water.
• Continue this process until all six peaches have been dunked.

• Allow the peaches to cool a bit before you handle it. Then using a paring knife peel back the skins.

• Watch this video for more help.

5. Pour the filling into the pie crust and enjoy!