Easy Mini Meatloaves with Mushroom Gravy

When the weather starts to get cold, Tiny loves to warm up the kitchen with hearty hot suppers from the oven, and these easy mini meatloaves bake quickly enough for a weeknight meal. 

Made with ground turkey, whole wheat bread crumbs, and oats, they are a little bit lighter than ordinary meatloaf, so Tiny likes to serve them with this rich and savory mushroom gravy on the side. 

Prepare the gravy while the meatloaves are baking; the recipe calls for white button mushrooms, but don’t be afraid to substitute any fun new varieties you might find at the market!

Mini Turkey Meatloaves with Toasted Pine Nuts

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small white or yellow onion, chopped finely

1 teaspoon salt

16 oz ground turkey or other lean ground meat (lamb, veal, and pork are all delicious)

1/4 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

1/4 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not quick oats)

2 large eggs

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (leave them out if you're allergic, but they're delicious so give them a try otherwise!)

1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Heat the olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat till it shimmers but is not yet smoking. Add the chopped onion and salt and sauté till softened, about 4-6 minutes. Stir frequently and don't let them brown. Set the cooked onions aside and let them cool to room temperature while you assemble the other ingredients.

Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees (or 160 degrees if you are using lamb, veal, or pork), and set the loaves in a warm place to rest while you finish making the gravy.

Serves 4

Note:  Cold, leftover meatloaf makes a fantastic sandwich!

For the Mushroom Pan Gravy

8 oz sliced button mushrooms (about 3 cups) 

2 tablespoons olive oil   

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter (you can use 4 T olive oil, if you prefer, but keep them separated for this recipe)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup homemade or low sodium packaged chicken or mushroom stock

2 tablespoons chopped Italian (flat-leaf) parsley

More salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch, unlined skillet over a medium-high flame till the oil shimmers but is not yet smoking. Add the mushrooms and salt and sauté till the mushrooms release their moisture and begin to soften, about 14-16 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and continue cooking till the mushrooms are browned and tender and their liquid has evaporated. 

Remove the mushrooms from your pan with a slotted spoon and without washing the pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter. Melt over low heat, and then add 2 tablespoons of flour, mixing well with a wooden spoon. The trick here is to make a smooth paste with the butter and flour, with no dry bits of flour remaining in the pan… Dry bits=lumpy gravy!  This buttery paste is called the “roux”. Stir the roux over low heat for 3-4 minutes, not letting it burn on the bottom.

Pour in half of the stock and whisk it together till the flour paste is totally dissolved, and then add the rest of the stock.  Increase the heat to medium-low and simmer until the gravy is thickened, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes.  Before serving, stir the cooled mushrooms back in and add the chopped parsley.  Check the flavor, and add a little bit of salt and pepper if you think it needs it.  Serve with mini meatloaves, potatoes, and a green veggie for a hearty and nutritious cold-weather supper.

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This post created by Kat Craddock

Photo credits: Cassie Sciortino

Thai Peanut Sauce and Other Dips For Playing Dress-Up!

Tiny loves to find a quick little bite ready and waiting for her when she gets home from school. Dinnertime may be far away, but it is fun and easy to dunk veggies and crispy toasts in something delicious for an afternoon snack. The chefs over at Tiny’s Kitchen have been experimenting with different healthy dip recipes this week and they came up with a few that require just a handful of ingredients. Here are some of their favorites for you to try with your family!

Plain Greek yogurt is a simple, high-protein base for so many sweet and savory dips. Add a spoonful of store-bought apple butter or pumpkin butter and dunk sliced pears and ginger snaps for a sweet fall treat.  

Yogurt is also the base for Tiny’s beet tzatziki… or combine one cup of yogurt with two tablespoons of pesto, a little salt and some pepper. These savory variations are fantastic accompaniments to roasted potatoes, kabobs, and crunchy vegetables.

This simple baba ganoush recipe is a delicious, vegan way to introduce eggplant to curious little mouths. It is great with veggies, whole-wheat pita, or even falafel. If you like sweet and sour flavors, try adding just a little drizzle of pomegranate molasses on top.

Tiny’s zesty, Thai-style peanut sauce is delicious with cucumber spears for a quick snack, or save it for dinner and dip grilled chicken tenders, beef, or shrimp.

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:

1 13-oz can of unsweetened coconut milk

3/4 cup of unsweetened, all natural chunky peanut butter

2 tablespoons canned or frozen Massaman curry paste (not curry powder; Thai curry pastes are inexpensive and available at many Asian grocery stores or online - use what you need and store the rest in the freezer)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce

1/3 cup light brown sugar

¾ cup hot water

1 tablespoon fresh or bottled lime juice

2 teaspoons sambal or other Thai chili paste (optional)

Combine the coconut milk, peanut butter, curry paste, fish and soy sauces, and the brown sugar in a small pan. Heat everything over low heat, stirring gently to melt the coconut milk and peanut butter. When everything is warm and runny, whisk in the hot water, and then simmer over low heat for five minutes. Keep stirring, so that the bottom doesn’t burn!

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in about half of the lime juice and chili paste if using. Taste it! If you want it a little bit tangier or spicier, go ahead and add the rest of the juice and chili.  

This sauce keeps well in the fridge for a few days, but it might thicken up a lot.  If you want to loosen it up again, pop it in the microwave for ten seconds at a time, stirring frequently, until you are happy with the consistency. 6-8 servings.

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This post created by Kat Craddock

Photo credits: Cassie Sciortino

Fall Has Arrived... Let's Spice Up The Pantry!

Exciting Ingredients Part 4: Cinnamon

It has started to get chilly in Tiny’s neighborhood! Summer goes by so quickly and while Tiny will miss her days swimming at the beach and watching the fireflies, she is excited to spend some time inside learning how to cook cozy, cool weather treats. While flipping through a few baking cookbooks this week, Tiny noticed one ingredient kept popping up… cinnamon! She did a little bit of reading up on this spice and found so many delicious and different ways to use it.

People have used this sweet spice for at least 4000 years! As early 2000 BCE, the Egyptians used it as a perfume as well as for funerals and other religious ceremonies. Cinnamon was mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures and Christian Old Testament several times, and Pliny wrote about it during the early Roman Empire.

Cinnamon is native to Southeast Asia and it can come from several different varieties of trees in the Cinnamomum genus. The spice is in fact the inner layer of tree bark that is peeled away from the branches. As the bark dries, it curls up into the tight, coiled “quills” or “sticks” sold at spice markets and grocery stores around the world. The sticks are also often ground into a fine powder that is convenient to use in so many sweet and savory recipes.

The two most common varieties of cinnamon are called Ceylon and Cassia:

Cassia cinnamon, the more common of the two, is grown mostly in Indonesia, China, India, and Vietnam. The sticks are thicker, with dark, reddish brown curls. Cassia cinnamon has a stronger smell and flavor. 

Ceylon cinnamon, the more delicate and expensive type, is almost always from Sri Lanka. Ceylon sticks are thinner and more crumbly, and very easy to grind up in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle.

Arab traders originally brought spices, silks, and other Eastern goods through the Middle East and into Europe. Today, cooks all across the world use cinnamon in their own completely unique ways. 

These sweet spiced almonds are an easy vegan snack for your lunchbox or a great topping for yogurt.

For dinner, try these little North African-style lamb meatballs baked in a cinnamon-scented tomato sauce. Feel free to leave out the red pepper flakes, if you are sensitive to hot spice! 

You can also try a rich and coconutty Indonesian chicken curry or a hearty Greek moussaka if you are feeding a crowd.

For veggies, try cinnamon with roasted pumpkin, squash, carrots, or even in this cheesy, vitamin-rich kale and sweet potato casserole.

When it is time for something sweet, sip a glass of horchata, a cool, refreshing rice drink, or whip up a batch of yummy (dairy-free!) Mexican chocolate pudding.

And if you would like to celebrate something with a good, old-fashioned cake, this easy apple ring is so nice to share with your friends!

Visit us at  TinyTastesWorld.com

This post created by Kat Craddock

Photo credits: Cassie Sciortino

Tiny’s Tropical French Toast with Sunshine Syrup

Tiny wants to have her friends over for breakfast this weekend. She worked out this easy baked French toast recipe to introduce her friends and family to some delicious new fruits and spices. Maybe you can make it with your family over the weekend too! It is even great for people who have difficulty with milk, because this French toast is completely dairy-free.

Both the syrup and the French toast can be assembled the night before. Turn the oven on to preheat when you get out of bed in the morning, and bake the casserole right out of the fridge.

Sunshine Syrup

Juice of 1 orange (or 1/3 cup, bottled)

Juice of ½ lime (or 1 tablespoon, bottled)

½ cup honey

1 mango, peeled and cut in thin slices  (or 1 8-oz can of pineapple chunks in juice, drained)

Tiny’s Tropical French Toast

6 eggs

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 roughly mashed, very ripe bananas

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

zest of 1 orange (about 1 tablespoon fresh, or 1 teaspoon dried orange zest)

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 14-oz can coconut milk

5 cups multigrain bread, crusts removed, cut into 1-inch cubes

When the oven is nice and hot (an oven thermometer can be handy if you aren’t sure!), an adult can help you to place the foil-covered dish in the oven.

Bake for 55-65 minutes.  If you carefully insert a knife in the middle, the custard will be a little bit moist on top, but not sloshy or runny.  Take it out of the oven, remove the foil to cool for a few minutes, then cut into 6 servings. 

Sometimes Tiny likes to use big cookie cutters to cut this dish into fun shapes or letters, but squares are great too! Finish it with a splash of the fruity Sunshine Syrup and a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes if you like.

Visit us at www.TinyTastesWorld.com

This post created by Kat Craddock

Photo credits: Cassie Sciortino

Summer Meets Fall: Sweet Potato Refreshment!

Tiny is looking forward to the start of a new season, because it means a whole new world of fruits and vegetables to explore at the market! Although summer vacation may be at an end, there is still a lot of sunshine to enjoy... and nothing helps keep Tiny cool like one of her favorite warm-weather treats, a yummy, healthy milkshake. This week, Tiny tried a new Fall veggie in her shake: the sweet potato.

Sweet potatoes (just like carrots and beets) are root vegetables, the edible roots of a plant. Sweet potatoes grow best in warm weather, which means that while Tiny and her friends were playing outside in the sun all summer, the sweet potato crop was nestled safely underground, getting ready for the fall harvest. And just like the sun helps this vegetable grow big and strong, the sweet potato is full of vitamins and nutrients to help kids grow up strong, too! 

Beta-carotene, which is what gives sweet potatoes their bright orange color, turns into Vitamin A inside your body - it is an important vitamin to help keep your eyes and immune system healthy. 

Sweet Potato Milkshake

1 sweet potato, medium to large

4 dates, pitted

2 medium bananas, frozen in chunks

1 1/3 cups milk, or any milk substitute of your choice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Whipped coconut cream (optional)

Next, an adult can chop the pitted dates while the potato is cooling in the refrigerator.

This recipe makes enough for 2 snack-sized portions.

Variations:

* The sweet potatoes can be cooked in the oven rather than the microwave, if desired. Heat the oven to 400F, poke holes in each potato with a fork as directed above, wrap in foil, and cook for 45 minutes. Or just use up your left-over sweet potatoes from dinner this way!

* Fresh bananas can be used instead of frozen bananas in this recipe. If so, simply add a few ice cubes to help keep the shake cool and creamy. 

* Dashes of allspice, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and/or cardamom would all be great substitutes for or additions to the cinnamon - you can try making your own combinations!


Visit us at www.TinyTastesWorld.com

With Cassie Sciortino and Kat Craddock