A nice quick, easy, meal that produces very satisfying results. There's not much to it, but I found the sweetness of the onions and bell peppers really came through.

I didn't have quite as much sausage as the recipe called for, but I think it was still okay with the lesser amount. I also opted to toss a bouillon cube into the polenta in place of the salt called for in the original recipe. And, as usual, I cooked my polenta with a little more water than Cook's Country recommends. They advise a 4:1 ratio of water:polenta, but I usually do 5:1.

The only other change I made was to reduce the quantity of butter called for. I've been trying to eat a little healthier and I know just eating the same things with slightly less butter/fat won't make much difference, but hopefully it'll help a little.

Oh, and I was using Beyond Meat sausages, so this was actually a vegetarian meal for us as well.

Polenta with Sausage, Peppers, and Olives

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2017

Ingredients

• 5 c. water + 1 bouillon cube (or 2 c. water + 3 c. stock of your choice)
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 450g Italian sausages
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 425mL crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. pitted kalamata olives, halved
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the water and cornmeal and bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking occasionally.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until very thick.
3. Meanwhile, cook the sausages over medium heat until browned on all sides (5-6 minutes).
4. Increase heat to medium-high and add the bell pepper and onion.
5. Cook until vegetables are softened (4-5 minutes).
6. Add the tomato, red pepper flakes, salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the butter and cook until slightly thickened (3-4 minutes). Break the sausages up a bit if you'd like.
7. Remove from heat and stir in olives.
8. When the polenta is done, remove from heat and stir in butter and remaining 1/2 tsp. of pepper.
9. Serve polenta topped with sauce.

I've been bad at doing writeups lately, especially for Hello Fresh meals, but the kidlet absolutely loved this one and had it both for dinner and for school lunches, declaring it a "Super Favourite".

Beyond Meat Taco Bowls

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• zest and juice of one lime
  
• 1 tsp sugar
• 340g shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
• 2 tomatoes, diced
  
• 6 tbsp sour cream
• 4 tbsp tomato paste
• 1½ C basmati rice
• ½+¼ tsp garlic salt, divided
  
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• 4 patties Beyond Meat
• 2 tbsp Mexican seasoning
• ½ tsp chipotle powder
• ½ C cheddar or feta cheese, grated/crumbled (or both!)
• oil
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together lime juice, 1 tsp sugar, and 2 tbsp oil in a large bowl.
2. Add slaw mix and tomatoes and toss to combine.
3. Whisk together sour cream and lime zest.
   
4. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot over medium heat.
5. Add rice and tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until fragrant.
6. Add 2½ C water and ½ tsp garlic salt, cover, and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, until water is absorbed.
8. Remove from the heat and set aside for 10 minutes, then fluff and mix in green onions.
   
9. Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
10. Add Beyond Meat and break into small pieces.
11. Stir in mexican seasoning, chipotle powder, remaining garlic salt, and black pepper to taste. Cook until slightly crispy, 5-6 minutes.
12. Fill bowls with rice, then top with Beyond Meat, cheese, slaw, and sour cream.

Bierocks are buns stuffed with cabbage and meat. They sound delicious, but individually making and stuffing all of those buns sounds like a lot of work. Fortunately, symbol found this recipe in Cook's Country for a casserole version; rather than stuffing individual buns, an entire baking dish is filled and then topped with bread dough.

This was a great success, although we had to trim the dough somewhat after cooking to fit everything into the fridge.

Bierock Casserole

Cook's Country, April/May 2015

Ingredients

• Dough
• ¼+¾ C whole milk, divided
  
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 1 tsp + 5 tsp sugar, divided
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1¾ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• Filling
• 3 lbs lean ground beef¹
• 1 small cabbage, cored and finely chopped, about 8 C
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 6-8 oz (170-225g) American cheese or mild cheddar, chopped
• 2 tbsp yellow mustard
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water
  

Directions

1. Microwave ¼ C milk until warm, 15-20 seconds.
2. Stir in yeast and 1 tsp sugar and let stand until bubbly, ~5 minutes.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining sugar in a large bowl.
4. Add yeast mixture, melted butter, and remaining milk to form a sticky dough.
5. Knead until it forms a smooth ball, ~2 minutes.
6. Return to the bowl, cover, and rise for 30 minutes.
7. While the dough is rising, heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large² pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
8. Add the beef, cabbage, and onions to the pot and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
9. Uncover and continue to cook until beef is browned and cabbage is wilted, 10-15 minutes; if you are adding the cabbage in stages it may take longer.
10. Mix in flour and cook for 1 minute.
    
11. Drain (either by draining the pot or removing the filling to a bowl using a spider).
12. Mix in cheese and mustard.
13. Pour mixture into a 9×13" baking dish and let cool for 10 minutes; while cooling, preheat the oven to 375°F.
14. Brush the rim of the dish with the egg wash.
    
15. Roll dough out into a rectangle and drape over the dish.
16. Fold sides in so that it is flush with the edges of the dish, and crimp edges.
17. Brush with egg wash.
18. Cut 9 venting slits into it.
19. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling bubbly; 15-20 minutes.
20. Let stand 20 minutes on a wire rack, then serve.
    

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¹ We used a roughly 1:1 mix of actual ground beef and Beyond Meat ground beef substitute, with great success. ^Back
2 I'm not kidding about the "large". If you can't fit everything in, add the meat first, break it up and cook it a bit, then add the cabbage a bit at a time -- it'll reduce as it cooks. ^Back

The kidlet was lukewarm on this and I thought it was ok but not outstanding, but symbol loved it and had two bowls, and it's very easy to make -- apart from the greens, it even uses ingredients that we almost always have on hand. So I could definitely see us making this again.

I made a few modifications to make the green onions more evenly distributed, and it's that modified version I record here.

Sesame-Soy Salad

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 1 lb beyond meat (or ground beef)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 2-4 tsp sriracha
• ¼ C oyster sauce
  
• 1+1 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 bell peppers, diced
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ lb spring mix

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the meat, breaking into bite-sized pieces. Cook until slightly crispy.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
4. Add the sriracha, oyster sauce, and half of the soy sauce. Stir together until the sauce is absorbed.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions.
   
6. Whisk together the remaining soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and sugar.
7. Toss with the spring mix and bell peppers.
8. Serve salad topped with meat.

This has been a very busy week; lots of appointments and running around. I was tired today and really didn't feel much like cooking, but I know that tomorrow is going to be another busy day and I may not get a chance to cook, so I figured I'd better cobble something together for dinner tonight.
I had some ready-made pie crusts in the freezer that really want used, so I decided to peruse the Book of Old Tarts to see if it held any inspiration. I've been buying Beyond Meat sausages whenever they go on sale and stashing them in the freezer for later use and I've finally restocked on cream as well, so this sausage and mustard tart caught my eye. I didn't have the right kind of beans, but I figured I'd swap in gigantes and give it a try anyway.

The original recipe calls for a "shallow 9-inch tart tin". I have a shallow 9" tart tin, so I baked it in that. This worked fine, but only, I think, because I was a little shy on the beans and didn't press the sausages down into the filling as directed. The sausages were also a bit too long to fit neatly in the tin. I think I'd be inclined to try it with a 10" tin next time.

As you can see, the tart lacked some structural integrity. I'm not sure if the filling was too wet or the crust was too thin or if it needed more time in the oven or what. That said, the flavour was excellent!

Sausage and Mustard Tart

Slightly adapted from the Book of Old Tarts

Ingredients

• 175g pastry
• 4 c. cooked butter beans or great northern beans (haricot beans)¹
• 3 Tbsp. Roman Mustard, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 3 Tbsp. table (18%) cream
• salt and pepper, to taste²
• 8 chipolata sausages or 4 mild Italian sausages, halved
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry and use it to line a 23 or 25cm (9 or 10") shallow tart tin.³
2. Blind bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes. Ideally you would then remove the pie weights, brush with egg, and bake for another 5 minutes. I skipped the brushing with egg step.
3. Meanwhile, purée the beans with 2 Tbsp. of the mustard, ketchup, cream, salt, and pepper.
4. Pour the bean purée into the baked pie shell.
5. Place the sausages (or sausage halves) on top in a wheel spoke pattern, pressing them down into the filling.
6. Cover the pie with foil and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, combine the remaining 1 Tbsp. mustard, brown sugar, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce and mix well.
8. After 35 minutes, uncover the pie and brush with the mustard mixture.
9. Return to oven and bake for another 10 minutes.
10. Serve with fried onions, gravy, and/or creamed kale.

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

This makes for an easy vegetarian meal. Just use vegetarian sausages and Worcestershire sauce.

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¹ I didn't have either, so I used gigantes (mature lima beans). I cooked them in mixture of water and chicken stock with onion, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, chili flakes, and a Parmesan rind. ^Back
2 I didn't add any salt and pepper since there was already some in the cooking liquid from the beans. When I drained the beans, I removed the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind but left the peppercorns in. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for a 9" tin, but that size seemed a bit small to me. I'll probably use a 10" tin the next time I make this recipe. ^Back

Everyone liked this one. And I appreciate the high ratio of sauce to pasta. It's a bit unusual, but I enjoy the soy-oyster flavour.

Chinese Spaghetti "Bolognese"

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 225g spaghetti
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 350g Beyond Meat (or veggie crumbles of your choice)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 2 c. vegetable stock
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti until just shy of al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add Beyond Meat and cook.
4. Add onion, garlic, and wine and cook until onion is softened and translucent.
5. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to a low and stir in oyster sauce, both soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper.
7. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in peas and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute.
9. Combine the cornstarch and water and stir to make a slurry.
10. Pour the slurry into the sauce and increase heat to medium.
11. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
12. Once sauce has thickened and pasta is well-coated, remove from heat.

This was one of those last-minute dinner scrambles. It worked out pretty well though! We didn't have any tempeh on hand, but there was a bunch of Beyond Meat in the freezer, so I just made it with that and left out the water called for. I also decided to bake the meatballs rather than trying to brown them in a pan. I alway find browning meatballs in a pan super annoying. Using the oven is much easier. And it also allows for the sauce to be started on the stovetop while the meatballs are still cooking in the oven. That said, either method will work, so use whichever you prefer.

Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs

Slightly adapted from Rabbit & Wolves

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). If you have a convection/fan oven, use the convection mode at a slightly lower temperature: 190°C (375°F).
2. Combine Beyond Meat, egg(s), breadcrumbs, panko, parsley, garlic powder, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
3. Drizzle a baking sheet with oil. (Line with parchemnt paper or a silicone mate first if you like.)
4. Form the "meat" mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Roll the balls around a little to coat them in oil.
5. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~10 minutes. Or 190°C (375°F) for convection/fanbake.
6. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the flour, mix, and cook to make a roux.
8. Pour in the broth, soy sauce, coconut milk, mustard, and vinegar and whisk to combine.
9. Simmer until sauce has thickened.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Add meatballs to sauce and stir to coat.
12. Serve over starch of your choice: rice, potatoes, or noodles.

Variations

Tempeh Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 225g tempeh
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until relatively uniform.

Proceed with recipe as above. Sauce is the same.

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 flax eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (make sure they're vegan)
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs (also check for vegan-ness)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. vegan butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

I've had my eye on this drop meatball recipe for a while now. Rather than cooking the meatballs in advance and then adding them to the sauce, you add them to the sauce raw and cook both the sauce and meatballs together. This came together very easily and, although quite simple, was also very tasty. I think a few handfulls of chopped kale or spinach would work well in the sauce and make for a slightly more balanced meal. It's still tasty as is, just a bit lacking in vegetables.

Drop Meatballs

Adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2018

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 3/4 c. fresh breadcrumbs¹
• 7 Tbsp. milk
• 450g Beyond Meat
• 14g (~1/2 c.) grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt²
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5-6 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1 (828mL) can crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• pepper, to taste
• 1 c. chopped kale (optional)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 c. ricotta (optional)

Assembly

• 450g whole wheat spaghetti
• extra Parmesan, for serving

Directions

Meatballs

1. Mix breadcrumbs and milk and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Mix in Beyond Meat, Parmesan, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.
3. Working with ~2 Tbsp. of mixture at a time, shape into balls. You should get 20-24 meatballs.

Sauce

1. Heat oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-12 minutes.
3. Add chile flakes and sizzle for 30-60 seconds.
4. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and kale (if using).

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Drop meatballs into sauce. Be careful; do not stir or the meatballs may break apart.
3. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 30 minutes.
4. Remove lid and bake for another 10 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10-15 minutes.
6. While sauce is sitting, cook and drain the spachetti.
7. Carefully stir the basil and ricotta (if using) into the sauce.
8. Toss the spagheti with the sauce and meatballs.
9. Serve topped with extra cheese.

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¹ The original recipe called for 11 crushed saltines and 1/2 c. of milk to make the panade. I didn't have saltines, but I did have lots of stale bread, so I used that instead. Since the bread was more moist than the crackers would've been, I increased the amount of bread and decreased the amount of milk. ^Back
2 I usually reduce the amount of salt called for in American recipes by at least half. Sometimes I omit it entirely. Had I been using saltines for the panade as the recipe directed, I would've omitted the additional salt called for. Given that the use of breadcrumbs was already reducing the salt content significantly, I decided to use the full amount of salt called for in the meatballs. (Although I still halved the salt in the sauce.) I think this worked out well, although it still probably would've been okay with less salt. ^Back