Spinach Bisque & Biscuit Topped Pot Pie

The Food Nanny
December 29&30, 2009 Meal 1: Spinach Bisque, Moroccan Meat/Cous Cous Loaves, Spiced Sweet Potato Wedges
• Warm the cous cous loaves and sweet potatoes gently at 325° until warm – maybe 20 minutes. Be careful to not dry them out. The meat loaves can be heated at 350° until hot – about 15 minutes.
• Warm the soup on the stovetop.

Meal 2: Biscuit Topped Vegetable Pot Pie and Escarole Salad
• Heat the pot pie in the oven at 350° until just bubbling, then unwrap and add the biscuit lid and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve.
• Dress and toss the salad.

There are reasons that meatloaf is an American classic.1)They are fast and easy 2)They are satisfying and economical 3)They are as eclectic and diverse as our country itself.

The meat or meatless loaf should be an important technique in your mental toolbox of culinary skill. It is the epitome of recipe free cooking. All you need to compose your loaves is: a body, a filler, a binder, and flavorings. In this week's offering local ground beef is the body, whole wheat cous cous is the filler, egg serves as a binder, and the flavors are composed of herbs, almonds, paprika, currants, cayenne, vinegar, and honey. The binder is sometimes optional with meatloaves as the meat binds pretty well to itself. It was however imperative with the vegetarian cous cous loaves.

So how can this translate to helping you on a busy night? Well, the body can be canned, fork mashed beans, leftover Chineese food rice is a great filler, bind with some cheese, crushed tortilla chips, or cornmeal, season with fresh cilantro, onion, and hot sauce, and there you go. pan fry or bake in the oven. Use a loaf pan if they are too soft to shape easily.

It doesnt matter if you are making a meatloaf from hamburg and Heinz 51 with hard boiled eggs tucked inside, 'pah-tay' with cognac and perigord truffles, or sweet potato and quinoa patties on cumin seed slaw. This is a go to technique to rounding out dinners and making use of what you already have on hand or leftover to get good food to yourself and family, fast.