Meatloaf and Broccoli Salad

I recently found a recipe for meatloaf in my Taste of Home magazine that sounded interesting, so I decided to give it a try. And since we were trying new food, I decided to also make a broccoli salad recipe that my mom had saved to try.

 We were particularly impressed by the meatloaf; it had great flavor and was very moist. The next day, we had meatloaf sandwiches for dinner with the idea suggested in the magazine to add a fried egg. Not a combination I would have thought of on my own, but it worked well.

The broccoli salad was a little disappointing, mostly because the texture was soggy. I think that was in part because I overcooked the broccoli, but also because you are supposed to let it set in the fridge for a couple hours with the dressing. I'd like to make it again and cook the broccoli for a shorter time than the recipe says and add the dressing just before serving. The flavors were good together, so I think it would be worth a little more experimenting.

Matthew's Best Ever Meat Loaf

3 slices white bread, torn into small pieces

1/2 cup beef stock or water

2 large portobello mushrooms, cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, cut into chunks

1 medium onion, cut into wedges

1 celery rib, cut into chunks

3 garlic cloves, halved

1 T olive oil

2 T tomato paste

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 lb ground beef

3/4 lb ground pork

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T reduced-sodium soy sauce

1 1/4 t salt

3/4 t pepper

Glaze

1/2 cup ketchup

2 T tomato paste

2 T brown sugar

1 t ground mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Place bread pieces and stock in a bowl; let stand until liquid is absorbed. Meanwhile, pulse the mushrooms, onions, carrot, celery, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add mushroom mixture; cook and stir until tender and liquid is evaporated, 5-6 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 1 minute longer. Cool slightly. Add the next seven ingredients and cooked vegetables to bread mixture; mix thoroughly. Place a 12x7-in piece of foil on a rack in a foil-lined rimmed baking pan. Transfer meat to the foil and shape into a 10x6-in loaf. Bake for 1 hour. Mix together glaze ingredients; spread over loaf. Bake until a thermometer inserted in center reads 160, about 15-25 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Roasted Broccoli Salad with Pine Nuts, Dried Cherries, and Feta

4 cups broccoli florets

1 cup raw pine nuts

2 T avocado or coconut oil

1 t dried oregano

1 t salt

Ground pepper, to taste

1/4 cup dried cherries

4 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing

4 T red wine vinegar

4 T olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 t ground nutmeg

1/4 t ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. In a large mixing bowl, toss broccoli, pine nuts, oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 10-15 minutes, or until broccoli and pine nuts begin to brown. Transfer to a large bowl and cool for 10 minutes. Stir in cherries and feta cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, garlic, nutmeg, and pepper. Add to broccoli mixture and toss to combine. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours prior to serving.