NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
August 12, 1999
Meat loaf. Meatballs. The defining shapes of many meals to come at our house. Along with those entrees, I also plan to invite variations of mashed and scalloped vegetables to share space--momentarily--on my dinner plate in the coming months.
Being able to enjoy the comfort foods of fall and winter is a benefit many of us northerners often take for granted, I think. In fact, I was thinking a lot about comfort foods the other day. Daydreaming actually, about those concoctions that combine the summer's bounty of vegetables and herbs with the richness of meat and meat broth.
After dwelling for some time on the image of a perfectly baked meat loaf being hoisted out of our oven (by yours truly), my thoughts drifted to the season's first batch of stew, chock-full of fork-tender cuts of beef, pork or poultry (depending upon my mood), snowy white new potatoes, sweet carrots, hearty onions and maybe even a bell pepper or two.
Then, I thought about the savory stuffing I make, courtesy of the fresh sage that proliferates each year in our garden. Chicken broth, butter, chunks of onion, salt, pepper and, of course, enough fresh sage to lend a greenish tint to the breadcrumbs. A companion for poultry, certainly, but also for roasted pork adorned with a zesty mustard glaze.
The image of a glistening meat glaze caused my mind to snap back to thoughts of meat loaf, my absolutely-without-question most favorite comfort food, and I decided that those of us who love meat loaf don't need to wait until the frost is on the pumpkins to partake. The recipe that follows is not your garden-variety meat loaf, but it does require some fresh produce.
Turkey-Zucchini Meat Loaf
(from the September 1998 issue of Bon Appetit magazine)
Yield: 8 servingsIngredients:
1.25 pounds ground turkey
1 cup coarsely grated zucchini
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup dry seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each--ground black pepper and garlic powder
1/4 cup peach preserves
4 teaspoons Dijon mustardProcedure:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine turkey, zucchini, onion, breadcrumbs, parsley, egg, salt, pepper and garlic powder in large bowl and mix well. Shape mixture so it fits into a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan that's been sprayed with vegetable oil and begin baking. Meanwhile, stir preserves and mustard together in a small bowl. After 45 minutes, remove the meat loaf from the oven, spread the glaze over top and return to oven. Bake until a thermometer inserted into the center registers 165 F, or about 20 minutes longer. Transfer meat loaf to platter and let stand for five or 10 minutes before cutting crosswise into slices and serving. Two tasty accompaniments would be oven-roasted new potatoes and garden-fresh green beans with toasted almond slivers.
What's Your Take on This, Julie?
This comfort-food recipe is a sneaky way to get children (and adults) to eat their vegetables, plus a novel way to use the ever-prolific zucchini, a variety of summer squash developed in Italy.
The best zucchini have tender rinds, a glossy appearance and blemish-free exterior. A mature squash should seem fairly heavy for its size. Smaller zucchini are more tender than the woody larger ones that escaped early picking by hiding under the foliage.
There are a lot of good reasons to include more vegetables and fruits in our diets. They're low in calories, virtually fat-free, plus they're high in vitamins and minerals and they add beauty to our plates with their various colors. Best of all, they taste good.
But as parents, grandparents and other caregivers know, taste can be a matter of perspective. What should you do if your children, grandchildren or young friends turn up their noses at vegetables? Children don't respond to "sermons"--especially ones that begin, "It reduces your risk of heart disease or cancer." They're interested in the here and now. Some good news for them is that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables can help them have healthier skin.
When trying to influence children's behavior, first consider your own. Are you modeling nutritious eating behavior? Children learn by watching adults.
For young children, try serving raw vegetables cut up in bite-size pieces with a low-fat dip. You might be amazed at how quickly the veggie tray needs refilling. In the summer, grow a small garden or a tomato plant in a container on your step with a child's help.
Encourage children to help with food preparation. After a trip to the garden or store, they can wash lettuce, shell peas or peel corn. These kitchen activities can also be a time to teach them names of foods, colors of vegetables and numbers.
Some research has shown that it may take several introductions to get a child to eat a particular food. It's best not to make eating a power struggle, because at that point we're not talking about nutrition--we're talking control. This is how Ellyn Satter, a well-known child nutrition expert, sums up the golden role of feeding: "Parents are responsible for the `what, when and where' of feeding. Children are responsible for the `how much' and `whether' of eating."
A child could help grate the zucchini for this week's recipe. A serving of Turkey Zucchini Meat Loaf contains 230 calories and only 10.5 grams of fat, plus some vitamins A and C from the added produce. Turkey is an excellent source of protein that's lower in fat than most other types of ground meat.
If you're wondering what to do with your remaining zucchini, just call it by its other name, "Italian marrow," and everyone will think your recipes are new.
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NDSU Agriculture Communication
Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187
Click here for a pdf version of this graphic. (30KB b&w recipe graphic)