This week’s market bag: ground beef, boneless pork shoulder, gouda, zucchini, red peppers, staymen & jonagold apples, romaine lettuce mix.
On the menu: tricolore beef & rice pilaf, roast pork, apple pie, grilled gouda & apple sandwiches.
Recipe: Tricolore Beef & Rice Pilaf
For some reason the crisp fall weather (at last!) put me in the mood for meatloaf this weekend. I decided to add veggies and rice to make a more well-rounded casserole type dish instead of the traditional hunk of meat. I wasn’t sure of the cooking time (the rice mix I used said 35-40 minutes), and next time around I’d probably use a fluffier rice. But otherwise, it turned out well and was a nice, colorful dinner.
BABY FOOD NOTES: You can set aside the veggies only (see notes below), combine veggies and meat, or even puree the finished dish with additional liquid, depending on how far along you are in introducing these ingredients and how much texture your baby is ready for.
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (or turkey)
- 1/2 sm. yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 zucchini, diced [4 for baby food]
- 1 red pepper, diced [2 for baby food]
- olive oil
- 2 t oregano
- 1-2 t smoked paprika
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 ¼ c. rice (I used TJ’s California Rice trilogy)
- 1 c. chicken stock
- 1 c. water
Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in dutch oven or large sauté pan until tender, 3-4 min. Add zucchini and red peppers and sauté until soft, another 5 min. Season with oregano and cook 1 min.
[*BABY VERSION: spoon out 1 c. veggies here and reserve. Puree veggies only or add cooked ground beef/chicken, 1 T. tomato paste and water if needed to thin.]
Place cooked veggies in a bowl. Add ground beef to pan and brown, seasoning with smoked paprika. When cooked through (no pink), return veggies to pan. Stir in tomato paste, stock and water and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 35-40 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
