Leftover Meatloaf Hash

Mondays are nearly always leftover days, and today I managed to empty no less than eight containers when cooking our lunch – not bad going eh? 

 

This is not a recipe as such, more of an idea of what to do with leftovers. Using the remains of the meatloaf as a base, I added nearly all the leftovers I had in the fridge. The list looks like this:

meatloaf

cooked Jersey Royal potatoes

cooked carrots

cooked baby sweetcorn

cooked tenderstem broccoli

cooked sugarsnap peas

grilled cherry tomatoes

I also had containers with Oriental coleslaw and Vietnamese pickled vegetables which I mixed together, and half a box of salad leaves which I served alongside the hash. 

 

I started off by crushing the potatoes between two palms, then tearing them roughly with my hands. In a large pan sprayed with some Fry Light, I sautéed the potatoes for a few minutes before adding everything else. I found it to be a little dry, so I added some water to make it a smoother consistency and some chilli flakes to zest it up a little. 

I do love leftovers, and the challenge of creating something that tastes good.

American Style Meatloaf

Take one recipe you find on line and start to follow it, then begin your own modifications. You think you have only made a few small changes until you see your notes.... I like to call it “being creative”.

Serves 4-6

Syn free on Extra Easy*

* providing you use the bread as part of your Healthy Extra B

3 slices wholemeal bread from a 400g loaf, roughly torn

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp celery salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp dried thyme

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 red pepper, roughly chopped

500g of 5% fat minced beef

1 egg, beaten

500g passata

1 tbsp sweetener

½ tsp mustard powder

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp bouillon powder

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

dash Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Whizz the bread to rough crumbs in a food processor and place in a large bowl. Pulse the red pepper in the same way, followed by the onion, but do them separately, making sure they are finely chopped but not processed to a pulp. Mix in with the breadcrumbs and add the cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, ginger, white pepper, garlic powder, celery salt, nutmeg and beef. Mix very well together, then add the egg and continue stirring until everything is very well combined, but avoid squeezing the meat.

Grease a loaf tin and pack the meat mixture into it. Line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper and invert the loaf onto it. Place near the bottom of the oven. 

Combine the passata. Sweetener, mustard powder, paprika, smoked paprika, bouillon powder, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and cumin. When the meatloaf has been in the oven for about ten minutes, brush the glaze over it and continue cooking for 35-45 minutes until it id cooked through.

Serve the remaining glaze as a sauce to accompany the meatloaf. 

  

Has-Bean Cottage Pie

A cottage pie with a difference. I love anything made with minced beef, especially cottage pie. I also love baked beans, so combining the two was a winning combination for me. 

 

Serves 4

Syn Free on Extra Easy

500g extra lean minced beef

3 onions

1 tin baked beans

250ml passata

bouillon powder to taste

1 swede

1 butternut squash

1 tbsp bouillon powder

Sauté the beef and onion in Fry Light until the onion is soft and the beef is cooked. Add the passata, baked beans and bouillon powder.

Peel, dice and boil the swede and squash until tender (the swede will take longer than the squash, so cook them in separate pans), then mash together with a potato masher, adding the bouillon powder and a little of the cooking liquid if the mixture is too dry (unlikely).

Place the beef and bean mix in an oven-proof dish and top with the swede and squash mash. Bake at 220°C for 15-20 minutes until slightly browned on top and cooked through. Serve with vegetables of your choice and Slimming World chips.

Mulligatawny Soup made from Leftover Chilli Con Carne

Nice and quick, nice and comforting, nice and easy, nice and warming, nice and healthy. What more can you want on a miserable day? 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 cup leftover chilli con carne (syn free of course)

½ cup red lentils

2 onions

2 stems celery

2 tsp bouillon powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

½ cup cooked carrots, chopped

a few drops food colouring

a small handful chopped coriander leaves

1 red chilli (optional), finely chopped

Finely chop the onion and celery and onions and sauté in Fry Light until soft. Add the lentils and bouillon powder and enough water to make it a soup consistency. Boil rapidly for ten minutes. Turn the heat down, add the leftover chilli con carne and spices and simmer for another 15-20 minutes until everything is cooked through and the lentils are soft and mushy. Add the carrots and fresh coriander and heat through. Add a few drops of food colouring if the soup looks a little insipid. Serve topped with some chopped coriander. 

 

Beef Lasagne

This was really nice and rich, and my dad loved it. He took the rest of it home with him for the freezer. 

Serves 4

2½ syns on Extra Easy*

* Providing you use the cheese as your Healthy Extra A

500g extra lean minced beef

2 onions, chopped

200g mushrooms, chopped

300ml passata

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp sweetener

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

2-3 tsp bouillon powder

9 dried lasagne sheets

180g reduced fat Cheddar, grated

1 pkt Coleman's white sauce

300ml skimmed milk

Salad to serve

Fry the onions and meat in Fry Light until the onions are soft and the meat slightly browned. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes. Add the herbs, bouillon powder, sweetener, Worcestershire sauce and passata. Stir well and simmer for a few more minutes. Make up the white sauce according to packet instructions. 

 

Place a layer of three lasagne sheets in the bottom of a dish. Top with half the meat mixture, then another three pasta sheets. Next, put the rest of the meat sauce and another three pasta sheets. Pour over the white sauce and top with the grated cheese. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 200°C until the pasta is cooked and the cheese browned. Serve with your choice of salad. 

 

Creamy Coconut Keema Pilau

I boiled up too many mixed vegetables yesterday when cooking up dozens (46 to be exact) dishes for my dad's freezer, so I had to think of something to do with overcooked veggies (my dad doesn't believe in al dente!). I used the frozen mixed vegetables that come in 1cm large cubes or so for this. 

 

Serves 2

½ syn on Extra Easy

300g extra lean minced beef

2 cups cooked finely chopped mixed vegetables

1 cup rice

2 tsp bouillon powder

2 tubs Müllerlight Greek yogurt with coconut and vanilla

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

Boil the rice in the stock for 10 minutes. Meanwhile sauté the meat in Fry Light until browned and cooked through. Mix together the yogurts and the spices. When cooked, drain the rice and mix into the meat along with the vegetables. Stir well and simmer until everything is heated through. Take the pan off the heat and allow to cool for a minute or so before adding the yogurt mix. Stir well and serve. 

 

Beef Larb with Baby Sweetcorn and Spinach

Larb – the traditional dish of Laos – is one of my all time favourite comfort foods. It also has to be one of the quickest and easiest dinners ever. There are as many versions of this dish as there are cooks, so feel free to experiment with your own ingredients.

I used sambal oelek in this recipe for laziness, but you can substitute with a chopped fresh chilli or even chilli flakes. You may wish to vary the amount of chilli used to suit your own taste as we like our food spicy. I used a combination of iceberg lettuce and watercress to serve, but any lettuce or salad leaves will do. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

250g extra lean minced beef

150g baby sweetcorn

100g spinach

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp sweetener

2 tbsp sambal oelek

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

shredded lettuce to serve

Sauté the beef with the baby sweetcorn until cooked through. Add the soy sauce, sweetener, vinegar and sambal oelek. Stir well to mix, then add the spinach. Simmer gently until the spinach has wilted. Serve over shredded lettuce. 

 

Beef Laap with Mint

I fell in love with Laap (also spelled larp or larb) in Laos earlier this year, where it is the national dish. There are as many variations of this as there is of as a beef stew in the west, and this is one of many. Laap has now become a firm favourite in this household, it's such a quick, easy, cheap, healthy and tasty dish to make. 

Serves 2

Syn free on Extra Easy

250g extra lean minced beef

1 onion

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sweetener

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 cup chopped fresh mint

2 little gem lettuces

Sauté the beef and onion in Fry Light until the onion is soft and the meat browned. Add the soy sauce, sweetener, chilli, vinegar and mint and stir until heated through and well mixed. Serve over shredded lettuce. 

 

Spicy Mince and Beans

This is comfort food at its very best, combining two of my favourite foods: minced beef and baked beans. I was running late and popped in the supermarket to grab a few things to cook a quick and easy dinner before a night out with the girls, and came up with this. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

250g extra lean minced beef

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tin baked beans

250ml passata

1 tsp harissa paste

1 pkt ready chopped root vegetables (carrot, swede and potato)

1 tsp bouillon powder

150g runner beans, trimmed

¼ cauliflower, cut into florets

Fry the meat and onions until the meat is browned and the onions soft. Add the baked beans, passata and harissa paste and stir until heated through.

Meanwhile boil the root veg and mash with the bouillon powder. Cook the cauliflower and runner beans to your liking, and serve with the mince. 

 

Chilli Con Carne

Comfort food at its best. You can make this as spicy or not as you wish. I often add an extra onion in to my savoury dishes, that way I am sure to get my superfree as well as make the meat go further. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

200g extra lean minced beef

2 onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

sml tin red kidney beans

400g tin of tomatoes

1 tube tomato purée

1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sweetener

2 tsp bouillon powder

Fry the beef in Fry Light with the onions and green pepper until the vegetables are soft and the beef browned. Meanwhile grind the chilli flakes, cumin seeds and oregano in a spice grinder and mix with the garlic powder. Add the tomatoes, purée, chilli powder, kidney beans, bouillon powder and sweetener to the meat and onions. Simmer for a few minutes until well mixed and heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with boiled rice.

Keema Pie

A cross between keema curry and cottage pie, Keema Pie is spicy minced beef with a thatch topping. I used swede and carrot for my thatch but it would be equally nice with sweet potato or the more traditional mash. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

250g minced beef

100g green beans, chopped

2 onions, chopped

tin tomatoes

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp turmeric

1 ground coriander

1 tsp sweetener

1 swede

2 carrots

2 tbsp chopped parsley

Fry the onion and mince in Fry Light and add the beans. Add the tinned tomatoes and spices, and cook until the beans are tender.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the swede and carrots, and boil until soft. Mash, using a potato masher and stir in the chopped parsley.

Place the mince in an ovenproof dish and top with the carrot and swede mash. Bake at 240°C for 10-15 minutes until heated through and browned on top. 

 

Beef and bean burgers

I wanted to make something slightly different with the leftover beans – normally I would just bake a jacket potato and use them as filling, or make a chilli con carne, but I just didn't fancy that today. Hence the burgers were born.

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra easy

Using 250g of extra lean minced beef, I mixed in the leftover jazzy gungo peas as well as the chick pea and carrot tajine using a few quick bursts in a food processor. I wanted to retain some texture and shape of the beans still. I reckon most leftover vegetables would work very well in burgers – the beans added a nice moisture as the spices lots of taste. Shape into patties and fry in a little Fry Light.

Home made tomato sauce:

Syn Free on Extra Easy

200ml passata

1 tbsp sweetener

stock cube or bouillon powder

a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce

In a screw top jar, add all the ingredients and shake well until everything is evenly mixed.

Serve burgers with salad of your choice.