Quinoa-Buffalo Meatloaf & Cabbage with Turkey Bacon

For the past couple of years I have been making this recipe for Quinoa-Turkey Meatloaf, ever since I found it while surfing for quinoa recipes. Although I usually make it with the ground turkey breast, sometimes I do want some red meat, so I make it with some lean ground buffalo. The quinoa keeps it nice and moist and you can adjust the spices however you like. With the quinoa you get lots of protein, manganese, magnesium and iron; in addition to the protein, iron, calcium and potassium you get from buffalo. Plus, like most meatloaf, it tastes much better than it photographs and looks!

Since there was a head of Napa cabbage in my CSA box this week, I decided to try this Savoy Cabbage and Bacon recipe I had marked in Nigel Slater's Real Fast Food, subbing in the Napa cabbage for the savoy. I had some turkey bacon that I had cooked up previously so I threw in that and a little bit of olive oil to replace the bacon and bacon fat that Nigel uses. Not quit as decadent, but still very tasty and much healthier. You get plenty of vitamin K & C from the cabbage and vitamin A from the carrots.

Savoy (or Nappa) Cabbage with (Turkey) Bacon

Real Fast Food, Nigel Slater

(Serves 1 as a main dish, 2 as an accompaniment)

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 medium carrots, scrubbed

4 ounces smoked bacon, thick slices or slab

1 pound Savoy cabbage leaves, washed

1 tsp caraway seeds

salt

freshly ground black pepper

Slice the garlic finely, and cut the carrots into matchstick-size strips. Cut the bacon into dice about 1/2-inch square. Shred the cabbage leaves finely with a large knife. Cook the bacon in a large frying pan until it starts to brown. Add the garlic, carrots, and cabbage to the bacon and toss the vegetables in the bacon fat over a medium heat. Cook until the carrots are tender but still have some crunch to them, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle over a few caraway seeds, about a teaspoonful, then season with salt and pepper.  

A healthy, homey and delicious dinner.