Stuffed Loaf

Every now and then I make a meal that my 5 year old daughter deems "delicious" - this is one of those meals! You can stuff your loaf with a variety of things - pizza toppings, grilled chicken and vegetables, smoked ham and cheddar, tender chicken breast with alfredo sauce, even taco meat. Just make sure that your fillings are already cooked and your loaf will come out perfect every time. These are even pretty enough to serve company!

 
For the Dough:
(shortcut: use a tube of refrigerated pizza dough)

3c Thrive Flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination of both)
1/2t Salt
1T Thrive Whole Egg Powder
1-1/2c Warm Water
1T Honey or Sugar
1 Packet Instant Yeast

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and whole egg powder. Dissolve yeast in warm water with honey and add to flour mixture. Stir until dough begins to come together, then knead by hand for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for 30 minutes.

For the Filling:

1c Thrive Ground Beef
1/4c Thrive Mixed Bell Peppers
2T Thrive Tomato Powder
2T Thrive Chopped Onions
1T Thrive Celery
1/2t Thrive Beef Bouillon
1-1/2c Water

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

To assemble loaf, roll dough out to 9x13 rectangle. Pour the sauce down the middle of dough, leaving 1" of dough at bottom and top. Fold the sides of the loaf over the filling, then pinch around the edges to seal. Bake, seam side down, for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing.

Meatball Tacos

1c Thrive FD Ground Beef
1/2c Thrive Instant Pinto Beans
2T Thrive Chopped Onions
1T Thrive Chopped Celery
1T Thrive Red & Green Bell Peppers
1c Hot Water
1c Thrive Cornmeal
1T Homemade Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
4 Flour Tortillas
Taco Fixin's: shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, salsa, etc.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 9x9 casserole dish or pie plate. Chop the ground beef in a food processor into fine crumbs. In a microwave safe bowl, combine water, beans, onions, celery and peppers. Cover and microwave 3 minutes. Stir well and continue to microwave in 1 minute increments until beans are soft. Add bean mixture and taco seasonings to ground beef in food processor. Pulse until all ingredients are combined, then slowly add cornmeal about a quarter cup at a time. Watch for the dough to start to come together - if you add too much cornmeal your meatballs will be too dry. As soon as you can make it into a meatball shape and have it hold together, you're good. Form into 1" balls and place in greased casserole dish. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the outside. Serve cooked meatballs in warm flour tortillas, topped with desired taco toppings.

Homemade Taco Seasonings

4T chili powder
2T ground cumin
1T paprika
1T crushed red pepper or cayenne pepper
1T dried oregano
1T onion powder
1T garlic powder
1T salt (optional)
½T black pepper

Combine all ingredients. Store in an air tight container.

Cheeseburger Pasta

This dinner is a real kid pleaser! Don't let the long list of ingredients deter you - it all gets thrown together in one pot and simmers while you relax after a long day. Hand out any leftovers for lunch the next day.

8oz Pasta (any shape)
2c Thrive Ground Beef or Beef TVP
2T Thrive Onions
2T Thrive Celery
2T Thrive Tomato Powder
2T Thrive Red & Green Bell Peppers
1T Thrive White or Brown Sugar
1/2c Thrive Shredded Cheese (any flavor)
1/2c Thrive Cheese Blend
1t Ground Mustard
1/2t Garlic Powder
1/2t Salt
1/4t Black Pepper
1 1/2c Hot Water

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain.

While pasta is cooking, combine remaining ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed and the sauce is creamy. If the mixture becomes too thick, add a few tablespoons of hot pasta water to thin it out. Serve cheeseburger sauce over pasta.

Meatballs!

Meatballs? From food storage? Yeah, baby! This recipe will make 12 - 15 flavor packed meatballs that are crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. Delicious in spaghetti, sweet and sour sauce, and Swedish meatball sauce.

1c Thrive Freeze Dried Ground Beef
2T Thrive Whole Egg Powder
1/2c Thrive Oats
1/4t Thrive Salt
1/8t Black Pepper
2/3c Water
2T Thrive Diced Celery
2T Thrive Chopped Onions

In a food processor, combine beef, egg powder, oats, salt and pepper. Pulse until beef is finely chopped. Add water, celery and onions and pulse a few more times until the mixture comes together. Shape into 1" meatballs and pan fry in a little olive oil, turning until golden brown on all sides. Note that these meatballs cook very quickly, you'll need to turn them about every 30 seconds or so.