Vegetarian Mini BBQ “Meat” Loaf Muffins

Posted on August 24, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Vegetarian Mini BBQ “Meat” Loaf Muffins are so good even without the ground beef (and, goodness, you know I love my beef). We all can benefit from eating more plants in our diet, whether a confirmed carnivore, adventurous omnivore, or full-fledged vegetarian.

Not your grandma's meatloaf but just as delicious make with lentils and oats! The spicy BBQ sauce gives this satisfying vegetarian meal some zing! So delicious, easy and suitable for meal prep. 398 calories and 21g per serving of two.

A balanced plate that varies from day to day, is best in my opinion. This vegetarian meatloaf is one of the dishes I like to prepare on nights when I’m not doing chicken, beef, or fish. The protein count is still great, 21 grams per serving and 398 calories for TWO. Very filling and a good source of essential nutrients, especially dietary fiber (33% RDA) and iron (25% RDA).

I use a jumbo muffin tin to create this meatloaf alternative, because I just prefer the crisper outside texture that the extra surface area of a muffin tin creates rather that smashing it all up in a loaf pan. Plus, the meatless muffins turn out great for making ahead in this manner and hold up well for freezer storage. This is a great vegetarian meal prep recipe, just double or triple your batch!

Check out the 15-second mini tutorial!

Putting this no meat meatloaf recipe together is as easy as cooking a pot of lentils and then smooshing it all up with the other ingredients before baking.

I don’t know why we don’t eat more lentils over here in the US. These little edible seeds in the legume family area food staple in so many other parts of the world – economical, nutritious and versatile! I used red lentils in this lentil loaf recipe, mainly I felt the color was best for an alternative meatloaf and they are already split, which means they cook faster than whole brown lentils. But no worries if you want to swap!

A bit Reduced Sugar BBQ Sauce in the “meat” mixture as well as brushed on top in the last 5 minutes of baking, gives these lentil loaves a little zing! Use whatever bottled sauce you prefer, or make your own – if you are a traditionalist, then ketchup!

NOTE: This is also a gluten-free recipe, however to make suitable for vegan lifestyle you need to swap out egg and cheese for non-dairy alternatives.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission, but the price to you remains the same. Proceeds offset operating costs for The Fit Fork, thank you!

5 from 7 votes

Vegetarian Mini BBQ “Meat” Loaf Muffins

Prep Time

10 mins

Total Time

45 mins

Not your grandma's meatloaf but just as delicous make with lentils and oats! The spicy BBQ sauce gives this satisfing vegetarian meal some zing! So delicious, easy and suitable for meal prep. 398 calories and 21g per serving of two.

Course: dinner, dinner, entree, lunch

Cuisine: American, gluten free, vegetarian

Keyword: barbecue sauce, bbq, meatless

Servings: 2 servings (2 muffins each)

Calories: 398 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup water
½ cup red lentils
1/4 cup diced white onion
¼ cup diced white mushrooms
1 tsp. minced garlic
½ cup quick cooking oats
3 oz. shredded cheddar cheese 2 tbsp reserved
2 tbsp liquid egg product
1/4 cup bottled BBQ sauce
1/2 salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Bring water to boil in small sauce pan. Add lentils and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes or until lentils are soft and most water is evaporated.
Drain and excess water from lentils and coarsely mash with a fork.
Transfer lentils to mixing bowl; cool slightly.
Mix in onion, mushrooms, garlic, oats and cheese.
Mix in egg, 2 oz. of BBQ sauce, salt and pepper.
Spoon evenly among 4 spots in jumbo muffin pan that has been prepped with cooking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; remove and spread remaining BBQ sauce and reserved cheese over each. Cook 5 more minutes.
Cool 5 minutes, loosens sides with knife to release from pan.
A serving is TWO! Enjoy warm or keep in fridge up to 4 days, or freezer for 3 months.

Recipe Notes

Spicy-Sweet Orange Beef Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Spicy-Sweet Orange Beef Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas is proof you can make an amazing, delicious, nutritious beef dinner in 15 minutes. I used a strip steak, but sirloin or even flank steak would be amazing too!

Vibrant and citrus-y, this lightly spicy-sweet orange beef stir-fry made with steak is sure to please on busy nights! It comes together in just 15 minutes, lots of veggie goodness with the sugar snap peas, and 100% beats going for takeout!

Portioned to serve two generously, this steak stir fry recipe can easily be doubled for a family of four. Also, it’s not very spicy, so the kids should love it. If you crave spicy heat, just add extra dried red pepper and Sriracha to the sauce step.

steak sliced thin for stir fry - thefitfork.com — *Slice the steak thinly, between 1/8 and 1/4-inch thick!*

Another reason why I love this beef and vegetable stir fry is that the macros are just so great to fuel my active lifestyle. One very generous sized portion fills me up and has 336 calories, 15g fat, 23g net carb, 30g protein. This 15-minute beef dinner isn’t including the macros (or time) for the rice/quinoa blend I usually serve it on. However, I love to meal prep that and have these cooked whole grains on hand in the freezer. Restaurant preparation of a similar orange beef recipe would come in at typically 3x the calories, fat and sugar – they usually coat the beef in cornstarch and use more oil (basically frying.

Check out the 15-second video tutorial!

PRO TIPS FOR ORANGE BEEF STIR FRY:

Have all ingredients before starting. Once you turn on the heat, the cooking process happens very fast
Slice beef across grain thinly, into 1/8-inch to ¼-inch slices are best.
For easier slicing, use a sharp knife and set meat in freezer for 10 minutes beforehand to firm up.
If following recipe as written for 2, use a 10-inch skillet. If doubling, use a 12-inch or larger skillet OR a 14-inch wok. If halving the recipe to just serve one, use an 8″ skillet.
Cook meat first and remove from skillet to rest while cooking vegetables.
Cook meat quickly in a single layer, flipping strips once until pink is JUST gone (because will continue to cook while resting on the plate).
Substituting similar vegetables is allowed! If you don’t have sugar snap peas, use something similar like green beans or snow peas. Broccoli would be amazing too!
If you MUST, you can use orange juice from a carton and skip the zesting step, but the fresh juice and zest really adds a huge splash of flavor.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I earn a small commission on sales, however price to you remains the same. Proceeds offset operating costs for The Fit Fork. Thank you!

5 from 3 votes

Spicy-Sweet Beef Stir Fry with Sugar Snap Peas (for Two)

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

8 mins

Total Time

13 mins

Vibrant and citrus-y, this lightly spicy-sweet beef stir-fry made with steak is sure to please on busy nights! It comes together in just 15 minutes and 100% beats going for takeout!

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Asian, Chinese

Keyword: 15 minute dinner, beef, snap peas, stir fry

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 336 kcal

Ingredients

1 medium orange
2 tbsp soy sauce or coconut aminos
2 tbsp coconut sugar
½ tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp minced ginger
½ tsp minced garlic
8 oz strip or sirloin steak sliced across grain to 1/8” thickness
4 tsp sesame oil
2 green onion bulb + stalk sliced thinly
8oz sugar snap peas (1 1/2 to 2 cups(

Instructions

Wash and dry orange; use zesting tool or microplaner to remove 1 to 2 teaspoons of zest from peel. Set aside. Slice orange in half; squeeze out 1/3 cup of juice into small bowl. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, ginger, garlic and ½ of orange zest. Stir to combine and set aside.
Add oil to a 10 to 12” skillet and bring to medium-high heat. Add steak strips and sear for 2 minutes without turning. Use tongs to flip strips and cook on opposite side for about 2 more minutes until “just” cooked. Transfer to plate to rest.
Reduce heat to low and add sugar snap peas and sauce mixture to skillet. Stir to combine and let simmer for approximately 3 to 4 minutes until thickened and snap peas crisp-tender. Toss back in cooked beef and stir for another 1 minute until warmed. Sprinkle sliced green onion and remaining orange zest over beef, serve with rice if desired.

Recipe Notes

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta & Wildgrain Box

Posted on July 12, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Out of necessity, I’ve been minimizing my time in the kitchen this summer. The last couple months has been such a record-breaking scorcher that it’s been too hot to grill outside and even climbing into the sunbaked car to grab a meal out is unappealing.

But, one can only live on so many salads and charcuterie boards for dinner. What I really craved was a homemade pasta dinner (with dreamy noodles and warm bread) with that “I spent all day in the kitchen” taste without actually spending all day in the kitchen. Basically, SHOW ME A SHORTCUT!

My recipe for No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta (jump to recipe) came to the rescue served on fresh, hand-cut pasta from Wildgrain. Wildgrain is an amazing subscription box that sends artisanal pastas, breads and pastries to your door that are frozen and ready to prepare in a flash – no more than 25 minutes from freezer door opening to your mouth opening for the first bite!

Check out the video inspo for this recipe!

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta involves absolutely no-simmering to turn out a flavorful tomato “sauce” for pasta (or even to top on fish, chicken or bruschetta). It’s based on an Italian uncooked tomato sauce pasta recipe called “Pasta Alla Checca.” Zero cooking, except for prepping the fresh noodles from Wildgrain on the stove top, which only takes 6 minutes. The tomato-artichoke sauce mixture gets “warmed up” as it is immediately stirred into the drained hot pasta. Basically, the pasta does the sauce heating – this puts new meaning into “using your noodle.” Lol!

*Used fresh freezer-ready fettuccini from Wildgrain!*

I used the season’s sweetest tomatoes plucked from my backyard. You could use any medium-sized variety of tomato such as Roma tomatoes – they are meaty, not overly juicy/easy, and easy in most markets. Then all that’s to be done is chopping tomatoes up very finely along with marinated artichokes, basil and garlic to create a fresh, light sauce that’s a lovely way to top off noodles and top off these long, long days.

For even more of a shortcut, you can make the raw chunky tomato artichoke sauce ahead and keep chilled in the fridge in a Mason jar for a couple days. Use on pasta or pile on crusty bread with mozzarella and stick under the broiler. Or toss into your egg scramble – so many uses!

*Save $30 with code THEFITFORK (offer thru 8/30 . . . then it’s $10 off)*

So let me tell you a little more about my new obsession, the Wildgrain Subscription Box (which BTW, you can save $30 on your first order with code THEFITFORK). Every month (pause or cancel at any time), I get a frozen shipment of tender pastas, artisan breads and pastries delivered to my door. All the labor-intensive work has been done for me – the dough has been hand-cut, the breads have been proofed, and the pastries prepped. Plus, no mess was made at my house, lol! All I do to enjoy these delights is place the breads straight oven or drop pasta into a pot, straight from frozen – no defrosting of anything needed meaning you can truly rely on Wildgrain for last-minute meals.

Other things I appreciate about Wildgrain: They use clean, non-GMO ingredients and their fermentation process provides benefits you won’t find at the grocery store. Items are always shipped free in and eco-friendly box and recyclable stay-cold packaging. Plus, they also support small bakeries and responsible source products from some of the best bread and pasta makers around the country. Honestly, I can taste the talent and love that goes into these breads, pastas and pastries.

Here’s a peek at what you get in a “mixed” box, although some contents will vary from month-to-month to keep those taste buds tantalized!

July Wildgrain Mixed Box: Plain Sourdough Loaf, Cranberry Pecan Sourdough Loaf, Everything Sourdough Loaf, Fettuccine Pasta, Tonnarelli Pasta, Peach Pie Bites, and free Croissants.

*Free croissants for life! Don’t miss this deal!*

*Oh, and did I mention that if you order Wildgrain by the end of July, you get a free four-pack of croissants with every order “for life.” Remember to use code THEFITFORK to save $30. These buttery, flakey, crescent-shaped pastries are truly heaven straight out of the oven.

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese - plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer dinner! Used pasta from the Wildgrain subscription box, save $30 with code THEFITFORK at http://bit.ly/Wildgrain

No-cook Tomato Artichoke Pasta | Pasta alla Checca

Prep Time

4 mins

Cook Time

6 mins

Total Time

10 mins

Whip up a fresh fit meal in minutes with this easy, no-cook pasta sauce that features tomatoes, marinated artichokes, garlic and feta cheese – plus a little EVOO. It's tossed with hot noodles that warms it up! A delicious summer meal!

Course: dinner, dinner, entree, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 10 minute meal, artichokes, fetuccini, pasta, summer, tomatoes

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lb. fresh tomatoes about 3 to 4 medium
3/4 cup marinated artichokes
3 tbsp chopped basil
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
12- oz package fresh pasta
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Optional: garnish with additional chopped basil

Instructions

Finely chop tomatoes and artichokes.
Scrape into bowl along with any seeds and liquids that came out while chopping.
Add chopped basil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil to bowl; stir to toss.
Set tomato mixture aside to marinate while making pasta.
Boil water in a large pot and cook pasta according to package instructions.*
Drain pasta in colander and add back to pot while still hot.
Pour in tomato mixture from bowl and toss around to coat pasta.
Divide among 4 plates and top with crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with additional basil, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*The pasta I used from Wildgrain is put frozen into boiling water and cooks in 6 minutes.

Feta Egg Tomato Rings

Posted on July 11, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

Easy summer meals, I love them from my head tomatoes! See what I did there, I’m punny (groan)! When summer brings me a bumper crop of tomatoes, I keep finding ways to use them up.

Any which way you slice it, this quick egg recipe is delicious and tastes like summer with sweet, ripe tomato, herby basil and salty feta cheese. Low-cal, but still lots of protein, a great quick breakfast or lunch idea.

These low-cal Feta Egg Tomato Rings are one of my favorite quick egg recipes of all time and make a healthy and nutritious breakfast, lunch or light dinner.

So easy to make this quick, 4-ingredient meal!

I was inspired by egg recipes that use a slice bell pepper for a ring to contain scrambled or sunny-side up egg. This egg and tomato breakfast hack also reminds me of “egg in a hole” toast where you use a biscuit cutter to remove a circle from the center of your toast, and then crack an egg in the middle.

The entire batch of this low-cal egg recipe has just 136 calories, 8g fat, 7g protein and 10g protein. Honestly, I’d make two for myself!

*Pick tomatoes that are about 5 to 6 ounces and “medium ripe” — too ripe and the rings loose shape, too firm and the inside is too hard to smash up for the filling.*

I used an approximate 6-ounce tomato (because that’s what I had), and it made 5 slices (discarding the small stem and bottom ends). I wouldn’t use a smaller tomato, but a bigger one would be great too – however, you may need to whisk up a second egg to accommodate the larger openings.

One of the keys to this egg tomato recipe is finding a glass that, when inverted, will “punch out” the center. Lol, I’m using a cordial glass in the video. Of course, you can also trim out the middle with a paring knife.

When you remove the center of the tomato slices, you want to save the tomato “guts” – e.g., the core, the seeds and the locular jelly (that’s the official term). Those are added to the fork-whisked egg and smashed up. If some parts of the core are too tough to mash, just discard that section. Each center took about 1 tablespoon of the whisked egg and tomato filling, which worked out perfectly. If you are using a larger tomato, you will need to whisk up a second egg.

Once you spoon your egg mixture into the tomato ring and sprinkle with basil and feta (or your favorite cheese), they are cooked a few minutes until set – you will not be flipping. That’s it, whoo-hoo – you are finished with this easy egg recipe – serve on a salad, on a piece of whole-grain toast, or however moves your taste buds! Enjoy.

5 from 4 votes

Feta Tomato Egg Rings

Any which way you slice it, this quick egg recipe is delicious and tastes like summer with sweet, ripe tomato, herby basil and salty feta cheese.

Course: Breakfast, brunch, lunch

Keyword: egg, low cal, tomato

Calories: 136 kcal

Ingredients

1 5 to 6 ounce tomato
1 large egg
1 tablespoon crumbled feta
Dash salt and pepper
1 teaspoon chopped basil

Instructions

Slice tomato crosswise, in approximate 1/3” slices, discarding small stem and bottom ends.
Use small glass or paring knife to remove the seeds, locular jelly and core (save all of this) from tomato. This creates the delicate rings.
In a small bowl, fork-whisk egg. Add tomato “guts,” tossing away any core pieces that are too hard to smash up with a fork.
Carefully add rings to a non-stick skillet. Fill each ring with approximately 1 tablespoon of the egg-tomato mixture. I had 5 rings and the filling amount worked out perfectly, If you use a bigger tomato, you may need another egg.
Sprinkle egg mixture with crumbled feta cheese and basil.
Cook over medium heat until center set and firm to touch, about 4 to 5 minutes. You will NOT be flipping. Serve with salad, on toast or however desired!

Recipe Notes

Veggie & Labne Pizza with Pull-Apart Crust

Posted on June 4, 2022 by Jennifer FIsher

This post is sponsored by Karoun Dairies as part of a blogger recipe contest.

Treat yourself to pizza night, but don’t you dare resort to frozen or consider take out.! That’s because I have something even easier and so much better — My Veggie & Labne Pizza with Pull-Apart Crust.

Veggie & Labne Pizza with Pull-Apart Crust is a quick and easy dinner or appetizer solution that is ready in less than 30 minutes. The no-rise, three-ingredient crust features labne, a creamy kefir cheese, that keeps the quick crust tender yet crispy. Try the genius tip to make a “pull apart” crust so no pizza cutter or knife required. Top with your favorite veggies. So fun for a quick dinner or appetizer to share.

Ready in just about 30 minutes (can delivery beat that?!), this simple pizza for two (or one, if you’re real hungry) even features a homemade crust!

So much to say about this homemade crust. In need no rising, you just mix together three simple ingredients including flour (can swap in a gluten-free flour blend in needed), baking powder and labne (a thick, creamy, tangy kefir cheese resembling Greek yogurt, my opinion). The labne helps keep the 3 ingredient crust delicious and tender on the inside, but crispy on the outside.

The flour-labne mixture will be a little crumbly, just ditch you spatula after a while and knead it together with your hands. Then, THIS IS NEAT, instead of doing a traditional crust rolled out and pinched up around the edges, make a pull-apart crust so that you (or you and a friend) can pull off a little pizza nibble at a time.

Labne Mediterranean style Kefir cheese from Karoun Dairies makes is the star in this three-ingredient, no-rise crust.

To do this, the big pizza dough ball is formed into smaller (about 1”) dough balls. This recipe yielded about 18 dough balls for me, but it doesn’t have to be a precise science. Those little balls are pressed down onto the pan (a 9” to 10” pan) until flattened into about ¼” thickness and the edges mostly meet. There may be a few places were a tiny bit of pan peeks through edge-to edge, that’s okay!

After the dough balls are pressed into the pan, top with cheese and veggies. Also, to make this pizza next level delicious and creamy, I like to dollop up to 1/2 cup more Labne Mediterranean Kefir Cheese. Then maybe a little more shredded cheese, because can you really have too much cheese on a pizza?!

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, top with extra garnishes as desired, and enjoy! You don’t even need a knife or pizza cutter to enjoy this pull-apart crust pizza recipe. Just grab the edge and give a little tug and you will be rewarded with a bite-sized morsel of creamy, cheesy, veggie loaded goodness. I love a labne pizza!

I’m so glad I found this Labne Mediterranean kefir cheese. In the past I’ve made a similar crust with plain yogurt, but I don’t think it turned out as tender and satisfying.

Since this may be a new type of cheese to you, let me tell you more about it. Labne Mediterranean Kefir Cheese from Karoun Dairies is a centuries-old, Mediterranean-style spreadable kefir. The taste is distinctively tangy, but pleasing! It’s smoother and thicker than yogurt and reminds me of a cross between Greek yogurt and cream cheese – oh my, so good and creamy! It’s lower in fat than cream cheese and makes great alternative for a healthy lifestyle. Plus you also benefit from live probiotic cultures in every spoonful.

Visit Karoun Cheese to learn more or check them out on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest news and recipes! #karoun, #karoundairies, #karounlabne, #labne

5 from 4 votes

Veggie & Labne Pizza with Pull-Apart Crust

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

12 mins

Total Time

22 mins

Veggie & Labne Pizza with Pull-Apart Crust is a quickand easy dinner or appetizer solution that is ready in less than 30 minutes. Theno-rise, three-ingredient crust features labne, a creamy kefir cheese, thatkeeps the quick crust tender yet crispy. Try the genius tip to make a “pullapart” crust so no pizza cutter or knife required. Top with your favorite veggies. So fun for a quick dinner or appetizerto share.

Course: Appetizer, dinner, dinner, entree, pizza, starter

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: appetizer, blue cheese, labne, pizza

Servings: 2

Ingredients

½ cup Karoun Mediterranean-style Labne Kefir cheese
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
1 cup flour or gluten-free flour baking blend
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella divided
1/2 cup Karoun Mediterranean-style Labne Kefir cheese
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup shredded spinach
¼ cup red onion slices
¼ cup chopped tomato

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F.
In medium bowl, mix together Labne, baking powder and flour with spoon. Will be crumbly, then use hands to knead it together into a cohesive dough ball.
Pinch of 1-inch dough balls (I got approximately 18) and place on a 9-inch to 10-inch pizza pan.
Press balls down with fingers until flattened and edges mostly touching. It’s okay if there are a few spots of pan showing through.
Sprinkle dough with garlic salt. Sprinkle with ½ cup shredded mozzarella and vegetables.
Dollop up to ½ cup additional Karoun Mediterranean-style Labne Kefir cheese on top of veggies. Sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup of reserved mozzarella.
Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until crust browned and cheese bubbling.
No need for a knife or pizza cutter, just pull apart into pizza bites!