Since I was diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes last week, I have a feeling we'll be eating a lot more meatloaf (or "meat cake" as one of my younger sisters deemed it when she was about 2 years old).
I have used a lot of different recipes over the years, but I almost always come back to the way my grandmother made it (which is also how my parents make it). Ground meat of your preference, onion, garlic, and whatever vegetables you want to add. My mom always pours a can of spicy V8 juice over the top, while I've transitioned to a more traditional topping since The Husband prefers ketchup.
Tonight, I'm making turkey meatloaf.
I love ground turkey for my meatloaf because it's not as fatty as beef and benefits nicely from the extra moisture that the veggies add. I throw my ground turkey (1.25 lbs) in a mixing bowl and top it with half a chopped white onion, 3 cloves of pressed garlic, half a red bell pepper (chopped), some chopped pickled jalapenos, an egg, and about 1.5 cups of dry oats. I prefer oats to bread crumbs because they're more nutritionally beneficial and I always have them in my pantry. I almost never have breadcrumbs ready to go...and who has time to wait around to dry out perfectly good bread in the oven and then put it in a food processor? Besides, I haven't bought any bread since my GD diagnosis. (A quick side note: you can literally use whatever vegetables you want. Only the onion is non-negotiable for me. My mom's used corn and peas in her meatloaf, and I've used okra, mushrooms, and carrots).
I use my hands to mix the ingredients and then toss it into a 9x9 inch Pyrex dish. I do not form my meatloaf into an actual loaf. I don't think I ever have. My parents always made it in a 9x13 dish, and I've never seen the need to deviate (except the time I made meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato "frosting"). Bonus points because I only have to throw a lid on my Pyrex dish and pop it in the fridge once we're done eating.
To make the glaze, I usually combine ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. I typically use Tabasco, but I think I'm going to try Sriracha tonight.
Tonight's meatloaf is served with mashed cauliflower.
Yes, you heard me right...CAULIFLOWER.
I'm going to assume that this is not as big a shock to most of you since we live in the age of Pinterest, and I'm pretty sure that's where I first discovered this magical comfort food. It's been a lifesaver in the past week when I've been seriously craving garlic mashed potatoes.
I used 2 large heads of cauliflower, a 4 quart stock pot with enough water to cover the cauliflower pieces, and a heaping tablespoon of bouillon powder. I put them on the stove and let them boil until the cauliflower is
Once your cauliflower is suitably mushy, drain it in a colander. I like to use one with small holes so I don't lose any of the little pieces that are floating around. After it's drained (but not entirely dry), return it to your pot.
At this point, you can add just about anything you like. I prefer butter, pressed garlic, cream cheese, salt and pepper. If you have a picky family texture-wise (they aren't exactly the same texture as mashed potatoes), toss in a few boiled potatoes and mash them right into the cauliflower. The Husband complains EVERY time I make mashed cauliflower, but he never notices the cauliflower if there are some potato chunks in there.
I made mashed cauliflower last weekend for a family barbeque, and everyone who didn't already know it was cauliflower had absolutely NO IDEA.
Meals like this make this low-carb thing much more bearable. I feel like I can eat normal food instead of cooking two separate meals. Plus, I can eat a lot of more since cauliflower is GOOD for me, right?
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