Recipe: Meatloaf (Flexible and Low in Calories)

This meal may not include grandma’s meatloaf recipe, but it is a healthy substitute and not bad tasting either!

Category: Beef
Prep Time: Approximately 1 3/4 Hour
Cooking Style: Conventional Oven
Complexity: Easy
Servings: 4
Date: January 2, 2009

2	lbs	Ground Beef, Lean	Use Venison or burger from ground round or sirloin
1	ea	Red Onion (small)	Chopped into small pieces
1	tsp	Garlic (Fresh)	Ground
1	ea	Green Pepper	Chopped into 1/4” pieces
1	ea	Petite Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz can)
1	cup	Applesauce
1	ea	Rosemary (Fresh Approx. 5" Sprig)	Pull little leaves off the vine
1 1/2	Tbs	Honey Mustard
1	Cup	Ketchup
2	tsp	Horseradish - 100%
1	Cup	Chicken Broth
		Non-Stick Cooking Spray

SMART POINTS!

1. Instead of using 2 pounds of beef, use 1 pound of beef with 1 pound of sausage flavored vegetable textured product. It will add to the flavor and cut back on the red meat. Or, if you want to make this into a vegetarian dish, use all vegetable textured product (Half regular and half sausage flavored).

2. Optional Items: This meatloaf is lean and doesn’t hold together well (This doesn’t bother me since it tastes good). I wrote the recipe to be low in calories and carbohydrates to eat while on the Cabbage Soup Diet beef day. If this bothers you, and you don’t mind the added calories, I recommend adding 1 cup of egg substitute (or whites from free range chickens) and 1 cup of breadcrumbs (seasoned or plain). The loaf will hold together better.

3. If you grow or purchase fresh herbs, to preserve the excess herbs, vacuum pack and freeze them.

Meatloaf: Mix the ground meat, garlic, tomatoes, applesauce, rosemary, and honey mustard and set aside. If you see juices forming in the bottom of the bowl, discard. Sometimes you see blood from the meat; I like to discard the blood. (Mix in the optional items from the SMART POINTS! section if you decided to use them.)

Onions and Green Pepper: Sauté the onions and green peppers in 1 cup of the chicken broth until vegetables are soft. When finished, mix into the meatloaf mixture.

Preparing for the Oven: Spay non-stick cooking spray on loaf pan. Place meat mixture in the pan and cover it with foil being careful on to touch the meat. Insert several vent holes in the foil.

Cooking:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place loaf pan on a cookie sheet lined with foil (to catch spillage) and in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
3. Remove foil and discard any extra juices.
4. Return loaf to oven without the foil and bake for 15 minutes to brown slightly.
5. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 15 minutes.

Horseradish Sauce: Mix ketchup with horseradish and set aside.

Serve with horseradish sauce over meatloaf.

Enjoy!

Shef D