I have been craving meat lately. It sounds so gross and manly, but having meat on occasion is not bad for you! My boyfriend has never had tasty homemade meatloaf so I figured I’d try it out but give it a twist. I did not want to use beef because for some people (like me!) beef can be difficult to digest. I reserve eating beef for the three times a year I eat steak, haha! So, I bought lamb; even though I am very reluctant to buy/eat it for ethical reasons. The only reason why I bought lamb was because I was using mint; which goes just so wonderfully with lamb and can’t really be mimicked. I could not get the lean cut I wanted to have the butcher to grind so I got the packaged ground lamb (the only one I could find). Because of that, I also bought lean ground white meat turkey. I wanted the fat of the lamb, but not too much so I cut it with extra lean turkey.
I found a lamb burger recipe online which only had 3 ingredients so I added more to make it more of a meat loaf. I was so proud of myself after I made this meal because I have never made meatloaf before and I was so scared it was going to come out dry but it was sooooo delicious I think everyone should try it! I suggest serving it with a nice heaping serving of dark mixed greens/spinach salad with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and 1 Tbs. of feta cheese, baby red potatoes with chives, steamed or boiled (recipe below) and tzatziki sauce (recipe below); I love the combination of a steaming hot piece of meatloaf and a cold creamy topping.
Lamb/Turkey Meatloaf
Ingredients
3/4 lb. ground lamb
3/4 lb. ground white meat turkey
1 garlic clove
1/2 shallot
1 Tbs. fresh mint
1 Tbs. fresh cilantro
1 large egg
1/3 cup unseasoned whole wheat breadcrumbs
1 tsp. cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350° and line a loaf pan with non-stick foil.
2. Chop and mince the garlic, shallot, mint and cilantro; put everything in a big bowl.
3. Add lamb, turkey, egg, breadcrumbs, cumin and mix to combine.
4. Form meat into some log and put in loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour; or until a meat thermometer reads 160°-165°. Remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Baby red potatoes with chives
Ingredients
1/2 lb. baby red potatoes, cleaned
unsalted chicken broth
chives, fresh or dried
Directions
1. Put potatoes in a pot and cover with chicken stock. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are fork tender – drain.
2. Put potatoes in a bowl and give a rough slice to the really big ones. Then add olive oil, salt, pepper and chives and serve.
Tzatziki with tomatoes
Ingredients
1 c. plain non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 English cucumber
8 cherry tomatoes
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 Tbs. fresh mint
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Quarter and chop the cucumber, quarter to tomatoes and chop the mint.
2. Put everything in a bowl, mix and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
peace&love
