Turkey Meatloaf

Valentine's...a day for love. A love of meat! Mmm....meatloaf. It's like meat. In a loaf. With other yumminess. What's not to love?

Unfortunately, a lot of that yumminess is not friendly to an anti-Candida diet. And with all the hidden high fructose corn syrup and other chemicals in many traditional ingredients, most of the rest of us could stand to partake of a healthier version.

I really missed it, but I didn't want to compromise something I had enjoyed so much previously. It took me a long time to find a meatloaf I liked originally (I tend to enjoy beef un-ground), and when I did, I wanted it to be ketchup and Worcester sauce indulgent. Replacing those flavors became a little bit easier when I added yacon syrup to the mix. It gave me back a bit of sweetness that I craved to complement the tomato flavor.

There were a lot of ACD meatloaf recipes to go through, but none of them really captured what I remembered. There were flavors and textures (breadcrumbs, especially) that I just didn't see accounted for. So throwing caution to the wind, I decided to pick some from column A and B, smush it together and throw it in the oven. And the result was...well, meatloaf! Firm but moist, speckled with veggies and topped off with a sweet tomato sauce. It may still be tweakable, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. What do ya'll love in your meatloaf? I'd love to hear ideas to improve this recipe.



But if you would rather just get to the eating, by all means, read on and get in the kitchen! :D


Turkey Meatloaf

Ingredients

Meatloaf
1 lb. ground turkey (I use the mixed for the better fat content)
1/2 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
Garlic salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
1 egg
2 heaping Tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp yacon syrup
1 heaping Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 c puffed rice, crushed (I do mine in a food processor. It doesn't have to be super fine.)

Tomato Sauce
The rest of the can of tomato paste
1 tsp yacon syrup
1 tsp Bragg's liquid aminos
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and mix the ground turkey with onion, celery, garlic, salt, garlic salt, and pepper. Add the egg, Greek yogurt, yacon syrup and tomato paste. Mix in the crushed puffed rice and pour into loaf pan or 8x8 inch baking dish*. Cook for 25-30 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the rest of the tomato paste, yacon syrup, liquid aminos, salt and pepper. Remvoe the loaf from the oven. At this point I prefer to sop up some of the grease from the sides with a paper towel. Then smear the tomato mixture over the top and return the loaf to the over for an additional 25-30 minutes. Remove and let the loaf rest for 5 minutes before taking it out of the pan. Slice and serve!

*I make mine in a mini-loaf pan and it makes 3 loaves. I fill the fourth section half-way up with water to prevent burning the pan. Depending on the depth and size of your pan, the cook time may change.



I understand that everyone may not share my love of tomato-y meatloaf, but this recipe can easily work with gravy or on its own. I hope you all are able to enjoy some hearty meatloaf soon, sugar- and gluten-free!