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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Attempting to cook meatloaf

It's so cold and wet. We need the kind of food that sticks today, so I'm making meatloaf (not pictured, because we all know meatloaf is hideous) and cornbread (which IS beautiful)...
But this is a new meatloaf recipe and I am scared it won't turn out well. If you have a good meatloaf recipe, will you post it in the comments section here?

I have a vegan one that I will post that is fabulous.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Libby,
    I make it with turkey and it is an attempt to recreate my grandma's marvelous meatloaf. I made one last week and it was the best yet!
    We are gluten free, so we use G-F breadcrumbs, but you could use regular ones.

    1 package ground turkey (not the super lean kind, it gets too dry) I like Jennie o or Fosters Farms
    1 egg
    1 medium zucchini (coursely grated)
    1 apple (coursely grated) not a green one.
    salt, pepper, 21 seasoning salute from tj's to taste
    healthy handful of breadcrumbs. (maybe 1/2 cup?)
    I'm not good at measuring, but the breadcrumbs are added last and help bind the mixture together. use more oar less as needed for consistency.

    Mix ketchup with brown sugar for topping.

    Mix all top ingedients together in a big bowl. Preheat oven to 400.
    Form meat mixture into a loaf in a baking dish and paint on ketchup mixture to cover entire loaf. Saving some to add near end of cooking time.

    Bake about 1 hour. Checking for doneness. Sometimes it takes a bit longer because of all the liquid in the apples.

    Enjoy!
    Let me know if it works.... Like I said, it's still in experimental stages. But it's getting very close to perfection
    Be well,
    Karen

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  2. I made this one up, using the program created by Jennifer McCann for the Vegan Lunch Box Blog (check it out, it's great!)

    Ingredients:

    1/2 cup almonds
    2 TB olive oil
    One onion, diced
    One large garlic clove, minced
    Two celery ribs, diced
    One cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
    2 cups cooked black beans
    1 cup cooked brown rice
    1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth, as needed
    1/2 cup cooked oatmeal
    1 tsp. dried basil
    1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
    1/4 tsp. dried oregano
    1 tsp. ground cumin
    1 tsp. Italian seasoning
    1 tsp. salt

    Directions:

    Preheat the oven to 350º. Spray a loaf pan or 8x8 square baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside (an 8x8 pan makes a crisper loaf).

    Grind the almonds into a coarse meal using a food processor or spice/coffee grinder. Place in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

    Sauté any vegetables you've chosen in the olive oil until soft. Add to the large mixing bowl along with all the remaining ingredients. Mix and mash together well, adding only as much liquid as needed to create a soft, moist loaf that holds together and is not runny (you may not need to add any liquid if the grains and protein are very moist). Add more binder/carbohydrate as needed if the loaf seems too wet.

    Press mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until cooked through.

    Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes, then turn out onto a plate or platter and slice. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and vegetarian gravy, if desired.

    Cold leftover slices of make a great sandwich filling.

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  3. ps- my awesome cornbread is SO easy.
    combine all the ingredients on both a corn muffin mix box and a yellow cake mix box - and cook until yummy

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  4. Hey Liberty -
    This is a super easy always perfect meatloaf - I can't say I came up with it - I got it off the internet about two years ago and without fail it is a adult and kid pleaser...
    2lbs Ground Beef (don't go too healthy here...80-20 is to die for)
    1 egg
    1 pkg. onion soup mix
    and here is the kicker...
    1 can of evaporated milk (12oz)
    I mix everything but the meat first and then add the meat (This is the gross part - you really need to mix the meat into the liquid...it will resemble meat soup and you will think it will never firm up without bread crumbs... but it does and is totally gluten free because of that) Bake at 350 for about an hour or so depending on your oven and what kind of loaf pan you use. Since I freeze a good portion of it I cook it rare so where I reheat in Micro it's still tasty. Just made it for a potluck where we had lots of kids and it's was the first dish gone... good luck - xoxo Liz

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  5. Turkey Meatloaf

    16 oz ground turkey
    1 cup red peppers, chopped
    1/2 medium-sized onion
    1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated (up to 1/2 cup according to your liking)
    2 tsp worcestershire sauce
    1 tsp paprika
    1 tsp cayenne pepper
    1 tbsp garlic powder
    1 tbsp onion powder
    Dash of salt
    1 large egg
    1 tsp black pepper



    Directions
    Start by placing the ground turkey, onions and peppers in the bowl.
    Add paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, a dash of salt and ground black pepper.
    Add the worcestershire sauce and one egg and work the spices through the meat mixture with your hands or a large spoon or fork. Add your grated parmesan cheese.
    Then add the meat to a loaf pan and pat down into a loaf. Place your loaf pan on a baking sheet and place in a 350 degree oven for approximately 35-45 minutes.
    You will able to tell the meatloaf is done by the color and you will see the clear juices bubbling around the edges of the meatloaf.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm a little ashamed to admit this, but I usually go to the butcher at my high-falutin grocery store and get their meatloaf mix. The meat and spices are all mixed already - all you do is plop it in the pan and cook it (they even tell you how on the label).

    I also use the meatloaf mix to make meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs.

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite meatloaf that I make most often is from Everyday Food Magazine. It's really easy and always great.
    http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/classic-meatloaf
    Sometimes I don't put the garlic in :) I'm also getting the exact recipe from the Kitchen Sink Meatloaf I put on my blog. I hope that wasn't the one you tried and it didn't come out because I didn't have the exact recipe!!! It is also a huge hit in our house!! I'll send it along when I get it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The recipe I love most and use often is from Everyday Food
    http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/classic-meatloaf

    Sometimes I leave out the garlic.

    Also, I got the exact recipe for the Kitchen Sink Meatloaf from my friend - I hope that isn't the one you tried from my blog and it failed!!! I didn't have the exact recipe posted, but here it is. It is awesome and the kids love it!

    one to one and a half pounds of ground meat (can be turkey, too)
    one can cambell's abc vegetable soup (beef stock or vegetarian)
    one egg
    1/2 cup bread crumbs
    1/4 cup milk

    worteshire sauce
    seasoning salt
    garlic powder
    minced onions
    all to taste (I use plenty of each)

    ketchup and mustard mixed together

    mix all ingredients except ketchup and mustard mix and shape into loaf. coat with ketchup/mustard mix and back one hour at 350. usually best to let it sit a few minutes before slicing.

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  9. i have a really great recipe i have been using for years that everyone loves. it's actually a weight watchers recipe, but it doesn't taste "diet" (by the way, i don't think there IS such a thing as "diet meatloaf")

    it's called "sassy meatloaf"

    1 pound lean ground beef
    1 1/4 cup salsa
    3/4 cup quick cooking oatmeal
    1 carrot, shredded
    2 plum tomatoes, diced
    1/2 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms

    1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray a loaf pan w/ nonstick cooking spray

    2. in a large bowl, combine beef, salsa, oatmeal, carrot, tomatoes, and mushrooms. shape the mixture into a loaf.

    3. place the loaf in a pan. bake until browned and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean and hot, about one hour and five minutes. let stand about ten minutes before slicing.

    by the way, i am totally trying your cornbread recipe!

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  10. Tom Hatten's Old Fashioned Meatloaf
    (he's a local LA tv/radio guy) He got this recipe way back in 1956 and says it best with EXACT measurements and NEVER to add "improvements."

    Serves 4 nicely (5 in a pinch)
    3 slices, white bread - chopped to crumbs (or use a food processor)
    2 eggs, slightly beaten
    2 pounds ground chuck
    3/4 cup chopped onion
    1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper (I did make an improvement here and used Pasilla peppers because I don't like green bell peppers)
    2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
    2 teaspoons salt
    1/4 cup evaporated milk
    1/4 cup catsup
    1 teaspoon dry mustard

    Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients - then mix mix in all remaining ingredients. Place the mixture in a loaf pan. Bake for one hour


    love, Mom

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