My beloved husband also dearly loves food! Thankfully I chose someone to share my life, who is not a picky eater. This is good because A: I get bored eating the same old thing all the time, and B: he doesn't gripe about me making more Paleo friendly fare. He is perfectly happy to be my food guinea pig. Deep in his soul, however, he is a typical "manly man"; meaning he loves meat, and potatoes. He'll gladly eat fish and seafood, and he loved the veggie pasta the other night as much as I did; but every so often he needs red meat (no really, you can almost hear the "caveman" speech running through his head).
So tonight I decided to play to his appetite, and made a Paleo Meatloaf.
To be honest, it isn't hard to do. Meatloaf is almost Paleo all on its own! It involves beef, egg and spices. Some include bread crumbs, which I've obviously omitted here. The struggle with meatloaf is finding something to top it with. I have also solved that problem this evening...and made my own ketchup-like topping.
In an effort to cut out even more fat, I replaced some of the ground beef with ground turkey (what Hubby doesn't know wont hurt him). You can eliminate the beef entirely, if you're into that kind of thing.
Again, in my vast experience, I have learned that many savory dishes benefit from just a touch of added sweetness. My preferred sweetener (which should not be used often if you can help it) is Truvia. It is a form of the natural sweetener Stevia, but I like the taste better. There's just a pinch added here.
The pan(s) you choose to use for baking your meatloaf are important, because they can alter the cook time. I usually use my Pampered Chef stoneware loaf pan. In that case I put it in the oven when I first turn it on, so it slowly heats up, and is then hot when I put the mixture in. The bake time listed below is pretty accurate for that; depending on your oven you may have to add 10 more minutes or so. If you choose to use a metal loaf pan (or pans), you can put those in without being preheated, and the cooktime is also accurate. Tonight, I chose the muffin tin method (Hubby, in a slip of the tongue nicknamed these "Meaty Muffaloes" What he meant to say, I have no idea); because I wanted individual meatloaves (which also freeze very nicely if you want to save some for another meal). Always grease your pans, or your meat will stick like tar to a mammoth (HA, get the caveman reference?!). The cook time for these is a bit less, since they are not as dense; I would start with 40 minutes, and increase from there as needed. However long you are baking, you want to make sure your topping looks nicely glazed, and is tacky; you don't want it crunchy or blackening.
I also mentioned "potatoes". Clearly I am not making those, as they are very carb heavy and new "lifestyle" unfriendly.
Thankfully for everybody (myself included, because I do love potatoes), there are some handy potato alternatives. My favorite is cauliflower. Saying that, I can see my father looking down from [wherever you believe people go when they pass away] with a completely astonished expression. Why? Because I always professed to hate cauliflower. And I did hate it, for a very long time. In the wisdom that comes with age, I have changed that opinion. It nicely takes in the flavors of whatever you're cooking it with. And it can have so many versatile textures! I use it to make "mac" and cheese, I make cauliflower rice, I slice it into "steaks", and I mash it like potatoes.
As accompaniment to this meal, I recommend Mashed Cauliflower or Baked Cauliflower.
For the mash, make it just like you would mashed potatoes. If you are unclear how to make mashed potatoes...well....look it up, or ask, and I will post a recipe.
For the baked cauliflower, I've included the recipe below. Note: The baked cauliflower can bake right alongside your meatloaf, so everything comes out at the same time! Neat huh?
I must admit....sometimes I'm in a "meat and potatoes" mood too!
Paleo Meatloaf
Ingredients:
2 lbs 93% lean ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
2T coconut flour
1c diced white onion
8 cloves minced garlic
1/2c bell pepper - diced
1C red sauce (1/2 c mixed in, 1/2c reserved for top) *directions for sauce below
1 egg -beaten
1t salt
1/4t pepper
pinch of Truvia
*Directions for Sauce:
Mix:
6oz can tomato paste
4T vinegar
1/4t dried mustard
1/2c water
1/2t salt
1t cayenne pepper
1/2T garlic powder
1/4 t black pepper
squirt of lemon
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in bowl, except 1/2c red sauce. Knead and mix by hand (its the best method, trust me). Shape into oiled loaf pan. Top with remaining red sauce. Bake at 350 for 1 hr 30 min. (Or see note on muffin tins)
Twice Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients:
1 large head cauliflower
4 oz. low fat cream cheese (do not use fat free)(you can use plain, or savory flavored)
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1/4 cup minced green onions
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (If you only have finely grated Parmesan, use a bit less)
6 slices bacon, cooked until very crisp, fat blotted with paper towel and then crumbled
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces. Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft. Drain well and mash with potato masher, leaving some chunks. Mix in cream cheese, yogurt, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon.
Spread evenly in a medium-sized glass casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and reserved bacon. Bake 30-35 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
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