Meal # 10 ~ Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf

Another quinoa recipe for ya! I've never made a meatloaf before, and I didn't mess up the recipe this time! I double checked and triple checked my amounts! Ha ha.

Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf

Ingredients:
1/4 c quinoa
1/2 c water
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, chopped
20 oz ground turkey (I used ground beef instead because it was on sale this week)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon water

1. Rinse quinoa with water until water runs clear. Bring quinoa & water to a boil at high heat. Reduce to medium heat and cover until water is absorbed (about 15 min). Set aside and let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. Heat oil in skillet and add onions. Cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside and let cool.

4. Combine brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce, & water in a small bowl.

5. In a large, separate bowl, mix turkey, quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, egg, salt and pepper in a big bowl. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet.

I have a real issue with raw meat -- I hate touching it! ha ha. I had my sous chef (aka hubby) mix by hand!!

6. Pour brown sugar paste over meatloaf.

7. Bake until center is no longer pink in center & a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. The recipe says to bake for about 50 minutes, but ours took closer to 60-65 minutes, possibly because we had another dish in the oven at the same time (?). Let cool for 10 min before slicing and serving.

Connor's appetizer of carrots!

Our Monday night dinner consisted of meatloaf, corn pudding (a family recipe), & okra with cheese & crumbled crackers on top (recipe Ryan made up on the spot). This was the first time we've made okra.

The verdict: The meatloaf was great and tasted like any other meatloaf!! We will make this again! For those of you who are curious...the okra was 'okay'. Maybe we didn't prepare it the best way, but we won't make it again.

Link to Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf recipe