Tosca Says...

"It is the food that we eat which is responsible for shaping such a vast array of body types. Yes, the food!" - Tosca Reno, Author of The Eat Clean Diet

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Recipe: Clean Eating Meatloaf

Before I started eating clean, I could make a killer meatloaf. I probably made it weekly when my son was a toddler. (It was, by far, his favorite dish!) No recipe. Just the BGABG method (that's "by guess and by gosh"- in case you're wondering - and my grandmother's favorite way to cook.)

Even before I knew what clean eating was I had vowed to stay away from ground beef, thanks to watching this clip from Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution." (Warning: This video will probably turn your stomach. It did mine, at least. You may want to watch it before consuming a large meal.)

The alternative to buying your ground beef pre-ground, and the only way to guarantee your beef is "slime"-free, is to have it ground by a butcher right in front of you. You pick the cut, ask them to grind it and they will, free of charge. But even the leanest of cuts aren't has good for you as my preferred alternative: bison.

If you've never had bison, I implore you to try it. Soon. Order a bison burger next time you're at a restaurant that offers it. (Generally, a restaurant that has bison on the menu will do a really great job preparing it, so I'm pretty sure you won't be sorry!) Let me know how that taste test turns out for you.

I tell you all of this as a basis for the recipe below; because, since I don't use ground beef anymore, the recipe calls for - you guessed it - ground bison! I find it at my local Harris Teeter, BJs or Whole Foods. It's definitely more expensive, but I'd rather spend more on quality and nutritious than pennies on slime. As with most things, you get what you pay for. Just sayin'.

I'd love to hear how you like this recipe! If you make it, drop me a note to tell me how it was!

Recipe: Clean Eating Meatloaf
Serves: 6-8
Nutritional Info (Per Serving, based on 8 servings)
Calories: 315
Carbs: 13
Fat: 19
Protein: 25

Ingredients:
2 pounds Ground Bison
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 Large Eggs, beaten
3 oz. Greek Yogurt, Plain
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 Cup Brown Rice, Cooked
2 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp Ground Pepper
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried ground garlic

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a standard loaf pan with olive oil. Put all ingredients into mixing bowl except bison. Mix well. Add bison and mix together until incorporated. (When working with raw ground meat, I wear disposable plastic kitchen gloves. Just FYI.) Put mixture into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, or until center measures at least 165 degrees. (I actually cook mine to around 175 degrees.) Let sit 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.


Note: I end up with quite a bit of juice on the bottom half of the loaf pan. You can either drizzle this on top once you have plated your serving(s) or, do like my kids, and top with ketchup. While not necessarily clean, I make sure to have an Organic Ketchup available without any HFCS (high fructose corn syrup.)

Enjoy!