Cooking & Baking
Related: About this forumMeatloaf experiment
We love us some meatloaf, but I'm trying to lower the fat and calorie count in fitting with our new 'lifestyle' (read diet)
so at the store today I picked up a pound of 4% fat burger, a pound of ground turkey and in place of the Jimmy Dean ground sausage i usually use (2 # beef to 1 # sausage) i picked up some extra lean ground pork.
I'm thinking i'm gonna have to up the spices a bit to take the place of the sausage, so sage and what else??
I usually don't have to spice it up too much, but i'm open to spice suggestions so what do you use in YOUR meatloaf??
I'm going to mince a white onion and red bell pepper, add some bread crumbs and a couple eggs to hold it together, i usually add some dried mustard and some garlic, worchestershire sauce, tomato sauce and of course salt and pepper.
any other suggestions are very happily accepted
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)thanks!
I'm gonna be heading in there in a few minutes to 'stir it up'
Denninmi
(6,581 posts)My question, though -- will it be too dry. Since you've eliminated a lot of the fat, do you think it will have enough moisture in it?
Not that I have any idea about how to augment the moisture level, mind you.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)i may have to try that on this round.......
Stinky The Clown
(67,799 posts)The ice helps the meat hold together by keeping the fat content cold.
The ice stays in the meat while cooking. It melts and adds moisture to the meat. Near the surface, it also tends to steam the meat, helping heat migrate inward and cooking slighty faster.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)my hands wouldn't freeze working it in...
hi Stink!!
Whisp
(24,096 posts)I find it makes the hamburger/meatloaf, etc., really moist. It can get a bit watery so I add a little more breadcrumbs to offset.
Actually I never use breadcrumbs - I stick some soda crackers in a zip lock and roller pin them to smithereens and use that.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)i just didn't do it with this batch.
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)Do not add extra breadcrumbs as a filler, they will dry it out worse.
Recommendation for moisture, spice, and flavor: add a one-pound jar of salsa to every three pounds of meat.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)dunno about the salsa though we already do a lot of salsa based stuff here in New Mexico.
i'm going more for a midwest taste...
maybe just stewed tomatoes..
Pab Sungenis
(9,612 posts)I usually use salsa as a shortcut so I don't have to dice up onions, peppers, and other chunkies.
kurtzapril4
(1,353 posts)a pomade(I think that's what it's called), which makes all mixed meaty things juicy. All it is is a slice or two of bread(crusts removed) mixed with enough milk to form a paste. Mix into your meatloaf mix as usual.
I make my meatloaf with 95% lean beef and ground chicken. I add garlic powder, onion powder, egg beaters, fresh cracked black pepper, and about a half a cup of A-1 sauce.
Then I make a barbecue-type sauce to put over it made of ketchup, A-1, and a little brown sugar. I put it on in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
WhollyHeretic
(4,074 posts)Egg beaters are a dieters best friend. A lot less calories, no fat, and still all the protein.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)i did plan on adding real eggs but the eggbeaters is a great idea in the future
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)the above mentioned meat products
1 white onion, chopped small
1.5 tsp dried sage
1.5 tsp thyme
garlic salt
tsp dried mustard
2 tsp mild hot sauce
2 TBSP worchestershire
11 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
small can of tomato sauce
3/4 cup oatmeal
about 2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (maybe more)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
it's in the fridge now, i'm gonna let it chill for a couple hours then bake
hope it's gonna be a loaf, it was kinda wet......
and if you have one of these danish dough hooks, they are the BEST for making meatloaf without freezing and yucking up your hands...
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)I've never tried to buy it, so I don't know. Do you basically have to eyeball the stuff when you buy it or does the package come with specs?
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)marketed by "Farmer John" (sic) and is marked "Ground Pork Extra Lean"
here's a link to their webpage with nutrition info
http://farmerjohn.com/products/fresh-pork/
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)PADemD
(4,482 posts)I use McCormick Perfect Pinch Original All-Purpose Salt Free Seasoning
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I also used the mix to make burgers that were a big hit with the family, too.
My ingredients were:
Ground beef, diced garlic, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, green chilis, and lots of fresh zucchini, with a little bit of tomato paste or sauce.
I'd mix all of that up and some crumbled bread, maybe an egg to bind it together. I'd also add some seasoned pepper but no salt.
Everyone loved it. There was another thing I made with ground beef that you might want to try if you're not into the vegetables.
I used to make meatballs with sourdough bread crumbled in, and lots of parmesan cheese, parsley and minced garlic. Then fried them in olive oil until they were golden brown and had a hard time fighting off the crew as they cooled off on paper towels. Most of them didn't make it to the marinara sauce.
If you really would like to cut the calories and fat down, I'd suggest grinding portabellos, mixing them with spinach and tomatoes, feta or parmesan and bread crumbs, and going that route as a meatloaf.
You might want to add an egg but I don't think it's necessary on any of the recipes I just wrote. The amount of bread might do the trick. If it's in a pan, it'll nearly fall apart when served. The more binding the better it'll slice.
Some people like them seasoned like Swedish meatballs, that's very different from my varieties were. Very heavy on the tomatoes was my method which created with the oil from the meat (which you could get with adding olive oil if you want) to almost make a sauce for the vegetables you serve with it or mashed potatoes, etc.
Good luck with your meal.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)but it was $2.49 a pound
your ideas sound wonderful, I put the recipe I used in post # 9 here, it's baking now, I'll be back with a review in a couple hours
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)would i want to peel it and salt it and let it set? like i do if i'm doing parmesan or just grate it and rock and roll??
maddezmom
(135,060 posts)put it on some paper towel or a flour sack before adding to the meat mixture. But if they are little ones I've just diced and thrown in. I've done this a few times with meatloaf and meat balls and my kids never noticed the difference.
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I use it to make a sort of cornbread dressing recipe for less carbs that I posted in the Lounge around Christmas.
And some have recommended carrots and I've shredded them and added them along with spinach to some recipes.
Thanks for all the great ideas, everyone!
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)Angry Dragon
(36,693 posts)grasswire
(50,130 posts)I spose that would work for your moisture. Oatmeal, diced onion, poultry seasoning, S&P, milk, eggs.
pengillian101
(2,351 posts)Soaking the oatmeal or bread crumbs or crackers in milk works good. (That's my bland midwestern style.)
But reading this thread, the idea of SALSA sounds great! I think I'll try it next time.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)seemed to work great!
freshwest
(53,661 posts)I think the more sage the better, no matter what.
NMDemDist2
(49,313 posts)the texture came out very good, but not spicy enough. I had very little of the sage and thyme left in the bottles, so i didn't have much choice on the amounts, but they should have been doubled at least. and some basil would have been good in there too. that being said...
the texture was the best i've gotten in a long time, it held it's shape excellently! i'm wondering if the yogurt was the secret there.....???
since it was 3# of meat, i did two loaves, both in a standard 9.5" bread loaf pan, one with just a foil liner, one in my meatloaf draining insert. both methods worked fine and the loaf held together beautifully
it wasn't dry at all, i took it out of the oven at 165 degrees and let it rest for about 10 minutes
here's the recipe again (all measurements are approximate, toss a little of this and a lot of that), but tweak those spices up big time!
1# ground turkey
1# hamburger (4% fat)
1# extra lean ground pork
1 white onion, chopped small
1.5 tsp dried sage
1.5 tsp thyme
garlic salt
2 tsp dried mustard
2 tsp mild hot sauce
2 TBSP worchestershire
11 oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
small can of tomato sauce
3/4 cup oatmeal
about 2/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (maybe more)
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
form loaves, cover top with Chili Sauce or Ketchup
Bake at 350 for an hour, then 375 for 20 minutes (why did it take so long?? but it did)