Nourishing Traditions Meatloaf. Mmm.

I have to thank my Mom for this one.

My Mom, and Sally Fallon, the author of Nourishing Traditions.

My Mom, Sally Fallon, and Rhonda at Down to Earth that originally posted this recipe.

Whew.  That was a lot of thanks.

Anyway, it's been a few days since I've posted a recipe for ya.  And, as I say with all my recipes, this is a good one.  An amazingly delicious one, actually.  I made it for dinner last night with an Italian rice pilaf and a spinach avocado salad.  Let's just say, this is one fat, happy Mama.

Spicy Meat Loaf
(My adaptation of the Nourishing Traditions recipe)

You will need:
 - 2 pounds of ground meat (I used 1 lb. natural pork and 1 lb. organic beef)
 - 1 medium onion, diced into small bits
 - 2 carrots, shredded
 - 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
 - 3 tablespoons butter
 - 1 teaspoon dried thyme
 - 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes)
 - 1 teaspoon sea salt
 - 1 1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs (I just crumbled some stale bread, plus added some oatmeal to bring it up to the correct amount) - Use what ya got baby!
 - 1/2 cup whole milk
 - 1 egg
 - 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Step One:  Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion, shredded carrots, and diced celery.  Cook until nice and soft.  Then add the salt, thyme, and cayenne.  Stir, stir baby.

Step Two:  While the veggies are cooking, mix the bread crumbs, milk, and egg together in a bowl.  Don't do what I did and do it in a tupperware, which could make the following steps much more difficult.

Step Three:  Once the veggies are cooked and slightly cooled, mix them into the milk/egg/breadcrumb mixture.  Then, add your meat.  And your fish sauce.  Mix with your hands - it's just easier that way.

Mmmm....raw meat.  Yum.

Step Four:  Shape the mound of meat into a nice little loaf and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until cooked thoroughly.

Actually, it's not a nice little loaf.  It's a nice giant loaf. 

We're going to be able to get three meals out of this boy.  Whoop whoop!  I love when I get to look forward to meatloaf sandwiches in my lunch bag!  Small pleasures, my friends.  Small pleasures.

Thank you Mom.  And Sally.  And Rhonda.  For this delicious recipe.  It's such a moist and tasty meatloaf - truly, the moistest I've ever had.  It was flavorful in all the right ways.  Heck, it didn't even need ketchup.  As much as I loved my previous recipe, this one was far more moist AND flavorful.  Plus, it eliminated some of the sketchy ingredients that can be used in a meatloaf and really sticks to the basics that we keep on hand.  Give it a shot - let me know what you think!  The original recipe also called for a 1/2 cup of ground heart, so feel free to add that in if you like!  Nothin' like ground heart to put some hair on your chest.

Stuart was so happy while we were eating this.  He had his favorite pilaf, and avocado, and more meatloaf than he could eat, AND a small glass of Aberlour scotch.  Plus, his two favorite ladies.

(Me and Georgia - of course).

God is good!

For other great meal ideas, no matter what your dietary restrictions, check out the meal planning service I use: Real Plans.

Spicy Meat Loaf

(My adaptation of the Nourishing Traditions recipe)

• 2 pounds ground meat ((I used 1 lb. natural pork and 1 lb. organic beef))
• 1 medium onion, diced into small bits
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper ((or 1/4 teaspoon dried chili flakes))
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 ½ cup whole grain bread crumbs ((I just crumbled some stale bread, plus added some oatmeal to bring it up to the correct amount) – Use what ya got baby!)
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the onion, shredded carrots, and diced celery.  Cook until nice and soft.  Then add the salt, thyme, and cayenne.  Stir, stir baby.

2. While the veggies are cooking, mix the bread crumbs, milk, and egg together in a bowl.  Don't do what I did and do it in a tupperware, which could make the following steps much more difficult.

3.  Once the veggies are cooked and slightly cooled, mix them into the milk/egg/breadcrumb mixture.  Then, add your meat.  And your fish sauce.  Mix with your hands – it's just easier that way.

4. Shape the mound of meat into a nice little loaf and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour and a half, or until cooked thoroughly.