Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf

As promised, another quinoa recipe for you.  Quinoa was the ingredient of the week this week.  First we had the Quinoa Protein Bars - a little something healthy but sweet for an after school or mid morning snack.  Now we have the quinoa turkey meatloaf, a savory, hearty dinner that is easy to make.  This is especially true if you prep your quinoa on your plan and prep day and keep it stored in the fridge until you are ready to make this meatloaf.  We really liked this recipe.  The quinoa gave it a great texture and seemed to make it more filling.  Even the boy who doesn't like meatloaf and loathes turkey meatloaf declared it "not bad".  I'll take that as a win.

It is hard to make meatloaf look good!  It tastes great though.

1/4 cup quinoa   
1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon BBQ sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce       

1egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

1.   Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.   Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.

4.   Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, BBQ sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf in an 8x8 baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.

5.   Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Quin.....what? Quinoa - Healthy Super Food

Maybe you have heard of quinoa already and maybe you know about all the great health benefits and recipes you can make with quinoa.  If you are like me, maybe you had heard of it but never tried it - or maybe you haven't even heard of it.  I am going to give you a little bit of information about quinoa, some benefits of using it, and give you a recipe or two so you can try it out yourself.

Quinoa looks similar to couscous and can be used like rice.  It is a seed rather than a grain, packed with protein and has a rich slightly nutty flavor.  It is gluten free and not known to be an allergenic food.  Quinoa has a bitter coating and must be soaked to remove the coating before using it.  You can find ready to cook, pre-soaked quinoa (it is a little more expensive) so be sure to check the package and soak it if needed.  You can find quinoa at whole foods or health foods stores but you can also find it at Kroger or Walmart in the organic/natural food sections.

What are the benefits of Quinoa?      
                                     
1) Considered a complete protein full of essential amino acids.

2) Contains twice the fiber of other grains.

3) Contains Iron and Lysine.

4) Rich in Magnesium and high in Riboflavin.

5) Versatile enough for any meal of the day.




Recipes using Quinoa:

  Quinoa Protein Bars (as taken from my coach, melaniemitro.blogspot.com)

2 cups cooked quinoa
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
3 Tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats
1 banana mashed
1 egg                                                 1/2 cup chocolate chunks (I used Hershey's Special Dark chips)                                                             1/2 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (I omitted the coconut)                                                       Mix first 4 ingredients well. Add next five ingredients, spread out on parchment paper lined pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

The Quinoa was still warm when I mixed in the peanut butter and honey so that made the mixing really easy. It was also still warm when I mixed in the chocolate, so I got some full chips but I also got quite a bit of melted chocolate too.  That is why the tops of the bars look so dark.  These aren't like granola bars, they aren't crunchy and I don't know if they would get crunchy even if you cooked them longer.  They were good though, so good I will have to limit myself on how many I eat.  I ended up with about 15 bars cut from a 9x11 pan.  They were about 160 calories per bar; due in large part to the peanut butter and chocolate chips.  I may try these with some different ingredients to see if I can get the calorie count down without sacrificing taste and nutrition.  Ultimately, these bars will be great for snacking or even a breakfast on the go, and they will make a good addition to the cooler for wrestling tournaments.

I will add another recipe using quinoa soon.  Originally I had plans to use a recipe that I have tried before but don't have a picture of the finished product.  Instead, I found something different I want to try and I will have a picture of that.  Ohhhh, the family is in for a treat!  Stay tuned.....