special for massagedoula-meatloaf craving

[Briza]

Bear with me because I don't follow recipes often because I used to work as a cook in a kitchen and I just learned to throw stuff together, hopefully to mine and others' liking!

Lean ground sirloin beef, chicken, or turkey (I personally prefer the beef or you can do a combo of a couple of those...for me the chick or turk by itself is too heavy in my stomach)
Grated carrots
Grated or chopped zucchini and/or squash
Grated cabbage
And just about any grated or chopped veggie you like
Diced onions (IC optional...if you sautee first in olive oil maybe fewer probs?)
Minced garlic (IC optional...same as onions above)
2 egg whites ( or one whole egg, I just don't care for the yolks)
Season with salt, pepper, and any dried or fresh herbs YOU can tolerate( I like dried or fresh oregano, parsely, basil)
Sometimes I throw in some plain breadcrumbs or crushed saltine crackers, but usually I forget, doesn't matter lol)
Mix all together lightly by hand but don't mush it together, otherwise it will be just mush
.

How much of each of the above ingredients?? ...just depends on how big the dish is that you are going to cook it in! Personally, my meatloaf tends to have just as much veggies in it as meat, sometimes more veggies than meat, and I like to cook it in a muffin pan so I get little meatloaf muffins...they cook faster that way.

Can't remember if I spray or oil the pan with just a little olive oil first, probably so to be safe, esp if you use a muffin pan.

Ok, after you've put the mixture in whatever dish you're going to cook in, sprinkle plenty of bread crumbs on top. Cook at 350 degrees til done and tops/breadcrumbs are nice and toasty brown. Very yummy

Oh, if you use a muffin pan and any of the tins are empty, fill those with some water so the pan doesn't burn.

[ljharris]

I love that you use muffin pans - that's a great idea!

[Golden Girl]

I tried making your meatloaf Briza but it fell apart and would not slice. I used about 1.3 pounds 96% lean beef, and I definately used an egg plus one extra white and some of the veges you suggested. In my previous life, meaning pre-IC I never had this problem with my meatloaf's which of course had some tomatoes in them. Any ideas why this is happening now?

[Briza]

Yes, I will admit that my meatloaf does not slice well...it does tend to crumble which is why I usually make it in the muffin pan or a shallow dish like a cake or pie pan or shallow pyrex casserole or quiche dish rather than a loaf pan!!! I should have warned about that. Sorry!!:)

I don't think lack of tomato or ketchup or tomato sauce or paste has anything to do with the falling-apart texture....probably more egg and crushed crackers or bread crumps mixed in would help??? Those are the things that coagulate and help it all stick togehter better.... But I use soooo much veggies in mine I think that is the main reason it doesn't slice well...you are absolutely right.

But when I make it in muffin pan and cook very well they tend to hold the shape better, and still be very moist b/c all the grated squash and carrot have a lot of water that releases while cooking. Where I live here on the coast there is salt in air and HIGH humidity, which has caused all my loaf pans to rust..they are practically disposable where I live. So finally I just threw them all out lol and use the one good muffin pan I have and other good baking pans and shallow dishes to cook meatloaf in, so maybe I should not advertise it as meatloaf since it has been long time since I used a loaf pan to cook it in :)

If I use one of the shallow pans I can cut out 2+ inch high squares of my meatloaf that hold together better than a loaf slice would, but even if they are still pretty crumbly.

Anyway, no one ever taught me how to make meatloaf good and proper even before IC, so I have been on my own for that so this recipe I just throw any of the stuff in that I mentioned and hope for the best lol and definitely the excess of veggies that I use can cause more moisture and make it unfit for actual slicing....tho I hope yours was at least edible, if not sliceable?? ;)