Quinoa Meatloaf with Sundried Tomatoes

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds and is considered a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal. Nutritionally, quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids and is a good source of protein. It's also a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest, too.

This all makes it a terrific food to add to your every day cooking, which is why I bought the nearly 4 pound bag of Bob's Red Mill Organic Grain Quinoa at Costco. I figured I?d come across a quinoa recipe I would want to make like this one in the Denver Post for Quinoa Turkey Meatloaf.

The recipe comes from Nirmala's Edible Diary: A Hungry Traveler's Cookbook with Recipes from 14 Countries and has more of a Mexican flare since it featured jalapenos and ground cumin. Instead, wanting to use the jar of Mezzetta Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil, I decided to remake it with an Italian flare.

Quinoa Meatloaf with Sundried Tomatoes
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

For the quinoa

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water

For the meatloaf

2 tablespoons extra- virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 8-ounce jar of Mezzetta Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil (Tomatoes drained and chopped into small pieces. Rinse to remove extra oil.)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 pound ground venison (Feel free to use any kind of ground lean meat like beef or turkey.)
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 clove of garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup of egg white substitute
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

To cook quinoa:

Place dried quinoa in a fine-mesh sieve. Rinse and drain well.
In a medium saucepan, combine the drained quinoa and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all of the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

To make meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease a glass loaf pan with a cooking spray.
In a heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and basil and cook 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and mix thoroughly.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour, turn oven off, and let the meatloaf rest for 10 minutes more.
Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Nutrition information from Calorie Count, amount Per Serving

Calories 372
Total Fat 13.9g
Saturated Fat 4.1g
Cholesterol 74mg
Sodium 400mg
Total Carbohydrates 33.1g
Dietary Fiber 4.5g
Sugars 2.8g
Protein 28.3g
Vitamin A 10% RDA
Vitamin C 14% RDA
Calcium 6% RDA
Iron 30% RDA

Nutrition Grade A

Weight Watchers POINTS = 8 (reduce portion size to lower POINTS)

____________________

Disclosure: Mezzetta provided me with a jar of Sun Ripened Dried Tomatoes in Olive Oil to sample.

All links to Amazon.com are affiliate links. A commission may be
earned from a referred sale to their website