Peach Glazed Turkey Meatloaf with Feta & Sun-dried Tomatoes & Coconut Glazed Sweet Potatoes
A delectable dinner abounding with flavor!
Recipe: Prep 2hr. Serves 8
Meatloaf:
1.50 lbs. organic ground turkey 6oz, feta cheese
1/2 cup organic quinoa -cooked 1/4 cup organic flax - freshly ground
2 organic or pastured eggs 1 tbsp. organic garlic - minced
1 small organic onion - diced 5 tsp. fresh sage - minced
8.5oz. organic sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil - 365 brand)
1 tsp. lemon pepper 2 tsp. ground coriander
Meatloaf glaze: 7 oz. organic peach fruit spread (no sugar)
2 tbsp. organic yellow mustard
Sweet Potato with glaze recipe: 1 - 3 lb. bag of organic sweet potatoes
1/2 cup organic coconut sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg - freshly ground/grated
1 cup organic coconut milk
1/2 cup organic butter
24 oz. organic frozen peas or you can use fresh also
Tip: There are two things I advocate before beginning any
recipe.
1. Sink full of soapy water - clean as you go - your hands as
well.
2. Everything that can be prepped needs to be, such as dicing,
mincing, grating, cans opened, etc. That's why it's handy to
have more than one cutting board.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put coconut sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut milk, and butter
into a small saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk as it
heats through until well blended. Turn off heat.
Note: I always use freshly ground/grated nutmeg. Once you
have tried it, you won't go back to preground. It's very simple
and quick to do. I use a typical grater with four sides - use
the smaller grater holes that resemble the larger grater ones.
Or a microplane will work also.
Prepare sweet potatoes by peeling them and then cut in halves -
length wise and then into 3/4 inch halves at an angle.
Add to a large bowl and then pour glaze in and stir well.
Using a rubber spatula, pour into buttered glass casserole dish
- 12 x 9 inch.
Note: I do this as it is easier to insure all is coated well and
the casserole dish stays buttered properly.
Also, I do not like waste, so I use rubber spatulas a lot.
Put into oven for about 40 -45 minutes.
As it continues to bake, stir the the glaze through the sweet potatoes
about 3 different times to coat well.
These will bake about 10 minutes longer than the meatloaf needs
to finish. They will be fork tender.
In the meantime, put turkey into large bowl. Add the eggs, quinoa,
flax, garlic,onion, sage, lemon pepper, coriander, and tomatoes (roughly
chopped - scrape whatever oil is on the cutting board with them).
Mix together well.
Note: Save the jar of tomato oil, as you will need a little for the pan
and you can use the rest for flavor in future sauces - just refrigerate.
Flax - is also better to freshly grind, as preground flax has been
exposed to oxygen longer, which causes polyunsaturated fats to break
down. To retain these fatty acids, store your flax seeds in an airtight
container in the refrigerator. Then use a coffee grinder to grind them
when needed. Whole flax seeds will just pass through the body undigested.
Slice the feta cheese into 1/4 inch lengths and then 1/4 again and
then cut into 1/4 inch cubes. Gently mix into the meatloaf.
Oil pan, that you will be using for the meatloaf, with a tbsp. of the oil
from the jar of tomatoes.
Note: This just fit into an 8 X 8 steel pan because I did not have a glass
pan that was close to that size. A loaf pan was too small and the casserole dishes I have are too big. You will have to estimate what you will need
with what you have on hand.
You could also reduce the recipe or expand the recipe to allow for whatever
pan you have in mind or maybe even to insure leftovers for lunch :)
Add the meatloaf mixture into the pan and coat the top with the peach glaze.
Tip: The peach fruit spread is a great time saver. Far easier to do than
making it from fresh or frozen fruit, which is really just unnecessary work.
I take advantage of short cuts, such as this, whenever I know the outcome
will be just as good or better.
Place the meatloaf into the oven with the sweet potatoes. Bake for 35 minutes. They should be done at about the same time. Enjoy!
Tip: As you can see, I put together meals so that everything comes
together at the same time and is ready to be served.
So, I realize that I keep a fast pace in the kitchen. I can't help it,
I was trained that way in the restaurants. I enjoy it though, as long as
I am not having to worry about tripping over children or answering
a dozen questions as I try to let the creative synapses work. :)
So, if you don't think you can get the meatloaf put together in the time
slot I put into the recipe, then you can do two things:
1. You can prepare it first and then put it into the refrigerator, until
you have the sweet potatoes ready for the oven.
(Which by the way, you can prep this the day before if needed)
2. The sweet potatoes can be kept warm and waiting in a toaster oven
on 185 degrees, until the meatloaf is done.