Turkey & Vegetable Meatloaf with Portobello Gravy

Today was a snow day! Although I was slightly bummed to miss my third to last day at my internship, I was quickly consoled by the thought of spending the day warm and dry, with plenty of fun indoor things to do to entertain myself. Naturally whenever I have the time I like to tinker in the kitchen. So today I thought would be a good day to combine two recipes I've made for separate dishes, Turkey Vegetable Meatloaf, and my favorite gravy made with portobello mushrooms. It's kind of funny to me, that as a baker, I have to follow the all powerful rules of the recipe, and as a chemistry lover I respect that this is how you bake successful and consistent treats. But when I cook, all bets are off , and I throw caution to the wind with many ingredients amounts. A pinch of this, a fistful of that, a dollop of this, etc.etc.etc. It usually turns out pretty well, after years of muscle memory kicked in and my fingers are able to grab the perfect pinch most times. I was inspired by a cookbook trend a few years ago that added more veggies and fruits to good old-fashioned recipes to healthy them up, and that's how I came up with this turkey veggie meatloaf recipe. As a die-hard mushroom lover, this is one of my favorite dishes ever, as it's chock full of that delicious fungus I so adore. I make these in miniature form because they cook faster and are easy portion sizes for leftovers, but if you want to make it in a traditional loaf pan, be my guest.

Turkey and Vegetable Meatloaf w/ Portobello gravy

Meatloaf: 

1 lb. ground turkey

- 3/4 cup oatmeal

-1 medium yellow onion, minced

-1/2 cup shredded carrot

- 1/2 cups celery,minced

-1/2 cup mushrooms, minced

- 2 eggs

-1/3 cup barbecue sauce

-1/3 cup parsley

- 2 T. Worchestire sauce

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

-2 t. garlic powder

-2 t. onion powder

-1 t. salt

-1 t. pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease  9x13 cookie sheet. In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, onions, carrot, celery, mushrooms, barbecue sauce, parsley, worchestire  sauce, garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Whisk eggs and add to dry ingredients, folding to combine. Add turkey, and knead with hands to combine all ingredients into a large ball. Take 1/2 cup scoop or so of meat mixture and place ball on cookie sheet. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until cooked through and no longer pink in center.

Gravy:

•  1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• -1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 cups chopped cleaned portobello mushrooms, (2 medium)
• 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons tamari, or reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 teaspoon crumbled dried sage
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Directions:
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until they begin to release their juices, about 10 minutes.Add broth, tamari (or soy sauce), thyme and sage; simmer for 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into the sauce and simmer, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes more. Season with pepper. If you prefer a smooth gravy, pass it through a fine sieve (discard mushrooms and onions).  Allow to set-up slightly while meatloaf cooks, pour over top of mini loaves before serving. * adapted from Eating Well Magazine, 2003.
• This can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free bread crumbs or oats instead of the oatmeal, and making sure your sosy-sauce is GF.

 

As a rule, things that come in "loaf" form can be pretty sketchy, but not this delicious meatloaf.  

  

  This hearty and flavorful meatloaf is the perfect comfort food on a day like day that's cold and blustery outside.  I serve it with mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, and a  giant grin.

I once heard  someone say they were so glad to get away from all the foods they ate when they were a kid, because they were so boring. I can just about assure you most every kid who grew up middle class like me in small town Minnesota ate a steady diet of Goulash, Spaghetti, Tuna Casserole with potato chips on top ( all kinds of casserole for that matter) meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and a variety of  cottage cheese salads with canned fruit on top. We also had a lot of fresh fish, local meat, and almost everybody had a garden in my hometown, because that's how you got your veggies. I don't want to give up on the foods I ate as a child entirely because I have a certain nostalgia for meals I ate as a kid.  I just want to modify them to a healthier, more substantial version I can feel good about eating and feeding to the people I love.