Home Cooking My Way

Throughout theses past few weeks, I feel as though I've been cooking up a storm! I think the last time Justin and I went out for a meal was we were together with his family at the start of February. It's become a little difficult to find a place to dine out when you've become as strict as I have with my diet. Yet, I'm still treating this as a learning experience and am soldiering on!

I've decided to try a take on a home-cooked classic for this weeks post: meatloaf. I will admit that my version is a little different than what you'd expect. I have been experimenting with adding more organ meats into my diet and this recipe has some in it... Don't run away or give that disgusted face. Flavor-wise, you'll hardly notice it's there.

Mighty Meatloaf!

I used this recipe, from the Paleo Mom, as the basis for my liver loaf. Sarah's website is an absolute treasure trove of information on the Paleo diet (especially one with an auto-immune slant)! I urge everyone to take a look there.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 1/2 lbs liver
• 1 bag chopped mirepoix, from Wegmans (I was being lazy, you could also just chop up some onions, carrots and celery.)
• 2-3 tbsp lard or coconut oil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp fresh chives
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp molasses
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat lard (or coconut oil) in a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrot and sauté until soft and starting to brown, about 8-10 minutes.
• Grind liver in a food processor. (It'll look like pink sludge... don't worry, it's fine.)
• Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together very thoroughly with your hands. 
• Press meat mixture into a large Loaf Pan. If you’re worried about juices spilling over, place the loaf pan on a cookie sheet or in a larger baking pan before placing in the oven.
• Bake for 1 hour and 30-40 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
• Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

This recipe turned out great! I've tried a different take on liver meatloaf, but it didn't quite turn out the same.  The ground beef adds a nice balance to the unctuousness that liver can sometimes have. All the herbs help to mask the flavor a little and the molasses brings a nice sweetness. I served mine up with some collard greens cooked with hame ends. All in all... tasty!

I know, I know... this isn't exactly a classic meatloaf.  Just give it a try and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised at how good it tastes. You get all the benefits of a nutrient dense organ meat and a yummy meal to boot!