Hu are You?

Happy Wednesday y'all!

Well, the first day of 2013 was definitely a success for my family and I. By success I mean that mom and I set out to run a few much needed errands which ended in her purchasing a new rug for the floors. You see, my dad decided to rip up the carpet in the living room yesterday morning only because my parents are deciding between getting hardwoods or tile in the house. Oh, and this all started because I couldn't fit a pan into the oven in our kitchen. Somehow the small oven translated into new kitchen, which translated into new floors. I see a pattern here. Anyway, if you have thoughts on tile or hardwood floors, throw them my way! Let's talk about food. Duh.

I can't even begin to remember when the last time it was that I ate meatloaf. When I was little I developed an adverse relationship towards this mystery meat. Mystery meat meaning God only knew what was in there and it gave me anxiety trying to figure it out. Mystery meat be gone!

A couple of weeks ago my older cousin mentioned to me that he had eaten the best Paleo meatloaf at one of his new fave Paleo restaurants in New York, Hu Kitchen. After checking out the Hu Kitchen website, not only was I jealous that I didn't have one here, but I felt the need to create my own version of each item on the menu. It all just looked so good! Yesterday, I got to work on this meatloaf.

You start with a good saute of red and orange bell pepper along with some yellow onion and garlic.

We are going Italian-style on this meatloaf yo. 

Bada-bing!

I spooned some of my dad's leftover homemade slow roasted tomato sauce over the top of the meatloaf mid-way through the baking process. 

Ummmm...not the prettiest meatloaf (mainly because I didn't have the patience to allow it to cool completely) but for sure the tastiest!

The bell peppers add a hint of sweetness that balances the savory quality of the tomato sauce. 

Paleo Italian Turkey Meatloaf. Boo-yah Jack!

Paleo Italian Turkey Meatloaf (GF):

Ingredients:

extra-virgin olive oil, for the pan

half of 1 large red bell pepper, diced

1 large yellow bell pepper, diced

1/2 of a yellow onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 lb. of ground turkey (I used about 80/20)

2 T. Italian spice blend (recipe follows)

1 egg, whisked

1/3 c. fresh homemade tomato sauce (try my Garlic-Herb Tomato Sauce)

Italian Spice Blend:

1 t. sea salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. granulated garlic

1 T. granulated onion

1 T. ground sage

1 T. ground fennel seeds

2 t. dried parsley

2 t. dried basil

2 t. dried oregano

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan with evoo. Combine all of the ingredients for the Italian spice blend in a small jam jar and shake until evenly distributed. Set aside. 

2. Heat a drizzle of evoo in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic and saute until the onions become translucent about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3. Place the mixture into a large mixing bowl and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. 

4. Add the ground turkey, spice blend, and egg. Mix using your hands until well combined.

5. Spread the meat mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven, and spread the tomato sauce out over the top of the meatloaf.

6. Put the meatloaf back into the oven and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes.

7. Let the meatloaf rest until slightly room temperature. 

8. Slice and serve.

Makes 6 slices of meatloaf.

MANGIA!!!