Healthy, Easy, Low Calorie Turkey Meatloaf

Don't worry, no hockey pucks here.
Your mom will be jealous.
181 calories, 10 g Carb, 15 g Protein

I know the thought of cooking meatloaf gives you chills. You think about all the meatloaves that have been cooked throughout your life. You remember emptying half of the ketchup bottle all over the meatloaf just to make it through dinner. You could have played hockey with the slices of meatloaf. Ask 100 people if they like meatloaf and half will tell you they love it and half tell you they hate it. Could it just be that most people have never had a reliable recipe for meatloaf.

I was in the "didn't like" it category. My mom didn't really consider meatloaf as a necessary recipe in her repertoire. The only exposure I had to it growing up was as a school lunch meatloaf (I'll give you a second to wince.) Or I had the opportunity to order it at a restaurant, but honestly, who orders meatloaf when you are out at a restaurant.

I'll be honest, I was nervous when I decided to give this recipe a shot. I didn't want to end up with a loaf that was going to go uneaten. I altered the recipe a bit to make sure I had a better shot at a moist, meaty loaf. Instead of just adding regular bread crumbs, I diced some wheat bread in to small cubes. I separated the cubes and sprinkled them throughout the turkey mixture. The larger bread cubes absorbed some of the moisture of the turkey as well as the milk. This little cheat along with making sure I didn't let the loaf stay in the oven longer than it should, resulted in the best meatloaf I've ever had. My girlfriend agreed with me. She already had the ketchup ready. She didn't even need one drop.

Here is the simple recipe. Give it a shot.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 lbs ground turkey
• 2 slices whole wheat bread, diced in to smallest cubes possible
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 3 Tbsp Ketchup
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper
• 8x5" Loaf Pan
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray 8x5" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion 4-5 mins or until tender.

3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well. Shape into a loaf and transfer to the loaf pan.

4. Bake until browned and cooked through, 50-60 minutes. If you have a thermometer, look for an internal temperature of 170 F. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Again, make sure to take the meatloaf out once the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees. You will not need any condiments or even a glass of water because it will be juicy enough to get you through the meal.


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Grilled BBQ Chicken and Grilled Sweet Potatoes

After a winter that has over extended it's stay, my standards for good grilling weather have dropped. It's 55 outside, it's dry, and there is no longer a cold breeze. Let's get the grill out and make up for lost time.

If you haven't noticed, I rarely cook red meat. It's all been white meat, whether if it has been chicken or turkey, fish or shrimp, and even pork. First of all, it's healthier but I think you can make some truly interesting and flavorful meals from white meat because they absorb flavors so well.

My grill craved a good BBQ recipe. Therefore I decided to go with a dry rub for dinner. Rubs are great because you can save the leftover mix for another day. What I really love about them is that you can combine any of your favorite spices and just see what comes out. Since I was craving that smoky, summer-like flavor, I emphasized on the cumin and dry mustard. The sweet potato was a nice change of pace for the palate after chewing on the smoky, slightly charred chicken.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp chili powder (depending on your personal preference)
• 1/2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tbsp dry mustard
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• try to make four 4 oz pieces
• 2 large sweet potatoes
• canola cooking spray

1. Mix first seven ingredients to make BBQ rub. Rub chicken a couple hours before you plan to grill the chicken. Cover and refrigerate.

2. Peel potatoes and slice in to 1/3 inch slices. Add slices to a pot with enough cold, salted water to cover them. Bring to boil over medium heat and continue to boil for 3 -4 mins. Drain and cool.

3. Preheat grill. Spray potatoes with cooking spray and salt them. Place potatoes and chicken on grill and cook until done.

My only advice for this easy meal is to either cover one side of the grill with aluminum foil to prevent the loss of potato slices through the cracks in the grill or use a special grill skillet that can be placed on your grill. Whichever method you chose, just make sure to cook the sweet potatoes enough to give it some flavor.

This is another straightforward meal to get you in the grilling spirit. You can choose to make different side dishes if you want. Instead of grilled sweet potato, why not make mashed sweet potato?

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Headaches, Adrenaline and Wine

Are you one of those people that gets headaches or gets really flushed after drinking wine? Do you turn down any and all red wine because you once got a headache or fell really flustered at night after drinking wine? Well, it happens to a lot of people and it is all due to the by-products produced during fermentation.

One reason people get headaches is that they are consuming inferior wine. Most good wine is made from the juice of grapes that have been pressed only once. This makes sure that you are getting the best and cleanest juice. Producers sometimes press grapes a second and even a third time to try to extract as much juice as they can. This is very cost effective since you are reusing grapes but the outcome is definitely not the same. When you press grapes this many times, you actually start to squeeze out some oils from the pips (seeds) and the stems. Once these compounds go in to fermentation, they produce by-products that your body doesn't agree with.

Remember that party you went to last New Year's and all the sparkling wine you had? There were so many bottles of bubbly yet the host was bragging about the deal she got. Guess what? This is a perfect example of over-pressed wine. Do you remember the hangover/headache you had that would have probably kill a small child? Blame it on the seeds and stems. So next time you are wondering why you get a headache after taking advantage of all the cheap wine on sale, this is the reason. This is the main reason why I look for great inexpensive wine from South America and the Iberian peninsula. Their price is reasonable but their wine is not questionable. There is definitely some truth to the saying that "cheap wine makes you sick" and no it's not a snobby statement.

The second reason for feeling bad after drinking certain wines is again caused by fermentation. However, in this case, the producers are purposefully causing a certain type of fermentation to take place and this is where some of the by-products pop up. The type of fermentation is called malolactic fermentation. It converts malic acid in to lactic acid, in other words, makes some wines less acidic and gives it a rounder feel. Wines that usually go through this process are most reds and many chardonnays. This type of fermentation can give the wine a creamier, smoother taste.

The problem with this fermentation is that it produces a by-product called tyramine. The tyramine initiates a chain of chemical reactions that leads to the production of adrenaline. Yes, the very same adrenaline that causes your heart to race and your blood vessels to constrict. Sure, if you were out camping, drinking wine, and suddenly your local, friendly grizzly bear were to walk through your campground, I could see how it might be an advantage. Yet, I don't think many of us are sipping on red wine in the middle of the forest on a regular basis. Instead, you are sitting at home trying to relax and let the stress leave the body. I'm not saying that everyone is going to experience this reaction but for those people sensitive to tyramine, I'd understand if they were mad at their wine for having this effect on them. So next time that you are feeling flustered and your heart is pounding after a glass or two of red wine, maybe you will understand the reason why it's happening.


Article about tyramine in wine.
Source: NASA tool used to analyze wine

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Creole Sicilian BBQ Shrimp

It's been a a while since I add anything to the site. The sun is coming out thus it is getting harder to stay inside. So what if it's 45 degrees, it's a sunny 45 and the body is used to cloudy, 15 degree days. The dog and I are running every night (when I'm not sore or coming home from a tasting.) I have been trying out some new recipes this week. I don't have any pictures though since the camera is being used elsewhere right now.

I had a craving for some good shrimp. I love creamy sauces that have creole flavors like a really good etouffee. We used to go to a great cajun/creole place up in Ithaca called Maxie's. Their gumbo was huge and so was the brick of cornbread that went with it. It was definitely my favorite restaurant in the city, and the reason why I love that type of food so much. Let's just say, I was never a fan of cornbread until Maxie's told me I was doing it all wrong my whole life.

I was definitely channeling a little bit of Maxie's last night. I came across a BBQ shrimp recipe in one of my Cooking Light books. The interesting thing about the recipe is that there is no BBQ sauce, ketchup, or molasses. You figure when you hear "BBQ", you definitely expect one of these in there. Well, the sauce was more creole and Italian than true Bible Belt BBQ. My only complaint about the recipe was that I ran out of wet-naps to clean my hands. I left the shells on to give the sauce some extra flavor but the mess was worth it. The sauce is creamy, and coats everything, but luckily it's light on the calories.


Enough chit-chat. Here's what you'll need:

• 1.5 - 2 lbs shrimp (you can use either peeled or unpeeled)
• 1/2 cup fat free Caesar dressing
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp dried rosemary
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 - 1.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 - 2 tsp hot sauce
• 4-5 bay leaves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (Chenin blanc or Gewürztraminer)
  

1. Add all ingredients except wine and shrimp to a large skillet. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir often.
2. Add shrimp to boiling sauce. Cook for 7 min or until shrimp turns pink. Stir often.
3. Add wine to sauce. Cook for 1 min.
4. Eat the shrimp.

I also toasted a French baguette in the oven for 8-10 min preheated at 400 F. Just throw half of the baguette into the oven to get a crispy crust. Take out and slice diagonally, just watch out for the steam. Sprinkle some lemon juice over the shrimp and use the bread as a scoop/dipper to eat up all the delicious sauce. Bring extra napkins and lots of friends.

One last thing, my suggestion for the wine is not a set thing. If you can "only" drink Chardonnay then go ahead. I just think that the acidity and fruitiness of the Chenin or the Gewurz helps bring out some of the flavors in the sauce. It also helps cool the mouth if you overdid it on the hot sauce. Just don't use the fancy crystal because your dirty fingers are going to leave quite the messy prints.

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2004 SOJO Shiraz

The SOJO Shiraz is from South Africa. It is peppery, full of smoky seasoning and not too full bodied. The tannins do come in and say hello, but I wouldn't be worried about them completely drying your mouth out. The first time I put my nose in the glass, I thought I smelled bacon. All my friends know how much I love bacon. I'm like the dog in the Beggin Strips commercials. This is an affordable shiraz that you can find around 10-12 dollars. Bring it to a BBQ and people will invite you again just because of the impact this wine will have.

I paired this wine with the Spice Rubbed Pork Chops.

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