These are the ramblings of a self-described wheat, grain and gluten-free “gourmet girl” that loves to cook and eat good food. I love creating and sharing recipes and photographing “beautiful food”. In July 2012, I eliminated wheat, grains and added sugar from my diet and rediscovered real, whole fresh foods again and effortlessly lost 65+ pounds. Join me in my wheat, grain and gluten-free journey. See how easy it is to enjoy grain free gourmet, one meal at a time! Welcome to my blog. Enjoy!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Mini Mexican Meatloaves with Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash
This evening I was in the mood for a "comfort food" meal. I had a package of ground turkey breast in the fridge that needed to be used as well as a huge head of fresh cauliflower. I decided to make Mini Mexican Meatloaves and my Rich & Thick Parmesan Cauliflower Mash. The meatloaves were so very simple; I mixed 1 pound of ground turkey breast (you could use regular ground turkey, chicken or beef instead if you prefer) with 1 egg, 1/2 recipe of my taco seasoning and a few tablespoons of salsa and then divided it into 4 regular sized muffin cups (I filled the 2 empty muffin cups half full with water so they didn't overheat and warp while baking). I baked them for about 30 to 33 minutes at 375 degrees F until they were done. I served them alongside the mashed cauliflower and green beans with almonds. I placed each little mini meatloaf in a little puddle of salsa with a dollop of sour cream and a few diced fresh tomatoes and topped it with a couple strips of pepper jack cheese. It was simple and delicious. The recipe for the taco seasoning I used as well as the cauliflower mash are linked in the different colored text above. I snapped a few photos for you to see below. Enjoy!
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29 comments:
Hi again, GGC,
This recipe looks like yet another "must-cook." :-)
Hi CyberSis! We enjoyed them and they were simple to make. I filled my muffin cups to make them rounded (they looked like muffins that were puffed up)...make sure you put a cookie sheet or pan underneath because mine dripped a little bit towards the end of cooking -- thought I'd save you some oven cleaning! :-)
Thanks for the heads-up, GGC. I like to avoid an oven mess whenever possible ... how did you know? :-)
LOL, CyberSis! Just a lucky guess! :-)
Your food pics are looking more and more gorgeous with each post! All your recipes are so inspiring and genius!
Thanks so much for the kind comments Anonymous! :-)
GG, this was so delicious! I ate an extra one because it was so juicy and flavorful. I used a salsa from Costco, wich I had for a while (unopened).It had too much liquid so I drained it for an hour I used maybe too much of it(3-4Tablespoons), but it was so good!Thank you very much!
My flavor drops from Olive nation just arrived, they are the best I ever had in my long life . Being a compulsive person I had to try them all in my homemade Greek yogurt I stared with Grand Marnier and ended with Chocolate. I bought 8 flavors . I am so grateful to you for mentioning them in your blog! I cannot recommend them enough!
well and be safe! Barbara.
Hi Barbara! So glad you enjoyed the little meatloaves -- they cook up quick and stay juicy in the little muffin cups, don't they! Wow, your Olive Nation order came fast -- SO glad you liked the flavors you ordered!!! Which one do you like the best? I got an email from them this morning and they have a 20% off sale that ends on 6/11/13. The "coupon code" is "SAVE20". I am thinking about ordering a few more myself! It really does make eating plain Greek yogurt more fun, doesn't it? So glad you like them. Hope you are having a great weekend! :-)
Hi GG, I just had the left over little Mexican meatloaves for lunch, COLD! Delicious! So I am making another batch tout de suite to have handy when time is short. One can not say enough about their tastiness! Thank you again. My husband loves all these new dishes coming his way!
A propos flavor extracts, I tried them in my freshly made yogurt which was still warm, you see how compulsive I am, could not even wait for it to get cold. LOL
My favorite one is the Grand Marnier, the chocolate, the maple and the banana. The key lime was not made for warm yogurt! I wish I had bought the butterscotch instead of the caramel. Now I want to buy the cappuccino, the black current especially since they remind me of my husband's parents garden in Switzerland. My daughter used to pick them when she was a little girl and we were visiting. I also love black currant preserve, they are to die for.
From reading the reviews I decided to also get the strawberry everybody is crazy about that one, although I have some from another company. I also would love Hazelnut which is my favorite nut to bake with(being European).
I wanted to say that you are very unusually in waiting so long to buy clothes. Most woman would have run to the mall after just a few pounds!
I want to wish you a good weekend too!
Be well and be safe!
Hi Barbara! I actually finished up my last little Mexican meatloaf yesterday for lunch! I was kind of sad to see them end -- I will have to make them again soon. So glad you are enjoying the extracts! I may order a few more flavors, too -- and since they are 20% off through tomorrow, I will probably do it soon! :-) I have never had currant preserves before -- my mother used to put dried currants in our rice pilaf though (along with pine nuts)...and as a child, I would pick them out...LOL. I have never eaten warm yogurt before! My mother used to have an electric yogurt machine -- I think maybe by Salton (not sure)? Is that how you make yours or do you strain regular yogurt? Is it very different from commercially bought yogurt in flavor? If so, I'm sure it's better. Hazelnuts are my mother's favorite nut. It is raining quite heavily here tonight...we've had a lot of rain this spring! Take care! :-)
Hi GGC,
My goodness ... all this talk about black currents got me to thinking about Looza Black Currant Juice (cassis.) We used to have that quite a lot. Have you ever tasted it? It's wonderful! No resemblance at all to the dried currants, which are more like mini raisins. I just went on the Looza web site, and they have everything BUT the black currant juice. Wonder what *that* is about? Well, anyway, I wouldn't be ordering fruit juice now anymore ... but I might just order some of that black current extract! All the great flavor with none of the fructose! Thanks for the heads-up on the sale. :-)
Hi CyberSis! No, I have never tried that juice. You are right though...it is a great way to be able to enjoy the flavor without the fructose! I think I'm going to get the banana and maybe the peach, too. I love the taste of both, but they are too high in carbs and fructose...and they would be great flavors for yogurt to change it up a bit. I may have to try the currant as well now since both you and Barbara have said how good it is! :-)
Hi again GGC,
Well, here I am at 1:00 a.m. ordering extracts! I got the black currant, peach, raspberry & strawberry to begin with. Somehow I just couldn't get up my courage for apple at $12 a bottle! Maybe I'll be more brave another time. I love peach, though, so that was a good trade-off for me. The coupon code worked like a charm! :-)
LOL, CyberSis! If it makes you feel any better -- at around 12:03 a.m. (1 hr before you...lol) I ordered peach, banana, hazelnut...and black currant! I probably would not have tried the black currant had it not been for you and Barbara! I'm looking forward to the new flavors...now, I need to make MORE space for them! :-)
Hi GG,
I am using the *Yogourmet* , an overpriced electric yogurt maker, it is not even BPA free. So I bought an *Heritage 1/2 gallon glass jar* from Anchor Hockings , that fits perfectly into the cavity of the Y-maker, only costs $7.
I once forgot to unplug my Y/maker and found out that the yogurt had acquired a funky chemical taste, I of course threw out the 1/2 gallon of yogurt! So it is made of very cheap plastic. I strain the yogurt a few hours to render it *Greek*.
I sure hope that the black currant flavoring is to you liking! I feel a little apprehensive !
To put my flavored Greek yogurt over the top I garnish it with 2 pumps of unsweetened *Land of Lakes* whipped cream. Now one has the most delicious dessert!
Be well and be safe, Barbara.
Hi Barbara! I'm sure I will like the currant extract -- I am looking forward to trying it. I would like some other flavors to use in my yogurt to change it up a bit! Do you use whole milk to make your yogurt or lower fat? I bet it is good to have fresh like that, too. I bet it is much cheaper to make at home also. I remember my mother used to also strain it when she would make it for my father and make "yogurt cheese". Have you ever heard of that before? He used to eat a cold yogurt/cucumber/dill/garlic and maybe mint, type of salad call cacik. As kids we would just say ewwwwww! LOL Now, it sounds pretty good to me! I checked online and my extracts should be here Thursday -- I am looking forward to trying them! Hope you are having a good day -- it's hot here and got to 90 today, for the first time this season. :-)
Hi GG, I think that Fage has the most silky texture of any yogurt. I bought some at where else? Costco. Unfortunately we get only the fat free one. My yogurt comes pretty close to the fage, the trick is not to incubate the milk too long because that renders the yogurt very tart. But since I use pro-biotic cultures that is not advisable, it needs 12-14 hours.
I started the pro-biotik yogurt for my husband whose intestines were ruined by overly aggressive radiation. It also is good to take when one is on Antibiotics, it restores the good flora in the intestines. But you probably are aware of all this!
Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all the preps of special foods !
I use low fat milk and add heavy cream , because my husband is King and wants his low fat milk, this way I do not have to buy two kinds of milk.
By the way I am going to make your cookies with hazelnut flour!
So long, Barbara.
Hi Barbara! So funny that I just read your post -- because I literally just finished having a small bowl of that Fage for dessert -- the fat free version from Costco! LOL How funny is that??? I eat Fage 2% for my weekday breakfasts in the individual cups. I like Greek Gods full fat for dessert -- but I usually eat 1 of the large Fage containers from Costco every week too -- to make up for the fat free, I stir in a tablespoon of peanut butter and add stevia -- its like having a peanut butter parfait! I'm interested how the cookies will turn out with hazelnut flour! I know it is a little more delicate -- I made a pie crust with it before and it almost burned if I had cooked it one more minute. It turned out good though! :-)
Hi GGC,
Like Barbara, I'm a little nervous, too, hoping you won't be disappointed with the black currant extract. :-) Speaking of yogurt cheese, it's been a favorite ingredient of our old friend, Graham Kerr, for years ... that's *after* he gave up his "Galloping Gourmet" persona.
BTW, I'm coming up with a few flavors that I *should* have ordered (like cranberry, for one.) Oh well ... next time!
LOL, CyberSis! No need to worry. I know it won't be awful...and so what if I might only end up doing 1 cartwheel instead of 2...LOL. I am trying to expand my tastes and step out of sometimes familiar box here! What you realize is that when you don't eat all the processed junk, etc...you become more creative using spices, extracts, etc. to enhance the natural foods that we do eat. It's amazing how much variety you can enjoy with plain yogurt, for instance! I am looking forward to trying my new flavors when they come. I love cranberries -- I figure that I will definitely look for some fall type of flavors when that time comes...apple, cranberry, etc. It's kind of fun trying to see how many different flavors we can enjoy without the added fructose to be concerned about! :-)
CyberSis and GG, when all your flovor drops have come in, pack them up and come to my house so that we can * play * with our newly acquired extracts. I spring for the Fage yogurt and whipped cream and good cheer, with Elvis singing in the back ground! LOL.
LOL, Barbara! That sounds awesome! Wouldn't it be nice if we all lived close enough to each other to be able to do that!!! I am also looking forward to trying the banana extract I ordered as well -- since bananas have so many carbs, that is one I probably won't eat any time soon...so having the extract will be excellent. Hey, I could stir some peanut butter and banana extract into my Fage yogurt and have a yogurt that even Elvis would love! I think I've read he loved peanut butter & banana sandwiches! That would be delightful to eat while his music played in the background! :-)
Yes GG, that would be nice, I think we would have a lot of fun!
Why did I not think of putting peanut butter in my yogurt!
I am off to shop at Costco, last time I spent so much, the highest amount ever but everything is also getting more expensive.
Bis bald! Barbara
Have fun at Costco, Barbara! I know...I spent a lot a couple weeks ago, too. The good thing is the packages you get there (like flax, olive oil, etc.) usually last for a long time and you don't need them again for a while. Take care... :-)
Hey, Barbara ... your "flavor" party sounds dee-lightful! Great idea! :-)
Hi GGC,
We had this tonight and we both enjoyed it very much. We have another new favorite!
I remembered a silicone muffin "tin" that had been relegated to the very bottom of a kitchen drawer ... that's how much I used it. Well, I dug it out and it was perfect for the mini meatloaves! I made a slightly larger batch with a pound & a half of ground beef and it filled all 6 cups.
I searched the sidebar for this recipe, so I could find it easily to comment, and I came across your other Mexican meatloaf recipe (posted in Oct. 2012.) You're right, it doesn't need any "filler" ingredients at all!
Hi CyberSis! So glad you enjoyed the mini meatloaves! It is always good when a recipe or meal turns out good -- but I really love it when the easy ones turn out great! I enjoyed reheating them and having the leftovers for lunch, too. So glad you enjoyed them! :-)
I ordered the Mango and Key Lime extracts. Any suggestions on how much to add to a 6 oz plain yogurt? Thanks!
Hi Maggie -- I'd add a few drops first and taste it to see if you need to add more. You can always add more...but you can't take it back out! :-)
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