Paleo Meat Loaf

Our summer-like spring has nose-dived a bit this week. Well, maybe it’s more how spring should really look. Isn’t it funny that we spend so much time talking about the weather, yet the concept of what is normal or exceptional is all over the board? On Sunday, it was 89 degrees. One of my coworkers got excited. After a month of above normal temperatures, she felt this was indicative that the coast was clear and uncovered the pool. Yesterday, it got down to 35 overnight. In Missouri, there simply is no “normal.” The first thing we tell newcomers, of which I sometimes still feel I am, is that “if you don’t like the weather in Missouri, wait 5 minutes.” I’ve been told every state has laid claim to that saying, has yours?

Without a doubt though, this week has been much more seasonal and closer to what I feel spring should be. I love crisp air. I love light fleece jackets and running in shorts and long t-shirts. Mostly, I love not sweating and looking a hot mess, but the cool air certainly reminds me of my home back in Minnesota and all the excitement that spring brings after a long winter.

Speaking of Minnesota, we were watching Food Network the other day, when Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives came on. I’m not much for Guy Fieri, but I love making little lists of all the ingredients, meals and locales he covers, in the hopes that I will find, make or visit them some day. On this particular episode, he visited the Colossal Café in Minneapolis. They serve breakfast and lunch, and by the end we were drooling over just about everything, especially the meat loaf.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork sausage (arguably Paleo, so if you don’t eat sausage, sub with ground pork or additional beef)
2 pounds ground beef (we used 90/10)
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup leek, chopped (greens)
1 medium onion, diced
1 large tomato, diced
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoon fresh oregano
2 teaspoon fresh basil
1-2 tablespoons oil (coconut oil)

Directions:

1. Place all vegetables, coconut oil, and garlic into a large skillet and cook until soft. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Remove from heat and transfer to food processor. Puree until thoroughly blended.
2. Place meat in a large bowl. Add eggs, almond flour, tomato paste and veggie puree.
3. Mix together with your hands until everything is well incorporated.
4. Separate mixture into two log shapes, measuring around 8-inches each. Wrap in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
5. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. You can choose to uncover it for the last 10-20 minutes if you want a more crispy, golden top.

Makes 2 loaves and 6-8 servings per loaf.

Just like Bess does, we refrigerated the loaves overnight, and threw it in a pan to warm and add a little crust. We opted out of the cranberry compote (too much sugar) and used a little no-salt/no-sugar ketchup. It was dense and moist and full of the flavor from the fresh herbs.

I’m excited because our grocery store finally started carrying grass-fed beef. It doesn’t beat the local producers, but in a pinch, it’s good to know we can find it when we’re short on time! I think the meat department guy was a little thrown off by my excitement.

Hope you’re all having a great weekend!