Meatloaf and Muffins

I generally don't like meatloaf. Something about all that meat, mashed into a loaf pan and baking in its own fat juices disgusts me. I remember loving meatloaf as a kid, but not so much now. That is, until Wednesday. On Wednesday I tried a new turkey meatloaf recipe from Karina's Kitchen (easily my favorite food blogger because she caters to all my food exclusions). It was strangely sweet and simple to make and everyone happily ate it, even the company. Three of the four kids at our table even asked for seconds. And while I had plans to use the leftover meatloaf in a shepherd's pie dish the next day, I had to switch to plan B because there weren't any leftovers. While this recipe is gluten and dairy-free, it doesn't require any strange ingredients and I actually used a gluten-free  and dairy-free box of tomato soup (Imagine brand) in place of some the ketchup to decrease the sugar content. The key to the recipe is the cornbread crumbs. But you don't have to use Karina's gluten-free cornbread recipe, I actually used some scrumptious applesauce muffins to make the bread crumbs. Bread with gluten will work just as well. Here's a link to a the meatloaff recipe---Karina's ideas for cooking gluten-free on a budget are helpful to anyone, but scroll way down to find the recipe. 

And for Sarah and Laurie, here's a gluten and dairy-free applesauce muffin recipe. This one is modified from the original, which was a recipe developed by someone who gave it to someone who gave it to a friend in Des Moines who gave it to me. 

1 cup gluten-free flour blend

3/4 cup teff flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp xantham gum

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

pinch of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup hemp milk (hemp is key here...gobs better than rice or soy...cow might work as well but I'm not at liberty to try it)

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 Tbsp canola oil

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp baking soda

Mix together 1 Tbsp oil, 2 Tbsp water, and 1 tsp of baking soda. Set aside. Mix dry ingredients. Mix together remaining ingredients and add to day ingredients being careful not to overmix. 

Scoop into greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees or until golden and top springs back when gently pressed, about 20 minutes. Makes about 12 muffins.