It's Not Your Mom's Meatloaf

I'm not sure why but there's something so...unappetizing about the sound of meatloaf. I'm not saying it doesn't taste fabulous if done right, but it sounds a bit antiquated. I got to thinking that meatloaf is essentially a giant hamburger without the bun and suddenly I'm able to forget about the name and start salivating. Modernize it a bit with some spinach, mustard and whole wheat breadcrumbs and an old recipe turns mod. And don't worry about making a vegetable on the side...this one packs fresh greens right in the mix. Oh, and I should mention that the name of this recipe holds no disrepect for my own mom, who makes a fabulous meatloaf...I just feel the need to put my own personal spin on things. But let's just get down to the goods, shall we?

Not Your Mom's Meatloaf
1 lb ground turkey
4 C fresh spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 C reduced fat mayonnaise
1 tbsp Worcheshire sauce
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 medium onion, diced
3/4 C whole wheat, seasoned bread crumbs (the 4C brand makes these now)
2 cloves garlic
ketchup
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in small pan. Saute onions until translucent but make sure they don't burn. Add garlic and saute a bit longer. Remove from heat and stir in Worcheshire sauce and mustard. Let cool while mixing the other ingredients. (Note: at this point, I removed the onion mixture from the pan and put it in a bowl to cool more quickly) In mixing bowl, mix ground turkey, spinach, mayo and bread crumbs. Ok. I know that mayo isn't necessarily a typical ingredient in meatloaf. But since I picked up some odds and ends after work before checking my fridge, I didn't realize that eggs were nowhere to be found. And of course, the other meatloaf components were already mixed and just waiting for one little egg white to bind the whole thing together. So with nary an egg in sight, I tried a 1/4 C of reduced fat mayo in lieu of an egg white, held my breath while the meatloaf cooked (ok, maybe not actually the entire time that it cooked) and hoped for the best.* Once it's all mixed together (oh, and just like with Kathy's Irish Soda Bread, you're going to have to use your own two paws to really get 'er done), shape into a loaf on an ungreased baking sheet. Pour ketchup all over the top and smooth with a spatula, smoothing a bit onto the sides. Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour, slice, and enjoy! Though turkey can tend to be somewhat less than flavorful, the added ingredients make this recipe moist and delish to boot. No ground beef = ok with me.

*The verdict on substituting mayo? Success! I did fear for a time that I'd have ground meat and spinach running all over my oven, but instead, I got a firmly packed, yummy meatloaf.

So what do you think? Are you a fan of meatloaf? How do you make it?

Home Improvements

Just like any project, The Avid Appetite is a constantly evolving, living organism. With it, I hope to not only wet your appetite with tales of seriously fabulous eats, but to make this an interactive place for fellow foodies that's easy to navigate. So I'm happy to introduce some improvements around here that I hope will make your experience a great one. Since I'm a one woman show, updates will be gradual, however, I'm pleased to show off the first order of business...to easily find what you're looking for. TAA features two ways to navigate the site. The top navigation...

And the side navigation...

Recipes

Check out the top navigation bar and the side bar. Click on Recipes. Previously, you would have been brought to an unhelpful, full length journal of recipe articles. But now, when you click on Recipes, you'll get a full list of links, sorted by topic. So when you want to find out how to make fig jam, pizza dip, or even Thanksgiving turkey, just check out the Recipes tab for easy finding.

Restaurant Roundups

One of the perks of living near Manhattan is the abundance of restaurant options at my proverbial finger tips. Now you can easily find restaurant reviews, sorted by category. Looking for a serious slice of pizza? Itching to find out about Baba Booey's Crumbs cupcake (and what's a Baba Booey, anyway?)? Find it all here.

Travel

In addition to food, one of my favorite pasttimes is traveling the world and yes, sampling local goods. Now, you can easily find travel destinations with food wrap ups just by clicking on Travel in the top navigation bar and Around the World on the side navigation. Curious about fried cheese sandwiches and beer in Prague? Not sure how to do breakfast in Aruba? I hope to keep adding to this section specifically, so stay tuned!

Sneak peek: Coming soon, TAA will be requesting reader submissions! Whether food photos, reviews, questions, tales from the road, or anything else food related, TAA wants to hear from you!

Three Cheese Fondue

I don't know what it is about dipping bread in cheese, but there's just something special about fondue. I'm not sure if it's the decadence, the deliciousness, or the act of dipping anything I can get my hands using a long tiny fork, but I'm basically always on board for fondue. Instead of tapping out your wallet at Hell's Kitchen's Kaskaval or the Melting Pot in Hoboken, why not make it at home?

Wine-infused Three Cheese Fondue
*Adapted from All Recipes
1 C white wine
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all purpose flour
7 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
7 oz Cheddar, shredded
7 oz Jarlsberg cheese, shredded

Shred cheese. In a small saucepan, bring wine to a boil. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and burning. Once the flour is cooked, slowly stir the wine into the flour mixture. Use a whisk to smooth the mixture as it will remove any lumps. Slowly add Gruyere, Cheddar, and Jarlsberg cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Keep warm over low flame. Dip fixin's like cubed bread, Granny smith apples, carrots and cauliflower.

Even the pot itself is an inexpensive investment. This truly adorable version is only $19.99 from Target.

So what do you think? Are you a fondue fiend?