Turkey Loaf!

This is pretty much Tosca Reno's recipe. I altered it slightly, but I definitely didn't create it. Great way to get the protein in with convenience. It does take some prep time. The original recipe stated 20 minutes. More like 40 minutes. It won't take me as long next time, but its more than 20 minutes the first time.

Prep Time: 20-40 minutes; Cook Time: 1.5 hrs; Serves: 10

Ingredients:
2 TBSP EVOO
1 Yellow or Purple Onion- finely diced (food processor works wonders)
1/2 cup finely shredded carrots (I threw baby carrots in the food processor)
3/4 cup celery- finely chopped (do I need to mention the food processor?)
1 clove minced garlic
Dash of Salt; fresh ground pepper

6 Cups baby spinach, washed
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 tsp water

1 egg (including yolk)
2 egg whites
2 TBSP tomato paste w/ 2 TBSP water mixed together
1 C veg or chicken broth
2 1/2 lbs 99% fat free ground turkey
3/4 cup oat bran or ground up oatmeal
1/4 cup ground flax seed

1. Preheat oven to 375*. Be sure to use the center rack.
Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan and cook onions, celery, carrots and minced garlic until onions are translucent but not brown. Season with salt and pepper then move to a small bowl for cooling.

2. Add washed baby spinach to pan and add 1 tsp of water. Cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool, add basil and cilantro and mix well.

3. In a large (really large) bowl, mix egg, egg whites, tomato paste mixture, and broth. Add ground oats, ground flax, ground turkey along with cooked celery/onion/carrot mixture. Spray clean hands with cooking spray and mix ingredients together well.

4. Spray a 10" loaf pan with cooking spray and add half of mixture with hands. Spread wilted greens mixture evenly on top of turkey mixture. Add remaining ground turkey mixture on top of greens. Smooth top evenly with hands. This will be just over the top of the pan.

5. Bake loaf for 1.5 hrs or until a meat thermometer shows 160*F/71*C. Remove from oven and let cool 15 minutes to set. Once cool, remove loaf from pan and cut into one-inch thick slices.
Serve or refrigerate for future meals.

Nutrition Info:

Cals: 222
Protein: 33g
Carbs: 11g
Fat: 5g
Fiber: 3g



Turkey Loaf before cooking