Turkey Meatloaf with Tzatziki

Today is my 50th post and I wanted it to be something kind of fun or new and exciting but I am all out of creativity so turkey meatloaf is what you get! Just when I got the living room cleaned up we totally destroyed it again today painting new closet doors and laying out the wainscot pieces so they can adjust to the climate in here. Ugh! The projects are never ending. I need to be planning Thanksgiving dinner instead of working on the house! So I stopped for a little bit to throw some dinner in the oven.

I made this Mediterranean turkey meatloaf on Tuesday evening to take to a friend who just had a baby. I left some things out because I was also busy making some cake pops for them and I lost my brain. I hate it when recipes don't turn out the way you expected. I needed to redeem myself plus this is a throw it all in the bowl and mix it up meal, my favorite of course!

This is what I forgot on Tuesday so it went in the bowl first tonight, one chopped up onion. I used a medium size sweet onion.

Next add 3 cloves of garlic. I hate peeling garlic so I just stick it in the garlic press like this. This is a Pampered Chef garlic press but I bet you could do it with any press. Sometimes I smash the garlic with the back of a big knife to get it out of the peel.

Next I chopped up a couple tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley.

Now I know some of you will be opposed to the ground turkey but you need to make the switch especially if you are trying to lose weight. I usually buy ground turkey breast or something even leaner than this but I was feeling cheap and I needed two pounds. Tuesday night when I made it for someone else I mixed it with beef. That is a great way to start getting used to the taste if you are a little skeptical. You could also mix it with ground pork. I would start with a 50/50 ratio.

Then into the bowl went a little salt and a generous amount of pepper to taste, about a tablespoon of this Greek seasoning, and about 1/2 tsp. of thyme. If you don't like thyme just leave it out or use oregano or basil. (any Greek seasoning will do)

This is two pounds of Jennie-O turkey not just one like the picture above. I wanted enough for left overs tomorrow. Mix all the ingredients together gently with your hands in a bowl. The key to good meatloaf is not to over mix it. If you want it to stick together a little better you could also add some egg. I don't mind that if falls apart a little because I like to slice it up anyway and let the sauce fall through the slices.

I like to shape mine into 8 individual meatloaves but you can put it in one longer loaf pan. You will need to adjust the cooking time for sure. Put them on a foil lined tray and into a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165. You can also pan sear them in some olive oil on each side for a few minutes before putting them in the oven to give them some extra flavor and speed up the cooking process a little. It also helps them hold together a bit better.

I like to slice one open and check for doneness which is a great reason to make them mini. They also cook much faster than a whole regular meatloaf.

Tonight I served it with a little kale I cooked with some olive oil and white wine vinegar, sliced oranges, and Joseph's pita. I always top this meatloaf with Tzatziki sauce. It makes it so delicious and better for you than a sugar loaded barbecue sauce or ketchup. Usually I slice the meatloaf up and let the sauce drip down between.

To make the Tzatziki which is a traditional Greek dip, dice up half a cucumber fairly fine. You don't want big chunks of cucumber in your sauce.

Add the cucumber to a bowl with 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup light sour cream. Make these scant 1/2 cups. I also toss in a little more Italian parsley, 2 cloves garlic, salt, and add about 1 tsp. of dill. I would LOVE to add more dill but Miles hates it so it has to be mild. It is best if you can let this chill for a while so the flavors can blend. It is also awesome to dip your pita in but so was the homemade hummus!

There you have it. My oh so creative 50th post. Maybe something like peanut butter and banana smoothies would have been better! Back to the painting I go!

Recipe

TURKEY MEATLOAF WITH TZATZIKI SAUCE

2 lbs. ground turkey

One small-medium onion chopped finely

2-3 Tbsp. Italian parsley

2-3 garlic cloves

½ tsp. thyme (oregano or basil work also)

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tbsp. Greek seasoning

Mix all ingredients together gently with hands or wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Form into 8 small loaves. Place on foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

SAUCE:

½ cup plain or Greek yogurt

½ cup light sour cream

2 garlic cloves

½  tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Half of a cucumber finely chopped.

Mix all ingredients together and chill for flavors to blend. Serve over meatloaves or slice meatloaf in thin slices and place in a pita with sauce.