week of quinoa: turkey and quinoa meatloaf

turkey and quinoa meatloaf
1/4 cup quinoa

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

1 (10 ounce) package ground turkey
1 (10 ounce) package ground pork

1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 egg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon water

Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the quinoa is tender, and the water has been absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.

Stir the turkey, pork, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, barbecue, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until well combined. The mixture will be very moist. Shape into a loaf on a foil lined baking sheet. Combine the brown sugar, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, and 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl. Rub the paste over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 50 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Let the meatloaf cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I am not usually a meatloaf fan... even the name, meat loaf, grosses me out but I wanted to try a quinoa recipe that was completely different than the last two. It was definitely different and I really really liked it. The meatloaf had great flavor and texture. Michael, who is also not a meatloaf lover, pronounced it "phenomenal" but is was a HUGE fail with the kids. They all hated it. I think Liam ate a couple of bites but the other two ate none.

I found the recipe here and made just a few modifications.