Primal Friendly Spicy Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lately I've been adopting Primal Lifestyle habits, especially with my nutrition. I've decided to branch out from my staples of steaks, broiled seafood, and roast chicken and make something with more than a handful of ingredients. Below is the result of my culinary adventures last night! I hope you love it as much as we did :-)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup quinoa (I used red but regular would be fine too)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1 large Jalapeno, finely chopped (I like to keep the seeds in for heat)
• 3 slices no nitrate bacon, uncooked and chopped into small bits
• 1 (20 ounce) package ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (no salt added, organic if possible)
• 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (not officially primal but well within the 20%)
• 1tsp Mexican oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 egg
• 1tsp black pepper

Directions

1. 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. 
2. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Heat the bacon bits over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion & jalapeno; cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent and the bacon is cooked, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute; remove from heat to cool.
4. Stir the turkey, cooked quinoa, onions, tomato paste, hot sauce, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire, egg,cumin, oregano, 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.
5. 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. 
6. Enjoy!