Anne’s Messed-With Meatloaf

What can I say about meatloaf? It is the quintessential American meal. So why mess with it? But then I realized that if I didn’t mess with it then what is the point of putting it online and adding to the already hundreds of traditional meatloaf recipes in the universe. So I give you Anne’s Messed-With Meatloaf. Don’t worry. It is way better than lentil loaf. Plus, if you happen to be a breastfeeding mom (like me) this is a great recipe for breastmilk production because it has whole oats, carrot, broccoli cauliflower, flax, onion and garlic…all of which are lactogenic foods!

Note: To make things easier you can purchase the carrot, broccoli and cauliflower pre-chopped and frozen. It is often called “California Mix”. Just make sure to buy a bag without any preservatives or flavors. If making this recipe gluten-free make sure to get gluten-free oats, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. If making this recipe paleo make sure to use paleo ketchup.

Makes: 2 large servings or 4 small servings

Preparation time: 20m
Cooking time: 20m
Total time: 1h20m

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon avocado oil
  • 1/2 cup whole rolled oats (use quick cooking oats or oat flour if you don't have a blender)
  • 1 cup chopped veggies (carrot, broccoli and cauliflower)
  • 1 pound ground bison
  • 1 organic egg
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder (or 1 tablespoon dried minced onion)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Equipment: slow-cooker, blender, large bowl

Instructions:

  1. Grease the slow cooker with avocado oil.
  2. Place the rolled oats into a blender and blend on high for about 10 seconds until they resemble oat flour. It is fine if they are grainier than oat flour, you just want them more ground up than whole oats.
  3. Chop the carrot and broccoli into 2-3 inch pieces and put them in the blender. (If using frozen, make sure to defrost before blending) Blend on medium to chop them up. They should be slightly chunky, try not to liquify them. Alternatively you can mince them.
  4. In a large bowl combine the ground oats, minced veggies, bison, egg, ketchup, ground flax, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, mustard powder, garlic granules and salt. Use your hands to mash everything up and mix all the ingredients together.
  5. Place the meat mixture into the greased basin of the slow-cooker and shape it into a loaf making sure it doesn’t touch the sides of the slow-cooker.
  6. Cook on high for 1 hour then low for 4-5 hours. Alternatively you can cook this in the oven at 350ºF/175ºC for 1 hour.
  7. Serve hot accompanied with mashed potatoes and green beans!