@Ruby Begonia , you asked for an update on my meatloaf last night. (We loved it!) Here's a link for it... but first, some of my important tweaks and thoughts... When I copied the recipe elsewhere, I didn't know it was gluten free... we don't need GF, but that's fine.. it was delicious. 1. The calorie count the website lists is much too high... no way I'd eat 1/4 of that as one serving! 2. I used 1 egg instead of 2... it was perfect. 3. I put the carrot in the food processor for very fine grating. 4. The crushed carrots made it moist... after they were grated, I added the Chex to the processor and crushed them with the carrot... beautiful touch instead of bread crumbs! 5. Not sure I'd like tomato sauce in it... I had leftover spaghetti sauce... perfect! 6. Half of the amount of topping would have been fine... I added a drop of mustard and a bit of brown sugar as I do for meatloaf... don't like plain ketchup on it. 7. This would be great without the potato filling, too. 8. I use 96% fat-free ground beef to cut fat and calories. http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...-squares/dad71d13-ed49-49a5-bc15-f5892996df0e
@Mari North, thanks. It sounds good. I am so sick of my own meat loaf and wouldn't bother with it at all except my GS (grand son) loves it. Maybe he will like this one. Here's a pic...
Ah, thanks for that, Ruby! I thought when I embedded the link that the page and pic would show up here, but it didn't. I also forgot to say in that looooong list of notes and changes that I never use 1.5 lbs of ground meat for anything... and for this one, my normal 1 pound of 96% worked great. I guess it would have been less moist with more meat... I didn't want that. Filled the 9x9 pan perfectly, too.
Let us know if you try it, @Martin Alonzo ... see my tweaks above... it seriously cuts calories and makes it a little healthier... but the Rice Chex instead of bread crumbs and grated carrots for moisture was brilliant on the part of Betty Crocker.
We have problems here in this country getting anything that is a little different like Rice Chex I have been looking for rice based cereals and even in the largest supermarkets do not carry them. You have in the US whole isle of gluten free products here it is an all day search. I think I can find different substitutes but not able to make it the same and as we know the recipe is everything.
Looks delicious! I love meatloaf too. While at bettycrocker.com I saw a recipe I'd like to try. It's the easy cheeseburger pie that I'd like to try someday. Going to use my crumble veggie burger from MorningStar. I miss my stuffed bell peppers now that we are watching our cholesterol! The meatloaf looks good too. I like easy and the meatloaf you'll need to get the chex mix, so I might pass on it for now.
I usually use oats in meatloaf instead of bread crumbs. Not worried about gluten, I just like oats and they are healthier.
I'm thinking since it's to take the place of bread crumbs and/or oats, @Ruby Begonia , I'd assume it would be the same in a comparable amount. For calorie watchers, cereals have considerably less than what oats and bread crumbs have. In any case, it was fun to make... let me know how the Krispies worked if you try this. One thing I realized as I was making it... I don't think I would have liked the consistency with meat any more fatty than the 96-4% I got... with the cereal in there, but that may not be valid because it would act the same as bread crumbs, I guess.
Oats have gliadin which is the same as gulten it is just a word game so they can claim they are gluten free when the cause the same problem
Corn and most grains have gluten but it is different than wheat gluten. Wheat gluten is the one some people are allergic to. Less than 1% of the population has a problem with wheat, it's just the popular thing at the moment for companies to advertise "gluten free" even on things that have never had gluten in them.
Mayo Clinic say that 1/3 the population has a gluten intolerance which is very different than an allergy. The naturopaths doctors say it is even higher. The gluten intolerance destroys the digestion track making it difficult to absorb certain nutriments but things like calories and sugar are easy to absorb. If it were an allergy it would affect your skin. If you have or had any of these ailments it would be an indication you have gluten intolerance. [ Asthma, bronchitis, diarrhea, constipation, appendicitis, diverticulitis, eczema, and other skin problems] This is not just a fad to sell gluten free products
Firstly, gluten free or not that's mighty Great Meatloaf @Mari North!! Love the recipe! Indeed, it is worthy of a tip-o-the hat and a thumbs up. Okay, let's go with the gluten thing. The symptoms that @Martin Alonzo is describing are those related to Celiac disease and are quite different than being merely gluten intolerant. An intolerance does damage the small intestine and therefore makes it hard to absorb many needed nutrients and can be indeed uncomfortable. But, Celiac disease is downright dangerous and the good news for most is that only 1% of the U.S. is reported to have it. The only way to verify that someone has Celiacs is through a blood test and if shown positive then a biopsy of the intestine has to be performed to verify the blood test. Now, what @Sheldon Scott is saying is very true also. There is a fad of sorts in that most people who go gluten free, are not doing the research, but still feel that going without that type of protein would be a healthy thing to do. No diet is a "one size fits all" although by the looks of the ads out there and the shelves at the store people are being led to believe that everything that is organic is perfect and everything gluten free is life saving. It's like Jackie Kennedy and her hair style. Everywhere you looked someone was displaying her hair style whether they looked good in it or not. The way I see it, if people genuinely feel better by trying something to improve their body and brains I say go for it. There is a caveat though, which needs to be thoughtfully studied before going on a gluten free diet. Gluten is a type of protein found in Oats, Wheat, Rye, and Barley not to even mention those grains that are akin to wheat. Going without gluten does deprive the body of 9 essential vitamins and minerals which the body has to have but by taking supplements or substituting the grains with other foods it could turn out to be a good time for breaking out some new recipes. Here is what you need to look for in the substitutions: Vitamin B6 for fighting infection Folate for the forming of cells Vitamin D Calcium Iron Vitamin B12 Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Niacin Have fun inventing new recipes!!
Thank you for that, @Bobby Cole You're so right about Celiac Disease being a separate issue from gluten intolerance... separate but still crossing at points, I think, for those who suffer. And the "designer lifestyle change of the week" is so annoying to me. Low fat, no fat, low carb, no carb... on and on it goes. I say unless you have a condition preventing it, eat anything in moderation because foods *do* have nutrients that we need. I think it's rather stinky (oooh, elegant words there, Mari! hehe) that manufacturers are splashing "gluten free" labels on products that were always gluten free just to cater to the latest fad. My little great-nephew, just five years old, tested positive for "Early Celiac Disease" at the hospital just this week. (Not sure what the distinction is there, in that terminology. I'd like to think that means it was caught in time to reverse, but I doubt it.) And my first thought was all these people in the middle of the "go gluten-free, it's good for ya!" craze could actually eat whatever they want and this poor lil' guy can eat almost nothing without pain and sickness. I'll have to send his Mama this meatloaf recipe, now that I think of it. I kept it because it tasted good, but I'm glad I did. When *I* was 5, (and 30, come to think of it!) the food craze of what was sooooo good for us was liver. Cholesterol-laden liver, yep yep. I rest my case.