The cold weather continues.. and so does our soul warming food. Cue, meatloaf and mashed cauliflower with a side of roasted asparagus. Since switching to a low-carb diet last year, we have become big supporters of mashed cauliflower in our house.
Ever since our car accident I have been using grocery delivery for our weekly groceries. I wasn't able to drive for 12+ weeks due to the c-collar and subsequent PT, and being driven to the grocery store did not seem at all appeasing. Then, Covid blessed us with its presence, and I just continued on with the program. We use Meijer delivery, which utilizes Shipt shoppers. They. Are. AMAZING. They text you while they're walking through the store doing your order and let you know if the store is out of anything, send you pictures of substitutes and are just literally the best.
Anyways, I digress. Given that I do not do the actual shopping, I make it a point to do my produce and fruit prepping either the day I get my groceries or the next day (my payment for not walking the aisles myself lol). I use these storage bins for my refrigerator and they are great. They stack well and fit nicely on my fridge shelves. My one complaint is that they do not fit nicely inside of one another, so when they are not being used, they do take up a bit of space in my storage container cabinet.
Having my cauliflower pre-cut into florets and in my storage containers makes dinner time much easier, as I can just get a tall rimmed pan filled with water, sprinkle in some salt and dump the contents of the container in and get the party rolling. I cook the cauliflower until it is easily smashed with a fork (but not mushy).. typically about 45 min.
While the cauliflower is cooking, I prep the meatloaf. For this I use a combo of 1 lb 80/20 and 1 lb 90/10 ground sirloin, a 1/2 cup of Italian bread crumbs, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream, 1/2 yellow onion that has been chopped and sauteed until clear and salt and pepper, parsley, garlic and oregano measured with your heart. Gone are the days of meatloaf tins! We are on to bigger and better things! Place your loaf on a baking sheet lined with tin foil sprayed with cooking spray. This not only makes clean up a breeze but also allows the drippings of the meat to drain out and leaves you with a not so soggy, crispy edge loaf! I baked this baby at 350 degrees for about 1 hour 15 min (internal temp of 160 degrees). I took it out and drained the excess grease and goup from the tray.
I made the sauce with a cup of no sugar added ketchup, 2 tbsp of Swerve brown sugar, and a dash of Siracha for a little kick. Toss it back in the oven for about 5 min to warm up the sauce then turn the broiler on for a few to toast the top. ALWAYS allow your loaf to rest for a few minutes after removing from heat. This allows all of the yummy juices to redistribute.
You can also start working on the asparagus about half-way through the loaf timer. I also have these prepped in a container, so I just toss them on a lined baking sheet, coat with EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic powder and toss those bad boys in the oven for about 30 min as well. Once the cauliflower is at the desired softness, carefully drain the water. I use my KitchenAid to blend the cauliflower, add about 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper and a handful of parm cheese. Blend until combined and cheese is melted. Put into an oven-safe dish and top with more parm cheese. Throw it in the oven with the meatloaf for about 25 min (leave it in the oven when the broiler is on to crisp up the cheese on top).
I had excess sauce, so I just put this in a dish and served with dinner as extra dipping sauce. This low carb option is not your Mama's meatloaf & mash, but I'm sure she will approve!
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