Jeff's Salsa Meat Loaf

The mere mention of the words "meat loaf" conjurs up images of a concoction loaded with high carb fillers such as crackers, bread crumbs or oatmeal. In fact, without those fillers, it is difficult to get a meat loaf to come out with a texture less dense than a brick. :-) However, there are ways to get around this and still not load up on carbohydrates. The tricks are to use wheat bran and salsa as fillers. Not only does adding salsa improve the texture of the meat loaf, it significantly improves the flavor. Use whatever spicyness you like - I've used both medium and mild. Wheat bran helps the texture but also adds fiber to a diet that needs it.

When you buy salsa, be careful to buy only those without added sugar. In general, salsa without sugar has about 1 gram of carbohydrate per tablespoon. The amount of salsa used in this recipe adds about 12 grams of carbohydrate to the recipe.

This is tasty as a "one dish" dinner or served cold as a quick lunch.

1 1/4  lb      Ground beef
1 1/4  lb      Ground turkey
  3/4  cup     Salsa
  1/2  cup     Wheat Bran
2      large   Eggs  (or 4 egg whites)
1-2    tsp     Salt or "Lite" salt
80     grinds  Fresh pepper (approx 1/2 tsp)
1/4    tsp     Thyme
1/2    tsp     Garlic powder
               Worcheshire sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.  Combine all ingredients except Worcheshire
sauce in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly blended.  Press into
a 9" x 5" loaf pan and top with a little Worcheshire sauce.  Bake
for 75 minutes.  Remove from oven, let sit for 10 minutes then
remove from pan.  Makes 4-5 servings.

Carb Count: Entire recipe - approximately 30 grams. 6-8 grams per serving. Also contains 2-3 grams of fiber per serving.