Tired of the same old meat and potatoes? Try spicing things up with this meatloaf rolled up with cheese and vegetables, and mashed yams with a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Vegetable-and-cheese-stuffed meat loaf
1 cup mushrooms, finely diced
1 small onion, finely diced
1 small red pepper, finely diced
1 small orange or yellow pepper, finely diced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 lbs (680 g) extra-lean ground beef
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp barbeque sauce or ketchup
1/2 tbsp montreal steak spice
1 egg
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup packed shredded light mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 375 F. Spray a medium, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Add mushrooms, peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about five minutes. Add basil and cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, 1/4 cup barbeque sauce, steak spice, egg, and pepper. Mix well using your hands.
One a large sheet of waxed paper, form meat mixture into a 10×12-inch rectangle. Make sure edges are nice and straight, not jagged. Spread reserved vegetable filling over meat, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up meat load from the shorter (10-inch) end, lifting the waxed paper to help get it started. Roll it as tightly as possible. Pinch seam closed.
Transfer meat loaf to a broiler pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and spread remaining 2 tbsp barbeque sauce over meat loaf. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes, or until meat is cooked through and a meat thermometer inserted in the center registers 160F. Let meat loaf stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
This loaf looks really fancy, and I thought for sure I would mess it up, but to my surprise it turned out great! It would be a great thing to serve to guests because it’s impressive and yet not too hard to make. It tastes great too and I like that it has lots of veggies hiding inside. The whole family ate this up.
Balsamic Mashed Yams
5 large yams
2 tbsp butter
pinches of cinnamon, salt and pepper
1 to 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Peel and cut yams into chunks. Place in a dutch oven and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until yams are soft. Drain the yams and reserve about a cup of the water. Mash the yams, then add butter, spices and balsamic vinegar. Add the reserved water as needed to moisten the yams.
Well, you know I would like this because I’m a yam fanatic. Again, no surprise here but the kids wouldn’t touch this. Tony loved them though. One of his favourite parts of Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner is when we have mashed yams, so he was excited to get to have this when it wasn’t a special occasion. I enjoyed how the tartness of the vinegar and the sweetness of the yams paired so beautifully together.
-Meatloaf recipe adapted from ‘One Loaf to Love’ in Eat, Shrink and Be Merry
My kids like to whine, especially when it comes to the food they eat, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to make tasty and healthy meals for them. Follow along as I share family-friendly recipes and reviews from my picky family members, who I lovingly call “The Whine Critics.” 
