Once a month my blogger buddies and I publish our recipes that were developed on 4 randomly chosen ingredients, very much like a grilling bloggers version of the Food Network’s own “chopped”. The only rules to this exercise are that the protein must be cooked on the grill and everything else is pretty much fair game (pun intended). This month’s ingredient list was: Meat: Ground Beef; Veggie: Winter Squash; Fruit: Pear; Starch: Quinoa. When I first saw this ingredient list I thought to myself “How am I going to grill ground beef??!!!” However, the more I thought about it, the more I thought “Meatloaf!”. So that’s what I did.
First of all, I’ve heard so many great things about quinoa that I was excited to try it out. As far as grains go, Quinoa is the bomb because it is a “complete protein” and also high in iron, fiber, amino acids and is also gluten free! Wow, why have I not tried this before?!
PrintSage Quinoa Meatloaf on the Grill with Curried Acorn Squash
Ingredients
- Aluminum loaf pan or grill friendly loaf pan
- 1.25 lb ground sirloin
- 1 cup quinoa
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup chopped/grated pear
- 1 bunch fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1 tablespoon BBQ Rub (I used John Henry's West Texas Cherry Chipotle Rub)
- salt, pepper to taste
For the squash:
- 1 acorn squash, sliced
- 1 heaping tablespoon curry seasoning
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Olive oil, to taste
- salt, pepper
Instructions
- While most meatloaf recipes are made with bread crumbs, I substituted the bread crumbs with the cooked quinoa.
- Cook the quionoa according to directions. For additional flavor, substitute the water for chicken broth.
- Mix the beef with the quinoa and the rest of the ingredients. Take a little additional rub and sprinkle on the top. Add additional sage leaves on the top of the meatloaf.
- Meanwhile, slice the acorn squash and drizzle with olive oil. Add the curry, brown sugar and sea salt.
- Bake the meatloaf for about an hour on a medium heat grill for about an hour, or until the internal temp reaches 170 degrees.
- Serve with hot sauce. You will love the sweet and savory taste of this meatloaf!
All the other recipes developed by the “On Our Grills” bloggers:
About the “On Our Grills” 4 Ingredient Challenge Bloggers
Grill Adventures by Broadcast Marc
Grill Adventures by broadcastmarc was started in March of 2010. I started the BBQ thing when I was 30, before that we ate a lot outside. had fun, but when the kids came into our life we started serious cooking. Most of it is really healthy I think). The grill has a special place in my heart because we love to do things outside. Everything I make is an adventure, and sometimes we use the books. We try to grill as much as we can year round.
The BBQ Grail
Larry’s January Challenge Recipe:
Into the Flames
Rob launched Into The Flames in the summer of 2010 as a way to share his passion for cooking, eating, and exploring food.
His October Challenge Recipe:
Nibble Me This
Nibble Me This is Chris Grove’s blog about his misadventures in live fire cooking. ”I have no culinary training….I’m just entertaining myself with fire and food”.
Chris’ January Challenge Recipe:
http://www.nibblemethis.com/2011/01/on-our-grills-january.html
No Excuses BBQ
The No Excuses BBQ website was started in January of 2009 as a way to record the author’s goal of cooking outdoors at least once a week throughout the year and showing the results to the world. Somewhere along the way things got out of control…
No Excuses BBQ’s January Ingredient Challenge Recipe:
http://noexcusesbbq.com/archives/4442
Excellent job. I couldn’t think of a way to incorporate them all into just one dish like that.
I’m with you, quinoa was a pleasant surprise that I will be using from now own.
How did you cook your squash?
Very creative! I love seeing what each of you have come up with using the same ingredients!
tolles rezept – ich werde es bald kochen