Buffaloaf: Better than mom's meatloaf!

Apparently, I suck at blogging. While on my run today, it occurred to me that I haven't posted anything in a few weeks. Oops.

Not that I haven't wanted to post. I simply haven't been cooking much lately because we've been so busy--and when I did cook, I was either making something fast and terribly boring (plain chicken breast and broccoli) or something I'd already posted here before (What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.).

We went to Des Moines last weekend for my cousin Katie's wedding, so we had to eat out a lot that weekend. Even though the hotel's breakfast tried to sabotage me by being 100% carbohydrates (toast, muffins, pastries, cereal, juice), I had packed some protein bars, drank extra water, and tried to get all my veggies and protein in during our lunches and dinner. According to the scale on Monday morning, I hadn't gained a pound--even with the hors d'oeuvres, glass of chardonnay, and the red velvet cupcake I had (in addition to the meal) at the reception or the extra sodium from restaurant food. Victory!

Also, I wore my new, blue dress (that I got from H&M during my trip to Chicago), and I looked smoking hot. I know, because all my Facebook friends told me so when I posted the picture there. :) Ben didn't look to shabby, either.

Anyway, after a week of not having time to make much for dinner (I survived on subway salads or chicken breasts with broccoli or green beans most nights), I decided I wanted something a little more hearty tonight. Enter the buffaloaf.

This meatloaf, made with ground bison, is a leaner, lower-sodium, and lower-carb version of what I grew up with, but is still flavorful and comforting (lower-carb because of the elimination of ketchup and most bread or oatmeal that is traditionally added). I made a slightly different version--with way more veggies in it, because I was sick of veggies and wanted to "hide" them--when I was on the MRC diet. In case you are also sick of eating vegetables, here's a hint: if you use 16 oz of veggies instead of the 5 oz I use here, then each serving of your buffaloaf will also include a full serving of vegetables.

Buffaloaf

Ingredients
1 lb ground bison
2 eggs
1-2 tbsp worcestershire sauce (to taste)
1 pouch Tomato-Basil Soup supplement (you could probably substitute tomato paste instead, but that would also change nutritional information)
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 bell pepper (I used red, because it was on sale), finely chopped
1 cup chopped mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
1 tsp diced garlic
1 slice Sara Lee Delightful bread, torn into small pieces
Approx 2-3 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Note: if you are going to have baked potatoes, you should clean and prep your potatoes and put them in the oven before starting the buffaloaf--that way they'll all get done at the same time.

Break eggs into a large bowl. Add tomato-basil supplement and whisk. Add water, 1 tbsp at a time until it is a smooth but slightly thick consistency. Add worcestershire sauce, diced garlic, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Whisk until blended.

Add chopped vegetables and stir. Mix raw bison in with bare hands, making sure to incorporate the mixture fully into the meat. Add the torn pieces of bread and continue to mix with hands until incorporated.

Put the meat mixture into a foil-lined, glass baking dish (thank you, mom, for teaching me this trick to easy clean-up so many years ago!) and bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes. Turn oven up to 400 degrees and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, or until done.  Let rest on stovetop a couple of minutes before slicing.  Makes 4 servings.


I ate mine with 3 oz of sauteed zucchini and a very small baked potato (usually I just do 1/2 of a large potato, but we happened to have a small one) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and about 1.5 tbsp of light sour cream on it. Warm, comforting, and delicious, but also low in fat, sodium, and carbs!

Nutritional Information
Buffaloaf--1 serving

Calories: 278
Fat: 13.61g      Sodium: 350mg     Carb: 6.82g       Fiber: 1.45g        Protein: 32.3