Gluten Free Living – 2016

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf is a delightful meatloaf recipe that provides the pungency of vinegar and mustard along with the sweet taste by using either brown sugar or honey. Since I was trying to stay away from both flour and sugar when I made this recipe, I used 4C Brand Gluten Free bread crumbs along with honey instead of brown sugar in the sweet and sour sauce. I will say, I actually enjoy brown sugar better 🙁 but my body handles honey a lot better than sugar so that’s why I made this with honey instead. (It really is hard escaping my sweet tooth for sugar!)

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The first time I tasted this recipe was when friends had our family over for dinner back in the 90s. The hostess, Shirley, needed some accounting help from my husband, so we packed up our young children (at the time) and came over for dinner.

Her husband, Hoyt (now deceased), made this meatloaf along with a delicious Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pie. Shirley made a Frozen Cranberry Salad and some other side veggie, like potatoes, as I recall. Our family loved the meal and requested recipes from just about everything we sampled. Hoyt’s meatloaf was something special.

This recipe is a little on the sweet side, and it makes a lot of sauce so you don’t have to pour all of it over top of the meatloaf before the final baking (like I did), unless you really want to. Also, you may want to decrease the granulated sugar or honey slightly if you prefer the sauce not quite as sweet. I also recommend using a 93% or 96% lean ground beef when making meatloaves or you have too much grease. Even still, you will have to drain the meatloaf a little before adding the Sweet and Sour Sauce at the end.

I loved being able to eat one of my favorite foods yet eliminating the gluten (regular bread crumbs) and sugar. For whatever reason my blood sugar spikes when I eat either. I usually have a difficult time sleeping on nights I eat either of these foods in anything. Plus, I start swelling internally everywhere.

I can feel it especially in my joints, so I aim to lay off the gluten and sugar whenever I possibly can. Some ingredients you just can’t tamper with or the results are disastrous. But with this recipe, you can make it with regular or gluten free bread crumbs and brown sugar and white sugar or honey. It comes out perfectly either way.

I served Sweet and Sour Meatloaf with Rosemary Potatoes. While we loved both recipes, I thought the meatloaf was a dandy of a recipe. I hope you’ll give it a try.

Sweet and Sour Meatloaf is mouthwatering.

I served Sweet and Sour Meatloaf with Rosemary Potatoes and Green Beans.

This delectable meatloaf is nice enough for company!

Here’s what I did.

I used these ingredients for the meatloaf. 4C Brand now makes gluten free seasoned bread crumbs!

Place lean ground beef in a mixing bowl. Add gluten free bread crumbs, eggs, dehydrated onion flakes, salt, pepper and part of the tomato sauce.

Mix ingredients with your hands until thoroughly mixed.

Spray an 8×12″ glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place meat mixture into dish and press down into the dish.

Bake meatloaf about 1 hour at 350. Drain any grease and pat dry the top if it appears greasy.

Meanwhile, place remaining tomato sauce in a small sauce pan. Add apple cider vinegar and mustard. 

Add honey (or sugar + brown sugar), whichever you prefer. You may have to decrease the honey or sugar in the recipe because it is quite sweet.

Combine sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Turn off heat.

Pour sauce ingredients over top of meatloaf. (You do not have to add all of it like I did).

Return meatloaf to oven and heat through with sauce about 5-10 minutes longer.

Garnish meatloaf with fresh parsley sprigs, if desired. Serve with Rosemary Potatoes and Green Beans, if desired.

Slice Sweet and Sour Meatloaf into individual servings and serve with your favorite sides. Rosemary Potatoes were also mouthwatering.

Here’s the recipe.

SWEET AND SOUR MEATLOAF

(Recipe adapted from Hoyt Huffman, Sudbury, MA)

Every forkful is amazing.

Delectable.

You may also enjoy these delicious recipes!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

BBQ Meatloaf

Pizza Meatloaf