Quinoa Beef Meatloaf

One of my friends has been urging me to make this recipe for quite some time now and I've always had one excuse or the other. I have to say I was skeptical at first because I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Even while making it, I still had my doubts. With the onions, I thought I might have to pick them out because I'm picky like that. With the brown sugar topping I thought it might be too sweet for a meaty meal, for me. And then, I was trying to figure out what to serve it, before it occurred to me that,I already have my protein, grain and veggie all in one.

At the end of the day, I have to say the end result smashed all my doubts and worries. I enjoy it and so did Mr. D. Looking forward to making it again. I think I'll try it with turkey next. Oh, and I'll highly recommend dicing your onions and carrot much smaller than I did. I think it will hold together better than the chunks I put in there. Lol. I couldn't wait to do it right the next time so I'm just going to share this with you.

I'm not a saucy person so this worked fine for me as it wasn't too dry. I didn't add any more sauce with the serving, but by all means if you love bbq sauce or any other kind, I'm sure it will be a nice topping/addition.
Recipe adapted from allrecipe.com

Ingredients

1/4 cup quinoa

1 lb ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup grated carrots (use smallest size on grater)

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1tsp dried parsley
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp water

Directions 
1. Bring 3/4 cup of water to boil. Add quinoa reduce to med-low heat and cook till tender and dries up

2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, once hot, add carrot and onions and 1/4 tsp salt. Cook until carrot and onions softens about 5 minutes stirring frequently to avoid burning. Add minced garlic and cook another minute. Remove from heat and set aside

I would recommend dicing your carrots and onions smaller

  3. In a bowl combine egg, thyme, parsley, 1 tbsp soy sauce, hot sauce 1 tsp salt and black pepper. whisk together and set aside

4. In a large bowl combine ground beef, cooked quinoa, carrot and onion mixture, tomato paste and egg mixture. Mix together with hands till all ingredients is well combined 

5. Line a baking pan with foil paper, empty content of bowl onto the lined pan and shape into a loaf, molding with hands
6. Combine 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp water and 1 tsp soy sauce in a small bowl. Mix together and spread/coat top of loaf with the brown sugar mixture

7. Place in oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 45 - 50 minutes. remove from oven, allow to cool a few minutes. Serve and enjoy