Zeus' stamp of approval

Dear Food Network- THANK YOU for starting to put up more healthy recipes!

To tell the truth, it's been a bit hard for me to find simple healthy recipes online- most require hard to find ingredients at high prices. (Suggestions are greatly appreciated)

I am very excited to see that Food Network is now integrating healthier recipes into their collection and now I can finally cook more of the famous chef's recipes without feeling so guilty!

So, I know that in my post about Mesa Grill in my other blog, I was sort of dissing Bobbly Flay a little. I feel like my animosity towards him comes from that time he was on Iron Chef (the original) and 'disrespected' Morimoto with his whole standing on the chopping block incident (and then a follow up episode of him throwing the chopping block off the table and then standing on the counter). Does anybody else recall that??

Anyway, after that, I thought that Bobby Flay was an arrogant prick- and I still do. But I am warming up to his food recipes and this past week, I decided to make his meatloaf recipe.

Never having made meatloaf before, I was excited to try it out- hoping to beat that stereotypical outlook on meatloaf (I mean, it does look gross).

I tried Bobby's Roasted Vegetable Meatloaf with Balsamic Glaze, recipe follows:

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3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large zucchini, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow pepper, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, smashed to a paste with coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves, plus more for garnish
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1 pound ground beef chuck
1 cup panko (Japanese) bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Romano or Parmesan
1 cup ketchup, divided
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the zucchini, peppers, garlic paste, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper, to taste, and cook until almost soft, 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Whisk together the eggs and herbs in a large bowl. Add the meat, bread crumbs, cheese, 1/2 cup of the ketchup, 2 tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar, and the cooled vegetables and mix until just combined.
Mold the meatloaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Whisk together the remaining ketchup, balsamic vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the entire loaf. Bake the meatloaf for 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

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Alright, so I wouldn't be me if I didn't alter/leave out some part of the recipe (and still have it turn out great!) I didn't add any peppers, since I hate them and replaced all the meat with just 1.5 lbs of ground turkey breast (so much healthier). The recipe came out great!!! I was really surprised by how much flavor there was in this meatloaf and that contrast of texture the soft panko bread crumbs with the cooked zucchini provided! It was delicious!

I decided to throw in a few roasted zucchini in there. (Roasted at 350 F with olive oil, pepper, garlic powder and fresh thyme on top)- and it was the perfect meal! I was expecting the meatloaf to be tough, but it was just the opposite- soft and full of flavor, I was pleasantly pleased.

Zeus even begged and jumped up on the table to try some- and I reluctantly let him have some. He gave it his stamp of approval too!

Ok Bobby, I guess you win again.

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 20 minutes

Taste: 8.5