Take meatloaf to next level with wasabi flavor

For a new twist on meatloaf, I added an Asian wasabi flavor. This meatloaf takes only 15 minutes to bake.

The secret is to place the meat loaves on a baking sheet, which lets the hot air circulate all around the meat.

Wasabi is the Japanese version of horseradish. It’s an Asian root vegetable that is sold in paste and powdered form.

The powdered form is mixed with water to form a thick paste. The green wasabi served with sushi is usually white wasabi powder that is generally mixed with colorants and mustard.

Helpful Hints:

• You can use prepared horseradish instead of wasabi.
• You can use green beans or peas in the rice dish instead of snow peas.
• You can use ground ginger instead of fresh ginger.

Wasabi-spiced Meatloaf

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

Vegetable oil spray

4 teaspoons wasabi paste

4 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise

1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion

1/2 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms

3/4 pound 95% lean ground beef

1 egg white

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with vegetable oil spray. Mix wasabi paste and mayonnaise together and set aside. Place onion and mushrooms in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high 3 minutes. Mix the onions and mushroom with the ground beef. Mix in the egg white. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide in two, place on the lined baking tray and shape into 2 loaves about 5 inches by 3 inches. Bake 10 minutes. Remove and spread wasabi mixture on the meat loaves. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve on two dinner plates.

Per serving: 398 calories (46% from fat), 20.5 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 7 g monounsaturated), 108 mg cholesterol, 39.6 g protein, 8.9 g carbohydrates, 1.9 g fiber, 358 mg sodium.

Ginger Rice and Snow Peas

Yield 2 servings. Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

1/4 pound fresh snow peas, cut in half (about 1 3/4 cups)

1 package microwave brown rice (11/2 cups cooked)

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh ginger or 2 teaspoons ground ginger

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Microwave snow peas 1 minute. Remove and microwave rice according to package instructions. Measure 11/2 cups rice and reserve remaining rice for another time. Add oil, ginger, snow peas and salt and pepper to taste to the rice. Toss well.

Per serving: 254 calories (22% from fat), 6.1 g fat (0.8 g saturated, 3.4 g monounsaturated), no cholesterol, 5.8 g protein, 44.1 g carbohydrates, 3.9 g fiber, 10 mg sodium.