Southwest meatloaf with chipotle glaze

First of all, YUM. This recipe is a winner. It scored a thumbs up from my health food-phobic brother AND my super picky little sister. This meatloaf is a super healthy, family friendly recipe that will actually leave you feeling satisfied. Its also a good way to sneak in some veggies!

Secondly, its super easy. There's a bit of prep work involved, but the great thing about this meatloaf is that the ingredient list is not the word of God. If you want to use more spice, go ahead. If you want to more/less veggies, go ahead and make the changes.

Oh, and another thing: its only 250 calories for 1/4 of an entire loaf. Yes, you heard me. Only 250 calories for 1/4 of a loaf. That's reason enough to break out the sombreros and throw a fiesta.

INGREDIENTS
1tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small zucchini finely diced (the one I used was 130grams)
1 small roasted red bell pepper finely diced (you can used the jarred variety or roast your own)
1/3 cup corn kernels
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup salsa

glaze
3 T ketchup
3 T red wine vinegar
1.5 T chipotle in adobo, minced

Preheat oven to 425

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium high heat. Add zucchini and season with salt/pepper if desired. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes

Add garlic and saute an additional 30 seconds to a minute

Remove from head and add roasted red pepper, corn, cayenne, and chili powder. Set aside to cool

Mix egg, oregano, and cilantro together in a large bowl. Add chicken, panko bread crumbs, salsa, and vegetable mixture. Mix until combined.

For crusty meatloaf, line a cookie sheet with nonstick foil, dump mixture onto the sheet, and form into a loaf.

For meatloaf with less crust, press mixture into a 9x5 loaf pan lined with non-stick foil

For the glaze: whisk together ketchup, red wine vinegar, and chiptoles. Pour on top of your meatloaf.

Bake for ~45 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees

NOTES
You can use one whole egg instead of egg whites, if you so choose.

If you want a spicier meatloaf, I would recommend adding more cayenne. The amount listed adds barely any spice

If this is your first time working with chipotles in adobo, be careful. They have a good amount of heat to them. The amount in the glaze is not excessive, and would be acceptable to the palates of all but the most spice sensitive. If you like spicy foods and want to make this meatloaf spicy, then add more chipotle

Go ahead and play fast and dirty with the ingredients here. Add spices if you want. Hell, its your meatloaf. Season it accordingly. Use hot salsa. Use mild salsa. Use homemade salsa, if you wanna be fancy.

This recipe was adapted from one that I found online that called for 1.5 lbs of chicken. Since I only used 1 lb, I had to estimate the cooking time, using a thermometer to be sure. As such, the cooking time is just an estimate. I cooked my meatloaf on a cookie sheet, so cooking it in a pan may take longer.

I used 95% lean chicken for this recipe, but I'm not your momma. You can use whatever type of ground meat floats your boat.

NUTRITION (1/4 of a loaf)
Calories: 250
Carbs: 16 g
Fat: 8 grams
Protein: 26 grams
Sodium: 556mg