Turkey Trims Down Traditional Meatloaf

Aiea residents Fred and Arlene Domondon find time to do it all!

Fred works for Pacific Environmental Services in the linen department at Tripler Army Medical Center, and Arlene is a certified nurse’s assistant with Avalon Care Center in Honolulu. This busy couple has three children, twins Adam and Aiden, age 4, and daughter Angelica, age 7. They all attend St. John the Baptist School in Honolulu. Angelica was the proud recipient of the student of the month award this past September, and enjoys public speaking and working with computers. In their free time they all enjoy going to the beach, hiking and offshore fishing. Grandparents Esther and Fred Domondon Sr. spend quality time with all of them, and especially enjoy being with their grandchildren whenever they can.

This column is dedicated to the Domondon ohana.

This meatloaf uses ground turkey, which lowers the fat content. When purchasing ground turkey, try to get all white or breast meat to lower the fat even more. I like to use fresh herbs and garlic for the best taste, but you can use dried, if you prefer. Oats give added fiber and are a good way to get more fiber into your keiki.

Serve with a green salad and baked potato for a complete meal. Low-fat frozen chocolate yogurt topped with fresh berries and mini marshmallows is a perfect sweet yet healthy dessert.

SAVORY TURKEY MEATLOAF

* 2 pounds groundturkey (breast meat preferred)
* 1/2 cup bread crumbs (add more if needed for firm consistency)
* 4 egg whites, lightly beaten
* 1 1/2 cups oats (not quick oats)
* 1/3 cup chopped Maui onion
* 1/2 cup unsalted tomato sauce
* 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil
* 2 cloves fresh minced garlic
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* salt, to taste
* 1 cup of your favorite tomato or pasta sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, bread crumbs, egg whites, oats, onion, tomato sauce and spices until well-mixed. Form into a loaf and place in lightly greased loaf pan.

Bake for about an hour and 10 minutes, or until turkey is cooked through and hot in the middle of the loaf. Spread 1 cup of sauce evenly over the loaf and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the sauce is hot.

Makes about six servings.

Diana Helfand is the author of “Hawaii Light and Healthy” and “The Best of Heart-y Cooking,” Email heartychef@hotmail.com.