Meatloaf Cordon Bleu

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Instead of using bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, I use equal amounts of finely chopped mushrooms and Parmesan cheese...oh, so much more flavor and a lot more nutrients! Mushrooms and Parmesan have an "umami" property. Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a 'savory' taste that comes from glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which are found naturally in foods such as meat, fish, vegetables and some dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don’t recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious. So here is a super flavorful way to make meatloaf.

2 lbs grass fed ground beef
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Celtic sea salt
1 tsp pepper
4 oz thinly sliced cooked ham
4 oz provolone cheese, sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium bowl, mix together the ground beef, Parmesan, mushrooms, eggs, and onion. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Pat the meat mixture out onto a piece of waxed paper, and flatten to 1/2 inch thick. Lay slices of ham onto the flattened meat, and top with slices of cheese. Pick up the edge of the waxed paper to roll the flattened meat up into a log. Remove waxed paper, seal the ends and seam, and place the loaf into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the loaf is no longer pink inside. Makes 8 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per serving):
Traditional Meatloaf = 357 calories, 18g fat, 32.4g protein, 12 carbs, 1g fiber
"Healthified" Meatloaf = 321 calories, 18g fat, 33g protein, 2.3 carbs, trace fiber